Fri 04 January 2019, 23:42
Tottenham HotspurMauricio Pochettino was delighted with the mentality of the players as we ran up a Club record 7-0 away win at Tranmere to open our FA Cup campaign in style on Friday night.
Despite the scoreline, the League Two side made us work for the third round win, especially in the first half when it took a special strike from an unlikely source – Serge Aurier – to break the deadlock.
The full-back lashed a 25-yarder into the top corner to settle any FA Cup nerves at Prenton Park and three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second half put the issue beyond doubt as Fernando Llorente, Serge again and Heung-Min Son sent us clear at 4-0.
Fernando then struck twice in as many minutes to complete his hat-trick – his second in the FA Cup for us – and there was still time for Harry Kane to come off the bench and complete the scoring.
That was a noteworthy goal on two fronts – securing the record away win at 7-0 and taking Harry level with Cliff Jones on 159 goals for the Club, the pair now joint-fourth in our all-time top goalscoring list.
The mentality was good, the attitude... that’s the way. You can win or lose in football but if you keep your standards, that’s so important
“The most important thing is that we showed good mental strength,” said Mauricio, who is yet to lose a game against lower league opposition. “The mentality was good, the attitude… that’s the way. You can win or lose in football but if you keep your standards, that’s so important.
“It was a very solid performance. Of course, the first half was so tough, so difficult to open the scoring but after that in the second half we were very clinical in front of goal.
“I’m very happy, very happy to be in the next round and now we think about Tuesday’s semi-final.”
It’s also worth noting that we ended the game with five Academy graduates on the pitch – debutants George Marsh and TJ Eyoma, second half substitutes, joining Harry, Oliver Skipp and Kyle Walker-Peters.
Mauricio added: “It’s so important for the Club to have the possibility to give game time to our younger players. It’s fantastic, a great experience for them.
“They need to be consistent and to wait for their opportunity and push to have that opportunity. We are so pleased because it’s so important, it’s the identity of the Club and they always bring very good energy, fresh energy and the energy you need throughout the season.”
