Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest: Capital One Cup – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 9.53pm BST21:53 So that’s your lot Not quite the sense of achievement you’ll have felt from powering through yesterday’s MBM, but we had some entertainment in the end nonetheless. Thanks for your emails and tweets; see you again soon. 9.52pm BST21:52 Fulham v Derby finishes it. 9.52pm BST21:52 Manchester City v Crystal Palace or Newcastle (extra time at Selhurst now! Equaliser by Palace sub Kaikai!) Updated at 9.59pm BST 9.51pm BST21:51 Liverpool v Swansea; MK Dons v Sheffield United 9.51pm BST21:51 Shrewsbury v Chelsea. Much more like it. 9.51pm BST21:51 Stoke v Southampton Bournemouth v West Brom/Hull 9.50pm BST21:50 Jermaine Jenas drawing out your home teams and Glenn Hoddle, who is everywhere nowadays, your aways. Spurs v Brighton is first. 9.49pm BST21:49 It’s time for the draw. Let’s stick around for the draw, then we’ll go. 9.46pm BST21:46 Other results tonight – and it appears we’ll just have to create our own imaginary penalties... Manchester City 7-0 Sheffield Wednesday (All after the break! Lampard with two, feted kid Pozo with one of them) Chelsea 2-1 Bolton Burton 0-3 Brighton Palace 1-2 Newcastle (ongoing) WBA 3-2 Hull (ongoing...quite the turnaround with late goals from McAuley and Berahino) Updated at 9.49pm BST 9.43pm BST21:43 Fergus McKee emails about Townsend: “Seems to me that Andros Townsend is taking a leaf out of Jermaine Defeo’s old play book, shooting at the nearest sniff of goal. Mixed results.” And yes, it’s true, there’s an element of pinball when he starts playing like this – think he did it against West Ham at the start of the season too. It’s sometimes very frustrating to watch, but if you get enough shots away then eventually something will fall, and ultimately it did. Credit to Soldado for his reaction. 9.36pm BST21:36 FULL-TIME! Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Nottingham Forest That’s it. Handshakes all round, and in the end Spurs deserve credit there. Once the momentum swing their way, thanks to Mason’s stunning goal, they never let go and eventually saw a fading Forest off clinically. Soldado’s goal was a plus (and quite typical of him), as was Lamela’s late assist, while Mason added an urgency that it would have been nice to see Paulinho bring earlier on. It was a convincing final 20 minutes from Pochettino’s side, but what went before that was pretty limp. Has anyone done enough to play their way into the side for Saturday’s north London derby? As for Forest, they won’t lose much sleep over this but didn’t deserve to lose by two and probably didn’t deserve to lose at all. They had little answer once Spurs got the bit between their teeth but were very good for 70 minutes, Wilson and Lascelles dominating at centre-back, Osborn showing what a big future he has in midfield and Veldwijk battering away at Fazio and Vertonghen. Grant’s goal was a nice moment and we’ll surely see more of him. The green jumpers need not head home too unhappy. Updated at 9.42pm BST 9.36pm BST21:36 93+4 min: Mason wins the ball in midfield, Lamela picks it up, runs forward and drills a low shot off the foot of the post and wide! 9.33pm BST21:33 GOAL! 3-1 Spurs and it's Harry Kane Another goal from a substitute, and that wraps it up. Kane may have been just offside but the setup from Lamela was sublime: a no-look pass, read perfectly by his team-mate, and the finish across De Vries was hard and true. That is what Lamela can do given space and, to be fair, it’s what Kane can do too. Updated at 10.03pm BST 9.32pm BST21:32 90+1 min: Four minutes of stoppage time here. 9.31pm BST21:31 90 min: Townsend’s cross is flicked away from Kane. The winger can frustrate but his directness has been important here; he’s got stronger with time while Forest’s defence has become more stretched and leggy-looking. 