Tottenham 6 – Rochdale 1: VAR controversy dominates snow-covered replay at Wembley

Fernando LlorenteGETTY

Fernando Llorente bagged a second half hat-trick

An unlikely and long overdue second-half hat-trick from Fernando Llorente finally put paid to Rochdale’s plucky underdog resistance – the never say die attitude of the lower league teams which makes this the greatest knockout competition in the world still.

But against a snowy backdrop worthy of a Harry Potter film, the magic had been killed long, long before. Sadly, it is the guardians of the competition themselves who must hold their hands up for being responsible.

24,627 hardy souls made their way to a quarter-empty Wembley for the game – a venue fit for finals, not fifth round replays when the FA have leased out their hallowed turf to one of its members to help cover construction costs.

But that aside, what really destroyed a splendid opportunity for a classic cup tie was the unseemly haste with which the FA are jumping into bed with video technology when the thinking behind it has not evolved beyond the boxed brownie stage.

Five minutes of time were added to the end of a first half in which neither trainer had entered the Wembley pitch. That is the amount of time referee Paul Tierney and his video assistant Graham Scott, sat in the warm at Premier League head-quarters, took to bamboozle the fans, players and managers trying their best to add some heat to an increasingly staid spectacle played out in an ever-deepening blizzard.

In the real world, Tottenham though they had taken any residual heat out of the tie after 5 minutes and 19 seconds. Heung-Min Son shot, Llorente could not get there, but Erik Lamela turned in the loose ball and the Spurs fans celebrated. For 1 minute 33 seconds.

By then, Scott in his booth had decided that Tierney had made an “obvious error” in not penalising Llorente for what was at best a six-and-two-threes grapple with the defender and advised the man-in-the-middle Tierney to give a free-kick instead.

The pair took much less time deciding a Lucas Moura tumble was not in fact a penalty, despite evidence of contact, and again conferred as Lamela waited to take a free-kick for a minute and a half before deciding Kieran Trippier had been hauled over inside the box instead and moving the kick accordingly.

A straightforward penalty instead, then? Oh no. Sure, Son tucked the ball into the corner, but Tierney decided that his feint was an “unsporting” one, disallowed the goal and booked him.

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Fernando Llorente and his team-mates enjoyed a rampant second half

Then amid the confusion of it all, Juan Foyth missed a simple through ball and Stephen Humphrys stole in to equalise. Or did he? Rochdale cheers caught in the throat. The referee had his hand to his ear again. Had there been an offside, an undetected foul, unsporting use of a hand gesture? No? So, a proper goal then? Yes… Hooray! The moment had been spoiled, rather.

Rochdale may even have nicked a second late in the first half when Andrew Cannon nearly made Michel Vorm pay for a poor clearance, instead hitting the base of the Tottenham goalkeeper’s upright. The Premier League side escaped to the warmth and sanity of their dressing room. Clearly, it helped.

Arguably, the one moment that did need video evidence was the goal for Llorente immediately after the restart. Had the Tottenham misfit actually managed to get the ball into the back of the net – and with such an adept finish, to boot? It turned out he had, and nobody looked as relieved as the Spaniard when Tierney waved him back to the centre-circle after another 20 seconds of checking.

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Mauricio Pochettino was fuming over the first half decisions

Six minutes later, he had done it again – a much simpler tap-in after good work from Moura down the right – and completed his hat-trick with a simple nod-down header from Son’s cross before the hour mark.

The South Korea international moved a notch nearer his own hat-trick in the 65th minute – another basic tap-in with the fight long having been frozen out of the League One defenders. 

With the goals rattling in, the game gained some momentum, with pauses only to shovel snow off the blue Wembley pitch lines during a brief stop in play.

Stephen HumphrysGETTY

Stephen Humphrys scored a shock first half equaliser for Rochdale

That was easily done. The overwhelming stench of another VAR disaster, however, may take a lot longer to clear.

Kyle Walker-Peters netted his first goal for the club in stoppage time. 

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Trippier, Dier, Foyth, Rose; Sissoko, Winks (Dembele 61); Lamela, Son (Alli 67), Moura (Walker-Pieters 81); Llorente. Booked: Son, Foyth, Lamela. Goals: Son 23, 65, Llorente 47, 53, 59.

ROCHDALE (4-4-2): Lillis; Rafferty, McGahey, McNulty, Delaney; Done, Cannon (Adshead 76), Camps, Kitching (Thompson 64); Humphrys (Davies 58), Henderson.

REFEREE: P Tierney (Wigan).