Tottenham 3-0 Doncaster: Joao Palhinha scores overhead kick opener in Spurs' third-round Carabao Cup win

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image

Joao Palhinha scored an overhead kick opener to help Tottenham beat League One side Doncaster 3-0 at home to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Palhinha was one of four players to retain his place from Saturday's 2-2 Premier League draw at Brighton as Spurs boss Thomas Frank made seven changes.

The Portugal international, who played at centre-back, struck an acrobatic 14th-minute goal from a corner as he pounced on Doncaster goalkeeper Ian Lawlor's poor punch to finish wonderfully into an empty net.

Match stats | How the teams lined up

Got Sky? Watch Carabao Cup on the Sky Sports app 📱

Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract📺

Spurs doubled their lead just three minutes later as Doncaster defender Jay McGrath turned Wilson Odobert's fizzing low cross into his own net.

Doncaster were denied a route back into the game by Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who made a fabulous 39th-minute save to tip Owen Bailey's first-time volley across goal onto the post.

Spurs struggled in the second half as they had less of the ball than their lower-league visitors, who lacked the final-third quality to threaten a comeback.

There was a Spurs debut late on for 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett - and the academy graduate nearly had a hand in a goal as he played in Destiny Udogie, whose ball across was tapped home by Lucas Bergvall, but Brennan Johnson was offside in the build-up.

Johnson, however, made up for his error by scoring with the final touch of the game in stoppage time as he deftly finished off his one-on-one chance after being released by Bergvall.

The victory means Spurs have progressed from 18 of their last 19 League Cup ties against sides from a lower division.

Source