FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 6-1 Rochdale
And so a wild evening, in more ways than one, comes to an end. Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Swansea City in the quarter finals, while Rochdale return to their League One relegation struggle. Spurs were worthy winners, with Fernando Llorente scoring a perfect hat-trick. Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura were also majestic. But spare a thought for Rochdale, who deservedly went in level at half-time against one of the best sides in Europe. It didn’t quite work out for them in the end, but it’s been a brilliant cup run for the Dale. Heroes all. The latest noise surrounding the pros and cons of VAR won’t obscure that.
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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 6-1 Rochdale (Walker-Peters 90+4)
Walker-Peters Ricky Villas his way in from the left. He lays off to Alli, who returns the ball with a clever reverse pass down the channel. Walker-Peters is clear in the box. He slams towards the bottom left, and in it goes off Lillis.
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90 min: There will be three minutes added for stoppages. It’s been some night, huh?
89 min: Spurs stroke it around the back, running down the clock, their work done. “I’m an American fan of both kinds of football: Jets and Spurs, so I’m used to disappointment,” begins Ron Stack. “VAR is a terrible idea, and not just because it was applied poorly and to Spurs’ detriment on a cold, snowy night. The NFL has baked all sorts of reviews into the game, and it’s horrible. Not only does it make a slow game even slower, it doesn’t make the fans feel better about the outcome. Referees’ mistakes balance out over time. The integrity of the game is not in issue.”
87 min: A corner for Rochdale down the right. McGahey meets it with his head, but his effort is way off target. “I hope the fans who travelled down from the Dale have a better view than me - I can barely see the ball thanks to the snow,” reports John Culkin. “It’s a little sad for the tie to finish looking like a bit of a drubbing, but as a long suffering Dale fan, watching them perform so well, and inspire a little genuine hope that we might pull off something amazing - it has been really brilliant. But VAR can do one.”
85 min: In the interests of VAR balance, and to be scrupulously fair there’s been none in this MBM, here’s Rick McGahey: “Why all this moaning about VAR? Surely if they can get the timing right, it is an improvement. Does everyone long for the days when keepers could pick up a pass from a teammate? For no substitutions? Tennis uses Hawkeye very well, PL seems to be reviewing too many obvious situations with VAR and then lacking a protocol for quick decisions. But why don’t you want something to help refs make correct decisions?”
83 min: A free kick for Rochdale, out on the right. Camps hooks it into the mixer. Henderson tries to recreate Keith Houchen’s diving header that did for Spurs in the 1987 final. It’s straight at Vorm, keeping Vorm, er, warm.
82 min: The magnificent Lucas Moura makes way for Kyle Walker-Peters. Meanwhile several members of the groundstaff storm the pitch and clear the lines of snow with shovels and other appropriate tools. Not before time, you could argue. Much cheering greets them, from both sets of fans.
80 min: “Just imagine what Harry Kane would achieve if Gareth Beale called him a donkey,” coos Cian O’Mahony.
78 min: The snow continues to fall. To the travelling Rochdale faithful’s immense credit, they’re still making a hell of a racket. And they’ll always have Spotland, and that wild, wild, wild first half.
76 min: Cannon is replaced by the 16-year-old Rochdale prospect Dan Adshead. “Who can see the ball?” asks John Addis. “While VAR makes everyone wait in the snow to make the wrong decision, there’s snow all over the pitch and no one thinks to change the now invisible ball to orange. As a famous band once sang, the modern world is rubbish.”
73 min: Lamela curls the free kick over the wall and off the right-hand post. Lillis didn’t move. Just as well, because Alli latches onto the rebound and hits it straight at him.
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72 min: Lamela turns on the jets down the inside-right channel, and is blocked by McNulty to the right of the D. I think; there’s a lot of snow on the pitch, obscuring the lines. A free kick in a dangerous position, though.
69 min: Spurs stroke it around the back awhile, causing little trails in the snow. Rochdale will be cursing that half-time whistle.
67 min: No hat-trick for Son, it simply wasn’t meant to be. He’s replaced by Dele Alli. “As a bit of a Spurs fan, can we employ Gareth Beale to slag them off more often please?” asks Eddie George. He should definitely monetise his talent, yes.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Rochdale (Son 65)
The excellent Lucas Moura drops deep and slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Lamela, who hooks low into the centre. Son is free in acres and sidefoots home for his third second of the game. He couldn’t miss.
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64 min: Kitching is replaced by Thompson.
62 min: Winks is replaced by Dembele. “VAR is not only useless, it’s contrary to the whole spirit of football, which is living in the moment,” argues David Taylor. “Ref mistakes have always happened and always evened out in the long run. And this was fine. It’s only a game, and it’s to be enjoyed. Even if VAR does eventually work the delays will ruin games. As we are now, the delays ruin games and the decisions are still wrong.” Preach on, brother.