9.30pm BST21:30 88 min: This has been hard on Forest, who really didn’t look like losing but have been pinned further and further back since Mason’s equaliser. They’re rallying now but it’s difficult to see them putting much more together. Updated at 9.54pm BST 9.28pm BST21:28 87 min: Goalscorer Grant comes off and another youngster, Oliver Burke, comes on. Forest pile the box for a free-kick but it’s smuggled away. 9.27pm BST21:27 85 min: And that’s the end of Soldado, who is replaced by Lamela. He’s probably won tonight’s game with a real poacher’s finish. Which is great news for him, and for his team, but doesn’t really stave off questions as to what the best use for him is. If anything, tonight might add to them. Updated at 9.27pm BST 9.24pm BST21:24 GOAL! Spurs 2-1 Forest. It's Soldado! Yes, it really is. My goodness, the Spaniard has looked totally lost tonight, but Spurs’ MO was rewarded there. Townsend cuts in, again, and shoots from range, again. It’s not going to cause anyone any trouble, but Soldado has anticipated it, stayed onside, and uses the pace on the ball to divert it home. No chance for De Vries. If you can imagine an archetypal Soldado goal, this was it. Updated at 9.48pm BST 9.23pm BST21:23 82 min: Wilson, who has played chicken a few times tonight, does it once too often and is mugged by Townsend, who settles for a corner. That’s cleared, and so is a subsequent dinked cross from the winger, but it’s slightly desperate stuff from Forest now. 9.22pm BST21:22 80 min: This is now the game we’d hoped for, and perhaps expected. Spurs pressing heavily, reasonably convincingly, and Forest posing a threat on the break. At current rate of knots you wouldn’t bet against Spurs creating something clear between now and the end. 9.20pm BST21:20 78 min: Bentaleb Cruyff-turns by the right byline, which probably shows you how Spurs’ mood has perked up now, and his cross is worked back to Mason, who can’t quite repeat his trick. Wide it goes. Shortly afterwards, Townsend goes on a run but perhaps shouldn’t shoot – a common complaint it must be said. He does, and it’s blocked. Open game now. 9.18pm BST21:18 77 min: Free kick for Spurs, quite central and just outside the D. Townsend shapes to take it....and rattles the bar!! Spurs have woken up. That was a sweet effort. 9.17pm BST21:17 76 min: That was Mason’s first goal for Spurs. He’s not that young, you know – 23. But the midfielder has been loaned out five times, successfully to Swindon last season, and this is probably shop window material for him as much as anything else. 9.16pm BST21:16 74 min: Forest respond by bringing on the returning Blackstock for Veldwijk. The two have differing gifts and, if he’s up to speed, Blackstock should get Forest up the pitch a bit more quickly. 9.13pm BST21:13 What a goal by Mason! Spurs 1-1 Forest! Wow. That came from nowhere. Davies, far more advanced in this half, passed inside to the substitute who, perhaps having got things out of his system with that shank earlier, took aim with his right foot some 30 yards out and hit an absolutely unstoppable effort into the near top corner. Exactly the bit of inspiration Spurs needed, and we really have a game now. Updated at 10.25pm BST 9.13pm BST21:13 72 min: Clearest chance yet for Spurs! It again comes from a Davies cross, and Kane manages to do what Soldado and chums haven’t – getting between two defenders to get a header in. Either side of a grateful De Vries and that’s 1-1. Updated at 9.13pm BST 9.12pm BST21:12 71 min: Veldwijk’s strength must have scared the heck out of a relatively timid Dutch league. In all seriousness, that’s probably a large reason for his superb goalscoring record. He holds the ball up well here, spreads it wide and ultimately Osborn can’t quite win a corner out on the right. 9.11pm BST21:11 69 min: Mason’s corner is cleared, and so is his second attempt. His third is spooned higher over the bar than anything we’ve seen tonight. Robbie Brady has put Hull 2-1 up at West Brom, by the way. And Craig Mackail-Smith has sealed things for Brighton at Burton. 0-3 there. 9.09pm BST21:09 68 min: Those Spurs changes mean we’ll see only one of Lamela and Eriksen, tops, which probably tells us which side Pochettino’s bread is buttered on. And if it doesn’t, you only have to look at his team’s performance here. 9.08pm BST21:08 67 min: Lots more goals elsewhere. Riviere has scored again to put Newcastle 2-1 up at Palace. Oscar has put Chelsea 2-1 up against Bolton and it’s now 4-0 (!) to Man City against Sheff Weds. Here, Mason gets in on the action instantly and drags a shot across goal. 9.06pm BST21:06 65 min: Two subs for Spurs, quick as a flash. Kane is on for the awful Paulinho. Ryan Mason comes on for Stambouli, who has been okay but has added nothing to the tempo here. 9.05pm BST21:05 63 min: Well there we go! And Forest deserve it. They’ve been brighter, even if they’ve had to pick their moments going forwards, and that was a very nicely taken goal. Spurs have problems now. What a day for Grant, who will be 20 on Friday. 