Thursday 29 January 2015 07:20, UK
Tottenham survived a scare against Sheffield United in their Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Bramall Lane to draw 2-2 on the night and win 3-2 on aggregate.
Christian Eriksen gave Spurs the lead with a wonderful free-kick on Wednesaday night, only for Che Adams to send the crowd wild with two late goals. However, it was Eriksen who had the final say with a calm finish to set up a Wembley showdown with Chelsea.
Adam Bate looks at five talking points from Tottenham’s progression…
"We need to be aggressive and stronger than them," Mauricio Pochettino told Sky Sports beforehand. "We expect a tough game." It looked like being a comfortable enough evening for Tottenham for long periods on Wednesday night at Bramall Lane before Adams intervened with a stunning brace. It was a test of Tottenham's resolve in the Sheffield snow with a raucous crowd getting behind the home team and their late aggregate winner was a brilliant response. It wouldn't have been Spurs without the wobble but the fact that they got through it was testament to the unity of purpose emerging under Pochettino. They've also lost just one in eight in the Premier League and with a 5-3 victory over Chelsea fresh in the memory, they can look forward to the trip to Wembley with more than a little optimism.
Whether Michel Vorm will play in the final remains to be seen. The Dutchman has played every minute of Tottenham's Capital One Cup campaign and Pochettino kept faith in his back-up goalkeeper despite an error in the FA Cup defeat to Leicester City at the weekend. However, Vorm's handling was poor when dropping an early cross and while he was brave to dive at Chris Basham's feet late on, there were question marks over his positioning at times too. Wembley opponents Chelsea paid the price in the FA Cup when Petr Cech should have kept out Bradford's opener on Saturday and Jose Mourinho restored Thibaut Courtois to great effect on Tuesday with Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers crediting him with winning the tie for his team. Is that a lesson for Pochettino to turn to Hugo Lloris for the final?
Harry Kane was to the fore once again with a delicious assist for Eriksen's decisive goal and all the talk has been of the significance of the young striker breaking through from the Spurs youth team. However, Ryan Mason is another academy graduate impressing in the Spurs first team and it is clear to see what he brings to this team. In fact, Pochettino's men looked rather less convincing once Paulinho took Mason's place in the heart of the midfield with the youngster pushed further forwards. He has not been on the losing side in any of his last eight appearances and his energy and enthusiasm is fast becoming an essential part of Pochettino’s team. "He has a fantastic attitude," says the Spurs boss. No wonder he's been rewarded with a new long-term contract.
After a day of discussing a stamp of the wrong kind, Eriksen found the postage stamp of the Sheffield United net for the breakthrough goal and it was an absolute cracker too. The Dane's free-kick took some of the pressure off on an awkward night and, when it was back on, there he was again with a measured finish to seal the win. A picture of calm in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Eriksen has a habit of intervening at key moments this season and has scored no fewer than five winning goals in the Premier League so far. He's also created 52 chances for team-mates - no other Spurs player has fashioned more than 30 of them - and Eriksen will surely need another strong performance at Wembley if Tottenham are to finish the job.
The last piece of silverware Tottenham won was this competition in 2008 and you have to go back to 1999 for the previous trophy to find its way to White Hart Lane. There is still hope of Europa League glory but now, it's the Capital One Cup that's their best chance of ending the six-year wait and if it should come - as it did last time - against Chelsea, then it will be all the sweeter. "Always when you get success, it is a special thing for the fans and the club," Pochettino told The Guardian earlier this week. "Maybe if you win the final, you go into the club's history." That's the dream, although for Pochettino, the final comes with a warning. The managers for those 1999 and 2008 victories were George Graham and Juande Ramos respectively. Glory on the first day of March must be the beginning of the journey not the end.
Watch the Capital One Cup final between Tottenham and Chelsea live on Sky Sports on March 1st
