Sheffield United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Blades stun Spurs to reach quarter-finals
Sheffield United #SheffieldUnited
Iliman Ndiaye scored a superb late winner as Championship side Sheffield United stunned Tottenham to progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
As the game looked to be heading to extra time, substitute Ndiaye weaved past a couple of defenders before beating Fraser Forster with a low strike at the near post.
Tottenham, who beat Chelsea at the weekend to boost their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League, looked off the pace as they struggled to test Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
Richarlison blasted a shot over the bar from close range but failed to make an impact, forcing Spurs to turn to Harry Kane as the second half wore on, but even the club’s all-time top scorer was unable to really test a fired-up Sheffield United.
Kane had just the one real chance to score when he rose unmarked to meet a cross in the final few seconds but somehow headed wide.
The Blades – who are chasing promotion to the Premier League – then held firm to secure a famous win.
Their reward is an all-Championship tie with Blackburn in the last eight.
Lethargic Spurs fail to carry Premier League momentum
The win was all the more impressive for Sheffield United, who are second in the Championship, after manager Paul Heckingbottom made eight changes with a sickness bug having affected his side.
The Blades had also received an additional setback in the hours before the game when Heckingbottom received confirmation of a touchline ban for his sending-off against Middlesbrough last month, meaning he had to watch Wednesday’s game from the stands.
Spurs had also heavily rotated their side, with six changes from their 2-0 win against Chelsea at the weekend – their second successive Premier League victory that boosted hopes of a top-four finish.
Kane was named on the bench but they still had plenty of quality in their first XI, with £60m-signing Richarlison and Son Heung-min in attack.
But they struggled to trouble Sheffield United’s disciplined defence, with Son and Richarlison wasteful with the few chances the visitors had.
Sheffield United grew in confidence as the game wore on and were not unnerved by the introduction of Kane just after the hour mark.
But having not tested Forster for 78 minutes it felt like a moment of magic would be needed to decide the tie, and that duly arrived when Ndiaye showed superb footwork to evade challenges inside the box to fire home the winner.
Player of the match
NdiayeIliman Ndiaye
Sheffield United
Squad number29Player nameNdiaye
Squad number4Player nameFleck
Squad number8Player nameBerge
Squad number22Player nameDoyle
Squad number13Player nameLowe
Squad number19Player nameRobinson
Squad number15Player nameAhmedhodzic
Squad number6Player nameBasham
Squad number28Player nameMcAtee
Squad number23Player nameOsborn
Squad number2Player nameBaldock
Squad number18Player nameFoderingham
Squad number35Player nameBrooks
Squad number17Player nameCoulibaly
Squad number10Player nameSharp
Line-upsSheff Utd
Formation 3-5-1-1
18Foderingham
6Basham15Ahmedhodzic19Robinson
2Baldock17Coulibaly22Doyle35Brooks23Osborn
28McAtee
10Sharp
Substitutes
Tottenham
Formation 3-4-3
20Forster
6D Sánchez15Dier33Davies
23Porro29Sarr5Højbjerg14Perisic
27Lucas Moura9Richarlison7Son Heung-min
Substitutes
Referee:John Brooks
Attendance:28,308
Live Text
Match ends, Sheffield United 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0.
Second Half ends, Sheffield United 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0.
Attempt missed. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ivan Perisic with a cross.
Hand ball by Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United).
Foul by Davinson Sánchez (Tottenham Hotspur).
Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Davinson Sánchez (Tottenham Hotspur).
Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Arnaut Danjuma (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United).
Attempt saved. Ivan Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg with a cross.
Max Lowe (Sheffield United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Max Lowe (Sheffield United).
Substitution, Sheffield United. John Fleck replaces James McAtee.
Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Arnaut Danjuma replaces Pedro Porro.
Offside, Sheffield United. Tommy Doyle tries a through ball, but Iliman Ndiaye is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Tommy Doyle (Sheffield United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Osborn.
Goal! Sheffield United 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0. Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
Attempt missed. Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ivan Perisic.