Minnows Newport force FA Cup replay at Spurs

League Two side Newport County were not overawed by the occasion and were in fact comfortably the better team in the first-half despite only having 35 per cent possession.

Their attacking intent was clear to see early on as chances fell to Frank Nouble, Joss Labadie and Scot Bennett. However, the 'Exiles' finally found their break-through in the 38th minute when prolific striker Amond rose above Kieran Trippier to head home a cross from the right-hand side. It was the Irishman's first goal in the FA Cup since November 2015. 

The players were evidently delighted and celebrated hard with fans as the magic of the cup appeared to continue. As it stood going into the break, Newport would be going through to the fifth round of the FA Cup and Tottenham would be knocked out.

However, the visitors did have one really good opportunity before the goal to take the lead when Harry Kane forced Newport’s goalkeeper Joe Day into a great save. The England international connected well from a cross on the right-hand side but his opposing keeper was able to get a hand on it, pushing the ball on to the post and out for a corner.

It summed Tottenham’s performance up, comfortably dominating possession but lacking that end product to dispatch their minnow opposition. Mauricio Pochettino was forced to bring on the big guns as Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli replaced Kyle Walker-Peters and Fernando Llorente, who failed to offer any threat up top.

Nonetheless, Newport held on well. Michael Flynn gave them strict instructions during the break to consolidate the defence and keep mistakes to a minimum. They continued to offer an attacking threat too, replacing the goal scorer Amond with Shawn McCoulsky, who had scored six goals already since joining on loan from Bristol City.

- Spurs onslaught -

The momentum did shift in the second-half though as Tottenham had plenty of chances to equalise. Kane’s header went inches over the crossbar in the 59th minute and his team-mate Son should have scored after Alli put him through on goal.

The visitors finally drew level through top scorer Kane who was poaching perfectly in the box for an easy tap-in, netting his 30th goal of the season. It was absolutely gutting for Newport who had worked so hard to maintain their lead.

By the end, the home side were holding on thanks to some last ditch defending as Spurs' quality became increasingly apparent whilst Newport tired. Kane even had a great chance to snatch a late winner after beating a few defenders before letting loose but his shot went slightly wide.  

Flynn's side managed to survive the onslaught to secure a replay at Wembley, which will feel like a cup final in itself for the League Two side who were making their first apperance in the fourth round since 1979. As for Tottenham, they will rue their missed chances as they add an extra fixture to their already congested schedule.