9.04pm BST21:04 GOAL!!! 1-0 to Forest and it's the debutant, Grant! “Quietly well”?! Veldwijk’s shot is blocked, it ricochets out to the left where McLaughlin picks up, centres low and there he is, the 19-year-old, to convert from six yards! Updated at 9.31pm BST 9.00pm BST21:00 59 min: Perhaps Forest’s most concerted pressure yet, now – Osborn can’t quite control a ball that would have given him a run on goal, but they win one corner and then another, both cleared. Then the debutant Grant, who has done quietly well, crosses into the stand from a good area on the right. 8.59pm BST20:59 58 min: If all else fails tonight though, we could just talk about 1996. That link has smoked out a memory or two, it seems. Here is Neil Honess, all the way from Canada: “That Forest video was the day after my wedding (8th March 1996). My wife and I were honeymooning in the Lake District and watched the game in a pub. I know how to treat a lady!” I hope you aren’t making her watch this, otherwise I’d beg to differ. 8.58pm BST20:58 56 min: But oh, Spurs come close! Davies crosses well – yes, well – from the left, and Paulinho cleverly dabs out a leg to divert the ball only just wide of the far post. Best they’ve done. 8.56pm BST20:56 55 min: You’re missing nothing, by the way. I’d tell you if that wasn’t the case. The crowd are getting antsy. 8.55pm BST20:55 54 min: Now Alec Fu gets in touch about the Soldado problem – “Poch still persists with AVB’s inverted wingers and solo striker, but seems to me Lennon and Townsend just aren’t good enough, so no wonder Soldado struggles. Unless you have a Bale or Ronaldo type winger, 4-2-3-1 is a straightjacket for Spurs. What do you think?” Broadly, I think you have a good point. Anyone else? 8.54pm BST20:54 53 min: A moment of high emotion at the Etihad, as Frank Lampard scores against Sheffield Wednesday. 8.53pm BST20:53 52 min: Elliott Carr-Barnsley has sent an email, which is nice of him, regarding that last Spurs-Forest vid – “If that is the Spurs v Forest match I’m thinking of, Clive Wilson took one of the most telegraphed penalties ever. It was of course saved, it couldn’t have been more ‘I’m going to put it there’ if he tried.” Updated at 8.56pm BST 8.52pm BST20:52 51 min: Vertonghen tries to switch it to Townsend, now, but it sails over his head and goes out again. But that kind of quick spreading of the play is exactly what Spurs have barely attempted – or to be kind to Forest, been able to attempt – thus far. 8.50pm BST20:50 49 min: Paulinho sends the ball straight out of play on the far side. He really needs to step up here. A couple of runs into the box aside it’s been very disappointing from him. 8.49pm BST20:49 48 min: Not so good from Osborn now. Veldwijk, who is a real blunderbuss up there, finds him outside the area but, on his left foot, he puts it well wide. 8.48pm BST20:48 47 min: Bentaleb, with comfortably his most incisive action so far, tries to set Lennon away with a neat pass down the inside-right, but Harding anticipates it very well and clears. 8.47pm BST20:47 Back underway! And a change for Forest! German midfielder Robert Tesche comes on for Vaughan in the visitors’ midfield. Vaughan had done perfectly well so maybe he picked up a niggle. 8.46pm BST20:46 A Hull equaliser at West Brom now, and it’s another Ince – Thomas Ince. 8.45pm BST20:45 “Any options on the bench?” I hear you ask. (I don’t, you’re all very quiet indeed) Well, one or both of Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen would surely perk things up for Spurs, while Harry Kane – even if not completely proven in the Premier League – surely provides more presence than Soldado, as well as greater willingness to drop deep when needed. 8.43pm BST20:43 Spurs v Forest goes to penalties! In 1996. It is always good to prepare. 8.41pm BST20:41 Newcastle have equalised at Palace. Emmanuel Riviere is your man. A few of these matches with half an eye on emulating yesterday night’s derring do at this stage. 