Ange Postecoglou acknowledged Tottenham had to hang in there to avoid a Carabao Cup upset at Coventry, but was pleased with their spirit and character after a nervy 2-1 victory.
Spurs were set to follow up Sunday’s painful derby defeat to Arsenal with another loss after Brandon Thomas-Asante fired the Sky Bet Championship club into a deserved lead after 63 minutes.
It would have put Postecoglou’s post-match comments last weekend about always winning silverware in his second season into sharp focus, but Djed Spence spared his blushes when he levelled with two minutes left.
Spot-kicks were still on the cards until Rodrigo Bentancur played through to Brennan Johnson, who chipped home in the 92nd minute to send Tottenham through and leave their travelling support singing about Wembley.
“We had to hang in there. We had to work really, really hard just to stay in the game and obviously going a goal behind makes it even more challenging,” Postecoglou said.
“At the end there, we showed some real spirit and character, which is probably what’s been missing in the first four games.
“We’ve had the performance, but we haven’t had that relentlessness to get a result. You sense that in the last 10 minutes, we got real belief out of that and hopefully that’s a good sign moving forward.”
It could end up being a pivotal victory for Postecoglou, but it was an overall poor night for a much-changed Spurs team.
Coventry almost scored inside 60 seconds but Fraser Forster atoned for a misplaced pass with a fine save to deny Jack Rudoni.
Tottenham dominated possession but failed to create chances and Rudoni had another effort blocked by Destiny Udogie before Norman Bassette fired over.
After no first half shot and a smattering of boos at the break, Postecoglou sent on Spence and Johnson did have a shot deflected wide but Forster had to deny Bassette before Coventry called for a penalty.
Jake Bidwell collided with Forster and as play continued Ben Davies had to slide in to thwart Haji Wright’s goalbound effort.
Boos greeted Postecoglou’s decision to take off the lively Lucas Bergvall in the 62nd minute before seconds later Thomas-Asante slotted home from a sumptuous Bassette cross.
Further chances were fashioned for the hosts as Ephron Mason-Clark failed to get a sufficient touch at the back post.
The Sky Blues would pay the price for their profligacy as Dejan Kulusevski combined brilliantly with fellow substitute Spence, who prodded home with two minutes left.
It was Spurs who scented blood and Bentancur threaded a pass through to Johnson, who dinked past Wilson to spark wild away celebrations half an hour after they booed the decision to take off Bergvall.
Postecoglou added: “I don’t make substitutions by poll, mate.
“I’m sure the fans have got their own opinions, but yeah, Lucas, like I said that’s his first sort of significant game time for quite a while.”
Coventry boss Mark Robins said: “Life presents you with chances and we seem to not take them in this moment in time.
“I look back to the (2023) play-off final, the game against Manchester United and it was there. The game was there tonight and we just didn’t manage to take it.
“There is the disappointment, but there were so many positives.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Amara Nallo Debut Bournemouth this season (LIV next) true 18 matches at once, it's just too much. Speed describing how Ronaldo smells like in his stream:"You could smell his aura. He smells like a GOAT." lol Juventus Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
Manchester United have plenty of business to tie up before Monday’s transfer deadline, with Patrick Dorgu closing in on a move to Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford appears to be heading for the exit after facing the wrath of Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim, while Alejandro Garnacho could also be set to depart.Chelsea are in the mix for new signings and could rival Napoli for Garnacho. The Blues are...
Marcus Rashford could be at the center of a deadline-day transfer as Manchester United have made him available. Man Utd star Rashford could be set for a deadline day move as the window comes to a closeUnited are asking for £40M for Rashford but are also open to a loan deal, per The Sun. European clubs, including Barcelona, have shown interest, but his £325,000-a-week wages have been a si...
Chelsea’s pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho could be a last-minute scramble late into the winter window – but the club have a contingency plan in place should the Blues fail to secure a Manchester United winger before the transfer deadline, according to reports.The Argentine forward could still leave Old Trafford before February 3, when the window closes, with the club willing to sell him ...
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is "good news" for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-...
Chelsea are reportedly close to signing a new striker, Mathys Tel, who has decided to leave Bayern Munich this month. The Blues have been linked with the Frenchman, while Bayern Munich is interested in Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku. This potential deal might lead Chelsea to abandon their pursuit of Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho. Tel's decision to leave Bayern has put Chelsea on high alert ...
Manchester City are nearing a £58.7 million deal for Andrea Cambiaso this week.The Juventus full-back ruled himself out of their crucial Champions League match against Benfica. City had a £54.5 million offer rejected, with Juventus demanding £75.5 million, per The Mirror.A compromise is expected this week after Juve coach Thiago Motta revealed Cambiaso cited an ankle injury for his ...
Chelsea forward Deivid Washington is set to join Santos on loan until the end of the season. He will link up with Neymar, who is rejoining Santos from Al-Hilal. Washington, 19, joined Chelsea from Santos in 2023 but has made just three senior appearances. The loan move aims to provide him with more playing time and experience. Neymar's return to Santos is highly anticipated, as he started his care...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Are you ok ? Ange Attacker of the big EPL team Jackson , Rasford Wednesday in the Champions League: 18 games. All at once. The THREE Pillars of Real Madrid's UCL 3PEAT! CLASS ACT! Lionel Messi is FC BARCELONA! Incredible achievement. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, BleacherReportFootball, AZR Orga...
Manchester City planned to continue their January transfer window spending spree.Pep Guardiola has not been afraid to spend this month.Manchester City's pursuit of Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso is reportedly losing momentum, despite initial interest in the player. The reigning champions had a £54.5million offer rejected, with Juventus holding out for a higher fee of £75.5million.Howe...
- 1 Kerkez and £83m ace join as Salah signs
- 2 'exciting' Betis on signing Man Utd flop
- 3 Enzo 'trying to fix romance with childhood sweetheart'
- 4 Kyle Walker’s wife in talks with ITV for HUGE reality show
- 5 Ashley Cole, wife Sharon, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy on luxury skiing holiday
- 6 Meet Jude Bellingham's new model WAG
- 7 Atletico Madrid in talks for Arsenal Zinchenko
- 8 Napoli confirm Garnacho interest
- 9 LaLiga ace Alex Berenguer & model wife ‘have gun pointed at them’
- 10 Transfer news and rumours LIVE