Football Review | Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 0 Doncaster Rovers

Spurs are on their way to Wembley...

Tottenham’s promising start under Thomas Frank gathered further momentum as they eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Author | Greg S

Stadium | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

View from the stands

Frank underlined the depth of his squad by making seven changes from the weekend draw at Brighton, yet Spurs maintained their fluency. Mathys Tel might have scored twice inside the opening three minutes, first denied by a block and then miscuing from close range.

The breakthrough arrived soon after when Bayern Munich loanee Joao Palhinha acrobatically converted from a corner. Doncaster’s defender Jay McGrath then turned Wilson Odobert’s cross into his own net to double the advantage.

Doncaster had shocked Middlesbrough in the first round but struggled to live with Premier League quality. Rodrigo Bentancur headed wide and Archie Gray was denied by a sharp save before half-time, while Owen Bailey saw his volley pushed on to the post by Antonin Kinsky.

The visitors emerged with more intent after the interval, Glenn Middleton’s free-kick grazing the side-netting, but Tottenham remained in control. Lucas Bergvall had a late effort ruled out for offside before Brennan Johnson sealed a comfortable win with the final kick.

Spurs show strength in depth

Thomas Frank had admitted he would need to rotate his squad for the Carabao Cup, with Tottenham competing on four fronts after a winning start to their Champions League campaign and sitting third in the Premier League.

Battling after a corner

Even without Richarlison, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Mohammed Kudus, Spurs looked a strong and cohesive side. The pace of Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert stretched Doncaster throughout, while Xavi Simons drove relentlessly through midfield.

Grant McCann encouraged his team to attack more after the break but Tottenham, who have now recorded five clean sheets this season, remained solid and well-organised. With three matches in the next 10 days, including a Champions League trip to Bodo/Glimt, it was little surprise to see Frank’s side conserve energy and manage the tempo after half-time.

Best Spurs fan reaction

Christopher, a Spurs season ticket holder, said: “I think the main takeaway for Spurs from this game is that, despite all the changes, we were not a disjointed side relying on individual talent but a cohesive team. Yes, it was only Doncaster, but let’s face it, every year you see lower-division teams knock out Premier League sides in the League Cup because they send out a second or third string of kids and fringe players.”