8.33pm BST20:33 Half-time: Spurs 0-0 Forest Very disappointing from Spurs. Several cracks from outside the area but nothing resembling a chance, really. Lots of corners and set-pieces wasted by awful deliveries. Wingers not getting into the game. Soldado absolutely lost in there, to put it kindly – and again, I’m not sure that’s all his fault. Forest grew in confidence, look far snappier in the tackle, had the half’s stand-out performer in Osborn – who rapped the bar with a thrilling effort – and look very comfortable in central defence. Ok, I’m going for a coffee. See you in five. Updated at 8.52pm BST 8.30pm BST20:30 44 min: Osborn is a very good little player, and loses Paulinho with a sweet turn inside his own half. Needed a lot of confidence to do that there. The move comes to nothing but it’s more encouragement for Forest.....who then have to defend as Townsend, in from the right, works his way into his best shooting position yet but drags well wide of the near post. 8.28pm BST20:28 42 min: Not bad from Bentaleb but there’s nobody at the back post and Fox propels himself forward to head clear. Now Harding concedes a free-kick in the same area as the corner though, very needlessly, and Paulinho can’t get beyond the near post. So disappointing from him. Again. 8.27pm BST20:27 41 min: It’s all happening elsewhere, which is a good job as it really isn’t here. Dwight Gayle’s penalty has added to Alan Pardew’s woes at Selhurst Park. Another Spurs corner now though. Not holding my breath.... 8.25pm BST20:25 39 min: Now Fazio brings it out of defence, takes matters into his own hands and shoots only just over from 35 yards! That was a rocket, and Spurs’ best effort yet. 8.24pm BST20:24 38 min: A bit more of a flurry from Spurs now though, and Naughton’s shot is repelled by Lascelles. And that’s the thing, it’s all coming from outside the area. Lennon’s cross is then – surprise – gathered by De Vries. Another goal at Burton – Kazenga Lua Lua makes it 2-0 to Brighton. 8.22pm BST20:22 37 min: Veldwijk is not the most silky-footed of strikers, and when faced one-on-one with Fazio he loses possession in a good area. But that’s exactly what Spurs are doing, inside their own territory, far too often. At the other end, Wilson beats Soldado in the air as if Jan Koller was up against Jay Tabb. Updated at 8.36pm BST 8.21pm BST20:21 36 min: I’m going to be bold and jinx this. It might be the only thing to do. So: This one’s going all the way to a long, long penalty shoot-out. 8.20pm BST20:20 35 min: Townsend takes aim again. Left foot, cutting in from the right, almost into the top tier. 8.19pm BST20:19 34 min: Two more goals elsewhere. Matthew Mills has equalised for Bolton at Chelsea, to which one ought raise an eyebrow, while Brown Ideye has notched for West Brom against Hull. 8.18pm BST20:18 33 min: Soldado just hasn’t been in this, so far. Lascelles and Wilson are good defenders and have just eaten him up. Soldado thrives on a bit of intelligence, nuance, creation of space in behind. None of that here so far, and swinging crosses in won’t answer much. Now another one comes in, from Davies in the same area as last time, and it’s straight into De Vries’ arms. Bad, again. 8.16pm BST20:16 31 min: Davies takes this one, out on the right, and Fox heads away. Spurs’ delivery has been so poor thus far. 8.15pm BST20:15 30 min: Andre Marriner is the referee today, so I’ll come up with something razor-sharp about mistaken identities very soon indeed. He’s already raised the hackles with a couple of decisions here. Spurs could do with something further to set the pulses racing: now that Forest seem to have settled here they look short of confidence. But now Wilson gets into a mess and they win another set-piece. 8.14pm BST20:14 29 min: Townsend gets the ball 30 yards out, looks up, nothing on so he shoots on sight with his right foot and it’s not bad – a yard or so wide of De Vries’ right post. 8.13pm BST20:13 28 min: Another goal elsewhere. Kurt Zouma has opened Chelsea’s account against Bolton. 8.12pm BST20:12 27 min: Fazio is outfought by Veldwijk for a long ball and recovers – just! – to prevent him having a clear chance. Spurs are rocking a bit. 8.11pm BST20:11 26 min: That came from nowhere really but it showed Forest can pack a punch. Osborn broke into the team towards the end of last season and looked very sharp on the couple of occasions I saw him. Forest are doing well at the moment, catching a jittery-looking Spurs in possession, and now Harding swings in a ball from the right – Townsend of all people has to clear with Veldwijk lurking. 