FA Cup Quarterfinal Recap: Spurs hammer Swans with dazzling display, 3-0.

Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to the Liberty Stadium couldn’t have gone any better in the eyes of their supporters, punching their ticket to the FA Cup Semi-Finals with a 3-0 blitzing of Swansea City in Wales.

First Half

Spurs started the match in full press mode, which surprised absolutely nobody. Just a couple minutes into the match on a Swansea counter, a ball into the box was punched away by a diving Michel Vorm, resulting in the takedown of Nathan Dyer on the followthrough. Swans wanted a penalty, but there was nothing to give and play continued on.

Tottenham didn’t have to wait long to get on the board as they took control of the match. After a two-on-one turnover forced by Spurs, Christian Eriksen received a pass from Erik Lamela and dribbled into the final third, coolly firing a curler into the corner to make it 1-0 Spurs.

The pressure did not let up from there. The attacking band spent much of the first half putting on displays of passing and dribbling including Lucas showing just how good he can be weaving through a defense in a tight spot in the 15th minute. There was never a moment where it seemed Swansea were going to threaten, much less score an equalizer before Spurs got their second.

The only surprise was how long it took to get that second goal. Sonny had a goal disallowed in the 23rd minute that went to VAR and....well, it was damn close. The grid is still weird and dumb but I guess he was slightly offside. It made no difference, though, as Lamela managed to pick up the slack just before halftime. The Argentine International, playing a very free roaming role along with Eriksen, got six touches on a run through the midfield before leaving everyone standing on a low corner shot making it 2-0 at the half.

Second Half

Swansea came out of the locker room like their hair was set on fire. One minute into the second half and Swans had their two best chances for a goal. Olsson made a push up and fired a rocket of a volley at Vorm, who parried the shot away. Abraham, in perfect position for the rebound, attempted to head the ball into the net but Vorm made a second save to preserve his clean sheet.

After that, Swansea looked defeated. It was as if they were hinging everything on getting a goal right away. Spurs spent much of the second half basically holding possession and taking the ball away whenever they felt like it.

The dagger for Spurs came in the 62nd minute. After several chances and corners, a buildup in the attacking third eventually ended with Lucas feeding Eriksen at the top of the box with a couple yards of space. His shot was true and pounded the net, making it 3-0. Swans had their will to continue ripped from their chests while Spurs simply toyed with them in the field of play.

Spurs had a great opportunity to make it four after Sonny had a throughball played perfectly to him. His ensuing pass aimed for Llorente was perfect, except that Llorente had to stop just briefly as he was offside and continued his run being just a half-second too late. No other chances really came for either side and the match ended 3-0.

Thoughts on the match

• Clinical and thorough performance. With Kane out, Spurs knew they had to step up and pick up the slack. The attacking band was so fun to watch today.
• Lamela and Lucas looked to be having a dribbling competition with each other and I don’t care who won or lost because they were both very threatening.
• Sonny continues his ridiculous form even though he didn’t get on the scoresheet.
• Sissoko and Dier got off to a rough start, but settled in and had a solid second half.
• There honestly wasn’t much for the defenders to do today and Vorm made the big double save in the second half to keep his clean sheet.
• SPURS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WEMBLEY! It’ll be Spurs 21st semi-final appearance in the FA Cup.