61 min: That’s a perfect hat-trick for Fernando Llorente: left foot, right foot, header, no other goals in between. “I’m glad that Llorente has taken my constructive criticism on board and got his finger out,” deadpans Gareth Beale.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Rochdale (Llorente 59)
Son and Sissoko exchanges passes down the right. Son almost literally skates into the box, reaches the byline, and stands one up to the far post. Llorente, from close range, completes a 13-minute hat-trick!
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58 min: Steve Davies, who forced this replay, comes on for the injured Humphrys.
56 min: Done romps down the left and reaches the byline, then nearly finds Humphrys on the edge of the Spurs box with a pullback. Not quite, but there’s a sign that Rochdale aren’t quite finished yet.
55 min: The snow really is belting down now. The Wembley turf is as white as Tottenham’s shirt.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Rochdale (Llorente 53)
Son and Moura combine sweetly down the inside-right channel, exchanging crisp passes. Moura bursts into the box and crosses low towards the near post. Llorente flicks a casual finish into the net from close range. What a half-time team-talk Mauricio Pochettino must have delivered!
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51 min: Llorente goes haring after a long ball down the left. Lillis reads this one well, and blooters it clear from the edge of his area before the Spurs striker can take control. “We’ve watched VAR ruin numerous games in the A-league this season and had it please next to no one,” reports Peter Dawson. “The human factor is that which gets blamed. It seems the human factor will always be there VAR or not, but people can forgive a ref missing something in the moment. But screwing something up with the benefit of replays and a deep breath for some common sense is going to see fans turn away. I wanted VAR to work but it’s a few years away from being ready for the top tiers of football.”
49 min: Lamela slides through the back of Camps, and could very easily be looking at a second yellow. But the referee shows compassion. The Spurs winger wants to watch himself here; he’s in the last-chance saloon now.
48 min: Of course, there’s a little pause before the goal is awarded, because there has to be a VAR check. Eventually the fans are permitted to celebrate, but the moment’s kinda gone.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Rochdale (Llorente 47)
Moura latches onto a header by Lamela and drives down the middle. The ball’s slipped down the inside-right channel for Llorente, who daintily flicks the ball over the advancing Lillis and into the net! What a start to the half for Spurs!
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We’re off again! Spurs get the ball rolling for the second half. The ref demands the kick-off be retaken for encroachment. It’s just one of those nights, huh. “Notwithstanding the absolute farce that has been VAR the first half, Spurs have not been good enough,” writes Gareth Beale. “It’s obvious they are all fringe players as they are not playing like a team. So many misplaced passes and sloppy defending. Llorente has been an absolute donkey up front, losing the ball and falling over constantly. I think we’ll need the first-string again second half in order to win this game.”
Half-time breathing exercise: For those annoyed by VAR, or those annoyed by those annoyed by VAR. Serenity now!
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Rochdale
VAR, eh? Heh.
45 min +5: Lamela slides through the back of Camps in the midfield and earns a thoroughly deserved yellow card. Then the referee calls in the VAR, just in case he needs to flash red. He doesn’t. Now that would have put the cat among the pigeons.
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45 min +4: The corner is a non-event. Not something you can say about the rest of this weird and wonderful half.
45 min +3: This is one of the weirdest halves of football there’s been for quite a while. For all the VAR nonsense, Rochdale have been brilliant. Now Done is sent scampering down the left wing. He’s got Humphrys and Henderson in the middle, but allows Trippier to close him down before he can get a cross in. He’ll have to settle for a corner.
45 min +1: There will be five VAR-related extra minutes in this half. And Rochdale are inches away from taking the lead in the first of them! Vorm’s clearing kick is charged down. Humphrys takes up possession on the edge of the box and tees up Cannon to his right. Cannon sends a low rasper across Vorm and off the bottom of the left-hand post! So unlucky! That was a magnificent effort!
45 min: Foyth has been all elbows and knees from the get-go. He clatters into Humphrys down the right and earns himself a deserved yellow card.
43 min: The snow continues to fall. A light smattering of white on the pitch now. “Tell JR in Illinois that the new rules in soccer now state that once a goal is scored, a series of men with little understanding of the game are given the task of watching a replay and finding a reason to disallow it,” opines Justin Kavanagh. “VAR stands for Very Ambiguous Reasoning, which these numpties are obliged to employ when reaching said decision.”
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41 min: Trippier races down the right. He whips a cross into the mixer. Lamela rises, six yards out, but not quite high enough to meet the ball properly. His header wafts into Lillis’s arms.