8.09pm BST20:09 23 min: So close from Osborn! He has been Forest’s brightest spark and he makes a wonderful, slaloming run from inside his own half before hammering a left-footed 20-yarder onto the underside of the bar! It comes back and Vaughan sees a shot gathered by Vorm. But seconds later it comes back again and McLaughlin’s ball fizzes across goal. What a few seconds from Forest. Updated at 8.44pm BST 8.07pm BST20:07 22 min: Paulinho has made a couple of bursts forward now – which is what Spurs need far more of from him in general, as he really can do it – and on his second in the space of a few seconds he robs Fox and goes down in the box. Shirt pull? A slight one, it seems. Seen those given. 8.06pm BST20:06 21 min: Vaughan, who can certainly ping a good left-footer, delivers deep but Veldwijk is pulled up for a foul. 8.05pm BST20:05 20 min: There is a goal, but not here. Rohan Ince has scored for Sami Hyypia’s Brighton against Burton. Maybe there’ll be one here now too, as Veldwijk does well to win a corner off Fazio... Updated at 8.06pm BST 8.05pm BST20:05 Updated at 8.12pm BST 8.04pm BST20:04 19 min: The pattern for this one is pretty much set. Forest don’t have a great deal of ball retention in this side but they are energetic, fairly solid-looking and won’t be played through. Much may depend on whether Spurs’ wide men can provide some magic. 8.02pm BST20:02 17 min: A much better ball from Bentaleb this time but it’s cleared well. Updated at 8.04pm BST 8.01pm BST20:01 16 min: Lars Veldwijk, the Forest centre-forward, scored 30 times for Dutch side Excelsior – whose alumni include Robin van Persie – last season. But he looks on as Bentaleb finds a surprising amount of space down the left, has plenty of time to pcick out a cross but – with Soldado not much of a target – finds nobody. Seconds later, Lennon wins another corner.... 7.59pm BST19:59 14 min: Paterson thinks he’s been fouled by Bentaleb, then Townsend thinks he’s been impeded by Fox. Neither is given, which seems fair. 7.58pm BST19:58 12 min: Veldwijk snaps at Bentaleb, temporarily wins the ball in a dangerous area but it’s retrieved. Forest are clearly under instruction not to let Spurs’ deep pair settle. Stambouli and Bentaleb have barely played a forward pass between them yet. And now a save from De Vries! Vertonghen’s shot catches Vaughan and it’s going wide, but it’s spinning quite a bit so the Dutch ‘keeper, seemingly in slow motion, paws it away anyway. Updated at 8.02pm BST 7.55pm BST19:55 9 min: Bentaleb takes the corner and it’s as bad as Paulinho’s free kick. 7.54pm BST19:54 9 min: Ben Osborn, another young Forest player who is playing behind striker Veldwijk, has been very quickly out to pressure Bentaleb and Stambouli when they have received the ball so far. It’s just about the only bit of tempo to this game’s early stages. But now Spurs have a corner... Updated at 8.02pm BST 7.52pm BST19:52 7 min: Correction, Lennon – tonight’s captain – has started on the left and will get to run at Harding first. That seems an obvious Forest weak point to me. Now Spurs win a free-kick 35 yards out but Paulinho’s delivery is frankly execrable and McLaughlin clears easily. Updated at 8.22pm BST 7.51pm BST19:51 6 min: Roberto Soldado loses out to Lascelles from a long Vertonghen hook. No surprise. I felt sorry for Soldado last season; much derided but really not cut out for the system he was thrust into. It seems to be the same under Pochettino, which is presumably why he’s barely been involved. 7.49pm BST19:49 4 min: Forest’s defence should be attackable. Dan Harding, playing at right-back, usually plays on the left and that should give encouragement to Andros Townsend. Now Forest get their feet on the ball for the first time, Danny Fox lofting forward to Veldwijk who can’t find anyone with a hopeful ball into the box. 7.47pm BST19:47 3 min: Plenty of early possession from Spurs, mainly to and fro among the back four and deep midfielders. 7.46pm BST19:46 They're off!! Spurs get us underway. 