Tottenham analysis: Fernando Llorente makes his mark, but VAR confusion frustrates freezing Wembley fans

1/114
Tom Collomosse28 February 2018

A Fernando Llorente hat-trick helped Tottenham beat Rochdale 6-1 in an FA Cup tie beset by controversy surrounding the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

The VAR disallowed an early Tottenham goal by Erik Lamela before awarding them a disputed penalty, which was converted by Heung-min Son, only for referee Paul Tierney to chalk off his effort and book the player for stopping during his run-up.

Rochdale's Stephen Humphrys cancelled out Son's opener, rubbing salt into Spurs' wounds and ensuring the halft-ime debate centred on the VAR system, which is being trialled in the FA Cup this season.

Spurs made those arguments academic, however, with five goals after the break to set up a quarter-final tie away to Premier League strugglers Swansea City.

Tom Collomosse assesses the key talking points at Wembley...

VAR needed on screens

Getty Images

Referee Tierney’s reliance on VAR technology bordered on the comical at times, with players from both sides urging him to get a move on at one point early in the second half.

Yet there would have been far less confusion had the big screens at Wembley been used to show replays of the action under scrutiny, and let the crowd know that VAR was being used.

In the first half, video assistant referee Graham Scott was called into action three times, but there was nothing - apart from the sight of Tierney with his hand to his ear - to let fans know that VAR ad been deployed.

It is too early, and too easy, to write VAR off as a bad job, but the authorities must quickly make the changes necessary to ensure it can be successful.

Llorente finally makes his mark

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

The Spanish forward scored a hat-trick in 12 second-half minutes, one more goal than he had managed in 26 previous appearances for the club.

If Harry Kane stays fit, Llorente is likely to remain a bit-part player for the rest of the season, and may be moved on in the summer if Spurs can find a buyer.

It has not been a happy time at the club for the £14million forward, but at least these goals should restore his confidence if he is required again.

Sadly for Llorente, this match is likely to be remembered far more for the VAR chaos than his treble.

Attackers find instant understanding

Getty Images

They will rarely receive as much space as they were granted by the Rochdale defence and midfield, but Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted with how well Lucas Moura, Son and Lamela combined.

The three are effectively competing for one spot in attack when Juventus arrive at Wembley for the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie next week.

Lucas and Son were involved in Llorente’s goals, before Lucas released Lamela to set up Son for the fifth.

The South Korean’s opener also came from Lamela’s pass and with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen rested from the starting XI, Pochettino will feel confident about his attacking options.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in