40 min: Moura romps down the left. For a second, it looks as though he’s going to work space for a shot, but McGahey steps in to concede a corner. The set piece is a waste of time.
39 min: Trippier, quarterbacking from deep on the right, finds Son clear down the middle. Son can’t quite get the ball out from under his feet, and the chance to tear clear on goal is gone.
38 min: Rose bursts through a huge gap down the left of the park, but can’t find anyone in the centre. “So JR in Illinois is not even sure he’s watching football any more, thanks to VAR,” writes Simon McMahon. “Maybe he will be happier when he finds out who’s performing the half time show tonight.”
36 min: Lamela has a blast from the edge of the box. Lillis parries. Son tries to pick up the rebound but can’t get a shot away. It’s fair to say the atmosphere has got quite a bit warmer in the last 25 minutes or so.
35 min: As if the weather wasn’t trippy enough!
33 min: Never mind the snow; on the bench, Pochettino has a face like thunder. Now a free kick for Rochdale is slipped down the right wing and worked into the Spurs area. Cannon very nearly turns the ball home at the near post, but can’t quite wrap his foot around the ball. Goal kick.
THIS IS SENSATIONAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Rochdale (Humphrys 31)
Cannon, out on the right, wedges a glorious pass down the channel. Humphrys beats the offside trap, brings the ball down delicately, shifts a little to his right and past Vorm in one movement, and slams the ball into the bottom right! WOW.
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30 min: So the penalty goal’s been disallowed for ungentlemanly conduct! This we find out after another ludicrous wait.
28 min: Son hesitates during his run-up. He stops, then tucks the ball into the bottom right. But it’s no goal, because Son has been penalised for illegal feinting.
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Penalty for Spurs!
27 min: It’s going to be a penalty. VAR is turning football into a farce.
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26 min: The referee stands with his finger on his ear like a piss-poor folk singer. The crowd boo.
25 min: Trippier is dragged back by Done, an arm round the neck. The foul starts outside the area, and continues inside it. Trippier falls. He wants a penalty. A free kick’s awarded, but first there’s time for the VAR to take centre stage again. The ref asks him to check.
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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Rochdale (Son 23)
Spurs score their second goal of the match, and this one’s been generously allowed to stand by the VAR. Lamela jigs in from the right. He feeds Son to the left of the area. Son drops a shoulder, cuts inside, and pearls a lovely shot into the bottom right.
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22 min: After a break in play, the referee checks with the VAR about the Lucas penalty shout. He’s not changing his mind. VAR is ruining the rhythm of this year’s FA Cup.
21 min: Lucas Moura tries to barge his way through the centre of the Rochdale defence and into the box. McGahey sticks an arm out and puts a shoulder in. Lucas goes down under light contact. He wants a penalty. He’s not getting one.
19 min: Winks curls into the Rochdale box from a deep position on the right. Lamela tries to extend his leg at the far post, in the hope of poking home, but can’t quite reach. This game has a nice end-to-end feel about it. It’s not going to end goalless. Speaking of which ... “What sport am I watching?” wonders JR in Illinois. “I thought a goal was scored and now I don’t understand what is happening. I think I may have to find a different sport to watch.”
17 min: The snow is beginning to come down harder. Lamela dances his way down the left and earns a corner; it comes to nothing. Then Rochdale launch a counter, Done slipping a pass down the left for Cannon to rumble onto. He enters the area and runs the ball out of play, just before cutting back into the centre for the in-rushing Henderson.
14 min: A long ball down the left channel sees Done stride into the Spurs box. He chests down and goes for the spectacular: a shot across Vorm and into the bottom right. He’s not far away at all! The shot squeaks wide of the right-hand post. Henderson was haring in from the other wing, and wasn’t far away from connecting. Brilliant pacy football from Rochdale, and a shot across Tottenham’s bow.
13 min: It’s all very scrappy now. The snow continues to fall. On the touchline, Mauricio Pochettino looks far from happy, and who can blame him. At least the fume will keep him warm.
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11 min: Spurs appear shocked at the decision, while Rochdale seem slightly stunned at the largesse of the VAR system. The home side try to launch a few attacks, but that’s taken the wind out of their sails, and coherence is suddenly at a premium.
8 min: ... the goal’s chalked off! Llorente is booked for a supposed light tug on McGahey’s arm. It’s far from a clear and obvious error, it’s far from a clear and obvious foul. The goal should have stood. VAR is nonsense.
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6 min: Son dribbles fast and strong down the right. He fires low into the middle. Lillis gets a weak hand to it. Llorente goes in with McGahey. The ball breaks to Lamela, who taps in from a couple of yards. It’s a goal. Or is it? A load of VAR faff. And ...
