Preston v Tottenham: FA Cup fourth round – live
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Second half: Preston 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur46 min: Play resumes with Spurs kicking off and there are no changes in personnel on either side.
An email: “Only god knows how much abuse Emerson Royal would have received if he had replicated what Sessengon is doing right now and has been doing for this whole season,” writes Yash Gupta. “He receives the ball in nice areas and just basically passes it back to opposition while his defending makes TAA look a world class defender.”
Half-time: Preston North End 0-0 Tottenham HotspurPeep! A seriously underwhelming first half is put out of its misery by referee Peter Bankes but Preston manager Ryan Lowe won’t care about the paucity of entertainment. His side has defended well and restricted Tottenham to three shots from distance but haven’t offered much going forward. Spurs have looked bereft of ideas in the face of a stout wall of white resistance.
44 min: Now Sessegnon attempts to cross the ball from near the left touchline, only to see his effort intercepted by Alan Browne. Moments previously, Liam Lindsay had stuck out a leg to deny Kulusevski a shot on goal with a fine block.
40 min: In space down the inside left, Ryan Sessegnon attempts to cross the ball towards the far post but sends it over the bar and on to the roof of the net, prompting whistles of derision from Preston’s fans. That is atrocious.
38 min: Rodrigo Bentancur runs the ball out of play following a rogue touch. A goal-kick for Preston, whose manager Ryan Lowe will be extremely pleased with his side’s defensive performance thus far.
37 min: From that corner, Spurs win another and the ball breaks towards Dejan Kulusevski. He fires over the bar from distance.
36 min: Spurs win a free-kick wide on the right, deep in Preston territory, in line with the front edge of the penalty area. Son’s delivery fails to clear Robbie Brady, the only man standing in front of him and the ball richoets off the Irishman and out for a corner. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Son’s dead ball delivery is seriously questionable.
34 min: More stout and disciplined defending from Preston prevents Spurs from finding a way through their defence. Two long range efforts from Son aside, they’ve created nothing in this half.
33 min: With all the time in the world at his disposal, Clement Lenglet massively overhits a pass towards Son and sends the ball out for a goal-kick. Can we have some more balloons on the pitch please?
30 min: Davinson Sanchez makes a total dog’s breakfast of his attempt to deal with a long ball down the inside left but just about manages to compose himself and play the ball back to Fraser Forster under pressure from Tom Cannon.
28 min: In possession of the ball wide on the right, Ryan Ledson looks up, surveys his options and arrives at the conclusion that he only has one. He cuts inside and unleashes a shot that sails over the cross-bar.
27 min: There’s a short break in play as some of the players are called upon to burst a load of white balloons that have found their way on to the pitch. With almost half an hour gone, it’s arguably the highlight of the match so far.
24 min: Assorted Spurs players play a series of tippy-tap passes around the edge of the Preston penalty at great length but to no great effect. Eventually, Son decides to have a shot but his swerving effort from distance is well saved by Woodman. That’s excellent defending from Preston.
22 min: Son handles the ball just outside the Preston penalty area and home side have a free-kick. Freddie Woodman gets it launched and Preston win a throw-in down near the corner flag. Nothing comes of it and Spurs have a goal-kick.
21 min: Spurs continue to dominate, albeit without creating anything much in the way of chances. They have a brief dither in their own penalty area as Preston send the ball forwards courtesy of a free-kick from deep but eventually clear.
18 min: Ched Evans breaks upfield on the counter, checks his run to hold the ball up while reinforcements arrive and then picks out Ali McCann in a good position. He gives the ball away cheaply.
18 min: Spurs corner. Son curls the ball towards the near post, where it’s cleared.
16 min: A good save from Freddie Woodman in the Preston goal. Having seemed initially bamboozled by a curled effort from Son which he saw late or may have taken a deflection, he adjusts his feet and does well to get down and save.
13 min: Tottenham patiently try to find a way through the Preston defence, attacking down the left with Sessegnon, Lenglet and Bissouma taking turns on the ball. They try to work it towards Perisic, who’d darted to the byline but Preston clear their lines.
10 min: Preston midfielder Ali McCann ships an arm to the face and there’s a break in play as a physio comes on to mop up the resulting claret and plug his nostril with a swab of cotton wool. Having changed his shirt for a clean one with no blood on the front or name and number on the back, McCann is passed fit and presentable enough to continue.
9 min: Rodrigo Bentancur fouls Tom Cannon and Preston win a free-kick just inside their own half. The ball’s played long towards Cannon, but Yves Bissouma wins it ahead of the Preston striker.
8 min: Tottenham have settled well and are dominating these early stages, with Preston struggling to get the ball out of their own half.
