Spurs now have the small matter of the North London Derby to prepare for!
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino (Photo: AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night beat Newport County in their FA Cup fourth round replay at Wembley Stadium and Lilywhites manager Mauricio Pochettino cut a relieved figure in the aftermath of their win in the English capital.
“The performance was good, the job is done and we’re happy to be in the next round,” Pochettino told Spurs TV after the tie.
A first-half own goal from Newport fullback Dan Butler had opened the scoring for the hosts in fortuitous circumstances but Erik Lamela would double their lead soon after to put away any chances of an embarrassing upset.
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And Pochettino stated that with their progression to the next round of the cup, focus now shifts to their massive weekend clash with crosstown rivals Arsenal.
“A win is always difficult with the magic of the FA Cup, it can put both teams at a similar level in different circumstances, so we’re happy with the performance, happy with the win and now we’re thinking about the next game – and that’s the derby on Saturday.”
Erik Lamela, who has been struggling with injuries for the past few years, notched his first goal of the season and Pochettino admitted he was delighted for his compatriot as he enthused, “It’s very good news for him and always it’s so important to feel the net for an offensive player and after more than one year, he feels he can play 90 minutes and fight for a place in the starting 11.”
Toby Alderweireld, started for the first time in three months after recovering from a hamstring injury and the Spurs manager admitted his delight at seeing the Belgian return ahead of a hectic fixture schedule.
“It’s important everyone feels they are ready to fight and that’s good for the team, it increases the level and competition as we have a very busy schedule ahead,” Pochettino added.
After hosting Arsenal on Saturday, Spurs travel to Turin to take on Juventus in their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash on February 13 before taking on Rochdale in the fifth round of the FA Cup on February 18 in a crunch period for the Lilywhites.
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