Reading v Tottenham, FA cup, 15/01/2008

Match Report

Tottenham made it through to the FA Cup fourth round with a greater degree of comfort than the scoreline suggested.

Robbie Keane won the tie on 15 minutes when he thumped in a rebound after Younes Kaboul headed against the bar.

Jermain Defoe came close to adding a second but his fierce, low volley was superbly palmed away by Adam Federici.

After the break Reading's Stephen Hunt lashed a volley against the bar, while Steed Malbranque's vicious volley was tipped on to the bar by Federici.

From the start, Tottenham were more confident in possession and more threatening with it, particularly from the unlikely source of Kaboul, who caused Reading problems in the air from set-plays.

It was his headed flick-on that gave Defoe a chance to open the scoring but the striker could only nod over the bar.

But when Kaboul again rose above the Reading defence from Jermaine Jenas' corner, it proved decisive as the ball was pushed against the bar by Federici only for Keane to smash in the rebound.

Apart from the pace offered by Leroy Lita, Reading appeared unable to make any impact on the Spurs defence.

And in midfield, too, they were second-best as Jenas dictated the pattern of the match.

Yet for all their superiority, Spurs created little in the way of clear opportunities to put the tie beyond Reading's reach.

Then five minutes before half-time Defoe could hardly have hit his right-footed volley better but Federici threw himself to his left to make an excellent stop.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Spurs having the better of things and Reading struggling to raise their game.

When the hosts did threaten, Nicky Shorey could only muster a weak shot from the edge of the box that rolled harmlessly wide.

Urgency, penetration and desire were all lacking from Reading's play as Spurs easily held at them at arm's length like an older brother might nonchalantly frustrate a younger sibling.

Even so Tottenham were showing little attacking ambition of their own.

And after 14 goals in the last two meetings between the sides, the match was proving a bit of a let-down.

Inside the final five minutes, Reading finally stirred and they were within inches of an equaliser when Hunt cracked an edge-of-the-box volley against the bar.

Almost immediately afterwards Simon Cox directed a free header straight at Radek Cerny.

Tottenham were denied a second goal when Federici produced an incredible stop to divert Malbranque's ferocious volley onto the bar.

In the end, one moment of incisiveness was all that Tottenham needed to progress, where they meet will Manchester United in the next round.


BIG-MATCH FACTS

Tottenham and Reading served up another thriller at White Hart Lane in the original tie. Dimitar Berbatov scored both for Spurs in the 2-2 draw. His goals came between a brace from Stephen Hunt, capitalising on mistakes from Spurs keeper Paul Robinson.

This is one of two all Premier League replays in the third round.

One of these clubs will join Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Wigan in the fourth round, and earn that plum trip to Old Trafford.

In the The League

Tottenham are one place above Reading in the Premier League table in 12th spot.


HEAD to HEAD

All competitions

This will be their third meeting in 17 days. A total of 14 goals were scored in the two previous meetings, six of them by Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov.

FA Cup

Reading are hoping to make it a hat-trick of FA Cup victories over Tottenham, having won the last two meetings in 1913, as a Southern League club, and in 1929. The Royals kept clean sheets in both matches, which were contested on Reading turf.