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5 min: Lamela shoots from distance. Deflected. Corner. Llorente heads over from the set piece.
4 min: Rochdale are leaving a worrying amount of space in the centre of midfield. Lamela strides through acres, and very nearly releases Llorente into the area. His pass isn’t all that. Rochdale go up the other end, and once again Foyth dribbles his way into trouble. Humphrys momentarily steals the ball, but Foyth robs it back and gets out of bother with a tasty Cruyff Turn that was out of keeping with the nonsense he’d served up before.
3 min: Rochdale deal with the first major set piece of the evening without much fuss.
2 min: Son drives with great purpose, straight down the middle of the park. He attempts to lay off to Llorente on his left - if he’d made the pass, the striker was clean through - but Delaney gets in between the pair and boots out for a corner.
And we’re off! Ian Henderson, Rochdale’s top scorer this season, with six goals in the cup, gets the ball rolling. The Dale launch it long. Foyth gets his feet in a bit of a muddle on the edge of his own area and very nearly gifts the ball to Henderson. But he gets away with it.
The teams are out! Tottenham Hotspur are in their famous lilywhite, while Rochdale play in their first-choice blue. The visitors have taken a 5,146-strong support to Wembley, a fine turnout on an evening we can most definitely describe as a bit brisk. Understandably, given the snowflakes dancing around in the floodlights and a temperature of minus three - feels like minus nine - the Spurs fans aren’t out en masse this evening. Wembley is not heaving. But that isn’t stopping the Dale faithful giving it plenty. We’ll be off in a minute!
Mauricio Pochettino speaks! “We have a very good squad, they can all play in different competitions. We want to go further in this competition, today is a great opportunity to win. The FA Cup is always difficult away from home, it is difficult to show your real quality and level: look at Manchester City! But we have a chance to play again, at Wembley, and move to the next stage.”
Rochdale boss Keith Hill talks to BT Sport: “We came down here early and have done all our photographs. Now we have to take control of our performances. We’ve prepared really well. We’re certainly not overawed. We’re relaxed, confident and looking forward to it. We’re here to try and beat Tottenham, if we lose I’ll be bitterly disappointed. Our FA Cup form has been amazing.”
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Vorm, Trippier, Foyth, Dier, Rose, Sissoko, Winks, Lucas Moura, Lamela, Son, Llorente.
Subs: Sanchez, Kane, Dembele, Alli, Gazzaniga, Eriksen, Walker-Peters.
Rochdale: Lillis, Rafferty, McGahey, McNulty, Delaney, Done, Cannon, Kitching, Camps, Humphrys, Henderson.
Subs: Ntlhe, Rathbone, Thompson, Inman, Davies, Moore, Adshead.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Only Eric Dier and Erik Lamela survive from the Tottenham XI named at Crystal Palace last Sunday. It’s still a pretty strong team, though, with Lamela joined in the attack by Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Fernando Llorente. Harry Kane and Dele Alli are on the bench.
Rochdale, bottom of League One, name exactly the same team that forced a replay a couple of weekends ago. That means two changes from the team that lost at Wigan last weekend: Scott Wiseman and Ollie Rathbone make way for Joe Rafferty and Stephen Humphrys.
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Preamble
As Chas, Dave and the drummer from Chas and Dave once sang: it’s lucky for Spurs when the year ends in one. ♬♭ They first won the cup when the century begun. ♯ ♪ They lifted it in 1901, 1921, 1961, 1981 and 1991. Throw in league titles in 1951 and 1961, plus a League Cup in 1971, and there’s a bona-fide number-44 smash hit right there!
Times change, though, and Spurs haven’t won the cup since the days of Terry Venables, Gazza and Paul Stewart. In the new millennium, it’s luckier for Spurs when the year ends in eight. They won the League Cup back in 2008 and ... well, that’s it, though to be fair our hands are tied with sample size. Bill Nicholson took over in 1958, if you fancy widening it out a bit.
Anyway, the way they’re playing right now - unbeaten in 13 - another trophy in 2018 isn’t beyond the realms. Win this tonight, and they’ll be rewarded with an eminently winnable quarter-final tie at Swansea City. Two big wins away from another classic cup-final song. As Chas et al once said: gertcha!
Rochdale will have other ideas, of course. They asked some serious questions of Spurs at Spotland in the original tie, coming away with a thoroughly deserved 2-2 draw. They’ve never made the quarters of the FA Cup before, but then look what fellow League One side Wigan did to Manchester City recently, so anything is possible.
Whatever happens at Wembley tonight, it’s likely to be memorable. If only because it’s so bleeding cold. It’s the fifth round of the FA Cup. It’s the world’s oldest and grandest competition. It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm.
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