Coventry beaten by Spurs in Close Cup Contest

The Carabao Cup never fails to produce entertaining football, and Wednesday night was no different, as Tottenham edged past Coventry City in the closing minutes of the Carabao Cup third-round. It is fair to say that Spurs have struggled in their away games so far this season: a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Leicester in their opening Premier League fixture was followed by a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle where their only goal was scored by the opposition themselves. What would have been a third consecutive disappointment away from home was stopped only by a last-minute goal from Brennan Johnson, and an equaliser from Djed Spence which came a mere 4 minutes before the winner.

Coventry City found themselves ahead in the 63rd minute when Thomas-Asante tapped the ball into the bottom-left corner to score his second of the season, courtesy of a wonderful assist by Norman Bassette. The Sky Blues started the second half with a clear intention of scoring as they racked up back-to-back chances until the goal, some of which they should have taken. Ange Postecoglou’s men were caught out multiple times during the match, with Fraser never looking comfortable in goal. Although they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession (70%), in the end, they had fewer shots on target than Coventry and an equal amount of corners (7 each); statistics reflective of your typical troubled Spurs performance.

Big games in recent times have been a source of disappointment for City supporters

It’s not the first time that the West Midlands club has threatened to shock and upset the world of football either. Fans will have had flashbacks to last season’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, where the home side came from 3-0 down to make it 3-3 and take the game into extra time. They were denied in the end by VAR disallowing a late goal, which if given would have meant a sure-fire sacking for Erik Ten Hag and a change of set-up for United ahead of this season. Unfortunately for Coventry, they went on to lose the game on penalties to the later cup winners, much like how they let the result slip out of their hands in the dying moments against Spurs.

Big games in recent times have been a source of disappointment for City supporters, who will have again reflected on the defeat against Luton Town in the EFL Championship play-off final, where another penalty loss denied them promotion to the Premier League.

There is no doubt, nonetheless, that this is a talented and exciting group of players who are showing a lot of promise for the future. With the right management and the unwavering support of their fans, this football club can and will go on to achieve great things.