5 min: Japhet Tangana goes down under a late challenge from Ben Whiteman and Tottenham win themselves a free-kick in a good position. Perisic stands over the dead ball and strikes a low shot into the defensiver wall. The ball breaks kindly for Dejan Kulusevski, whose shot from inside the penalty area is well blocked by Preston midfielder Ryan Ledson.
5 min: Son and Perisic combine to take a short corner from which nothing comes.
4 min: Ryan Sessegnon picks up a passo n the left wing and lofts a cross towards the far post. Under pressure from Doherty, Brady heads the ball out for a corner.
3 min: Spurs play out from the back, with Japhet Tanganga playing the ball wide to Matt Doherty. Nothing much to see here so far as both sides try to feel their way into the game.
2 min: Rodrigo Bentancur rides a tackle near the halfway line and plays a sideways pass to Clement Lenglet as Spurs ping the ball around in the middle third.
Preston v Tottenham Hotspur is go ...1 min: Preston get the ball rolling in a packed Deepdale and immediately win a throw-in halfway inside the Tottenham half. Robbie Brady, who until a couple of hours ago I presuymed to have retired, takes it.
Not long now: The teams march out, the original Lilywhites in white shirts, navy shorts and white and navy striped socks. Their visitors from North London wear – checks notes – shirts that are “a dazzling look in Dark Turquoise with accents and trim in black and white”. Kick-off is just a minute away.
Giantkiller watch: With just two games to go in today’s FA Cup schedule, we’ve yet to witness a major upset despite the valiant attempts of Sunderland and Grimsby Town, who drew with Fulham and Luton Town respectively. Will we see one at Deepdale? The less than enthusiastic response of Spurs Twitter to their manager’s team selection suggersts there might be one on the cards.
Those teams: Ryan Lowe makes two changes to the side that beat Birmingham in their most recent Championship outing. Ched Evans will partner Tom Cannon up front, replacing the Cup-tied Liam Delap. Ben Woodburn starts on the bench and is replaced in midfield by his near namesake Ben Whiteman.
Antonio Conte makes seven changes to the Spurs side that beat Fulham on Monday night, giving Fraser Forster a start in goal and bringing in an entire new defence. Interestingly, trhere’s still no place in the side, or even matchday squad for Djed Spence, a player the Italian appears to have had foisted upon him during the summer and clearly doesn’t rate. Harry Kane starts alongside Arnaut Danjuma on a reasonably strong looking Spurs bench.
Preston North End: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, McCann, Ledson, Whiteman, Brady; Cannon, Evans
Subs: Cornell, Bauer, Diaby, Cunningham, Potts, Fernandez, Johnson, Woodburn, Cross-Adair
Tottenham Hotspur: Forster; Tanganga, Sanchez, Lenglet; Doherty, Bissouma, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Son, Perisic
Subs: Austin, Dier, Davies, Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Bryan, Danjuma, Kane
Today’s match officialsReferee:Peter Bankes
Assistant referees: Edward Smart and Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: John Busby
NB: There is no VAR system in operation at Deepdale this evening and if the match ends all square after 90 minutes it will go to a replay.
Early team news
Preston loanees Liam Delap and Troy Parrott are ineligible for today’s match, the former Cup-tied after representing Stoke City in the third round of the competition while on a previous loan spell from Manchester City. On loan from Spurs, a completely ridiculous rule that ought to be scrapped means Parrott is not allowed to play against his parent club.
Elsewhere in the Preston ranks, there are several other absentees. Danish striker Emil Riis, and midfielders Ben Whiteman and Brad Potts are sidelined with injury, while Irish striker Sean Maguire signed for Coventry City a couple of days ago after almost six years at Deepdale.
WIth just one goal required and eager to break Jimmy Greaves’ Tottenham scoring record as quickly as possible, Harry Kane has told Antonio Conte he wants to play today despite suffering from illness during the week. In on loan from Villarreal having been stolen from under the noses of Everton, Arnaut Danjuma is also likely to be in Tottenham’s matchday squad, while Richarlison could make his first start for Spurs since the World Cup.
Deepdale is the venue for this evening’s match between Championship side Preston and Tottenham Hotspur, their visitors from the top flight. Eleventh in the table but just two points off the play-off places, it remains to be seen from his team selection just how seriously Preston’s 44-year-old manager Ryan Lowe will be taking a competition his club last won in 1938.
While Antonio Conte is also like to ring the changes with his team still in the Champions League chasing a top four spot in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur’s fans are desperate for their side to end a famously long trophy drought that stretches back to 2008. It will not go down well with the Spurs fanbase if their side is dumped out of the Cup by a team from a divsion below. Kick-off in Lancashire is at 6pm (GMT) buty stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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