ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP FOURTH ROUND Norwich City 2 Tottenham 1:SPURS, THEIR supporters believed, were on their way to Wembley and until the last 10 minutes, so it seemed. It was then, however, that the game exploded into life. First Jan Vertonghen deflected Alex Tetteys shot past his own goalkeeper to equalise Gareth Bales earlier effort, and after Simeon Jackson had followed up by putting Norwich ahead from close range, Clint Dempsey saw his 88th-minute penalty saved.
There was precious little to shout about in a tepid first half but Spurs should have started the second half with a goal when Iago Falqués astute pass put Bale clear on his favoured left foot but his insipid effort that was easily saved.
Falqué was becoming influential, and cutting in from the right the young Spanish midfielder thumped in a left-footed drive which Mark Bunn saved. Now it was pretty much all Spurs, but the breakthrough continued to elude them and they needed Hugo Lloris to deny Steve Morison.
Reminded that the game still had to be won, Spurs finally got the goal their share of possession merited. Bale being allowed to run across the front of the Norwich penalty area before squeezing a low right-footed drive inside Bunn’s right-hand post.
Chris Hughton reacted with a double substitution, and saw his side quickly come close to equalising when Lloris saved well from Jonny Howson. Andres Villas Boas sent on the defensively inclined Vertonghen, but the arrival of Grant Holt to play alongside Morison ensured the final minutes would be interesting.
Vertonghen’s presence certainly did make a difference, but not in the way Villas Boas hoped: the Belgian was standing in the wrong place when Tettey’s shot was passing outside the post, instinctively put out a foot and deflected it past Lloris.
The excitement was just beginning. Two minutes later Holt won a header and Jackson, having seen his initial shot blocked by Lloris, prodded the rebound home. Even then Spurs should have equalised, but Bunn brilliantly saved Dempsey’s penalty, given for Marc Tierney’s foul on Walker.
Guardian Service
NORWICH: Bunn, Whittaker, Turner, Ryan Bennett, Tierney, Snodgrass, Fox (Tettey 68), Butterfield (Jackson 68) , Surman (Holt 82), Howson, Morison. Subs not used: Rudd, Elliott, Bennett, Garrido, Barnett. Booked: Bunn.
TOTTENHAM: Lloris, Walker (Defoe 90), Dawson, Caulker, Naughton, Sigurdsson, Livermore (Huddlestone 46), Carroll (Vertonghen 79), Falque, Bale, Dempsey. Subs not used: Cudicini, Lennon, Townsend, Smith. Booked: Bale.
Referee: Jon Moss(W Yorkshire).