7.45pm BST19:45 And something I’d overlooked: on the bench for Forest is Tyler Walker, son of Des. I now feel very old. 7.45pm BST19:45 Those first and second-round Forest wins were a 1-0 win at Tranmere and a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield, by the way. Spurs, of course, haven’t played yet. 7.43pm BST19:43 Stuart Pearce speaks about whether nine changes suggest this match is down the pecking order: “I’m not so sure. In the previous two rounds we’ve made changes, I’ve got a few players at the club who’ve been very patient and not had enough football. It’s a perfect opportunity to give them a high-profile game and show me what they can do. We’ve still put a team out with the expectation of winning the tie, the mentality of winning the game.” 7.40pm BST19:40 In Forest’s team tonight is very promising centre-back Jamaal Lascelles who, along with Karl Darlow (not playing), is technically on loan back from Newcastle for the season after the pair were snapped up for some good money in the summer. A couple of correspondents have pointed out that this windfall makes serious inroads into any problems regarding FFP: it does, but I think what happened last season is going to be relevant here too. Anyway: another time. 7.36pm BST19:36 If you’re at another of tonight’s games, by the way – or watching one of them by “other means” – then do let us know how it’s going for your team. Citizen Journalism, that. 7.34pm BST19:34 Here’s a treat for Spurs fans from way back when, flagged up by Martin Coombe: 7.33pm BST19:33 A bit more info about Forest debutant Jorge Grant. He used to be part of the Nike Academy, whose production line is increasingly interesting. He can also do things like the below: 7.23pm BST19:23 “Two former no nonsense defenders in charge of the sides tonight. Both sides are well organised & can play a bit too,” emails John McEnerney (and do please follow his lead). “Pearce & Poch both played under great managers and it’s evident especially how they set their sides up & they handle themselves & their players. They’ll both be around for a while! Spurs to nick this one!” 7.20pm BST19:20 This was the last time we saw Clough’s green jumper I link to this slightly self-indulgently as I was at this game, not supporting Clough’s team, still very young and having little coherent idea of the momentousness of the occasion. If you’re in a similar boat, read all you can about him. We won’t see another of his kind. 7.17pm BST19:17 And what about Spurs? All the changes, yes, but if you believe that success breeds success then you’ll think they could really do with winning this one. After the halcyon days of August, when Eric Dier split the atom, discovered gravity and scored a couple of big goals, it has not been very good news for Mauricio Pochettino and company. The 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool appears to have taken a lot of wind out of their sails after they started the season with good energy, tempo and some rejuvenated performances from last year’s underachieving arrivals. It’s Arsenal away on Saturday; they could do with building up a head of steam again. 7.13pm BST19:13 There is other Capital One Cup football tonight I’ll try and keep you in touch with what is happening in: Burton v Brighton Chelsea v Bolton Man City v Sheff Wed Crystal Palace v Newcastle (8pm) West Brom v Hull (8pm) 7.10pm BST19:10 But let’s not get mired in all that tonight. Forest fans are doing something pretty special at White Hart Lane – 1,000 of them will wear green jumpers to honour the memory of Brian Clough. You’ll have read a lot of Clough pieces recently, no doubt, to mark 10 years since his passing. This one, by my colleague Nick Miller, profiles his former assistant Jimmy Gordon – and is absolutely outstanding. 7.07pm BST19:07 It says quite something that a Championship side can make nine changes for a match against one of the Premier League’s bigger clubs. Forest have started the season superbly, leading the division, and it’s little surprise – they have spent some serious money, as indeed they did last term, and have a formidable-looking squad. Not involved tonight are £5.5m striker Britt Assombalonga, £1.5m winger Michail Antonio or £1m-ish defender Michael Mancienne. They are brimming with threat, in the league at least. Will this be the year they make their first return to the top flight since 1999? Unless Mr FFP comes calling a little further down the line – and an outsider might ask why he wouldn’t – they seem set pretty fair. Updated at 7.10pm BST 7.00pm BST19:00 So how do we unpick all that? We’ll start with Spurs – they give a debut to Michel Vorm, and a home debut to Federico Fazio. It’s a clean sweep of 11 changes from Sunday’s really-quite-poor defeat at home to West Brom. That means renewed chances for the likes of Roberto Soldado, Andros Townsend, Paulinho and Kyle Naughton. They’re going to have to start taking them – and with Spurs winless in four, and goalless in three of those, there could be places up for grabs. Forest have a debutant too. Jorge Grant will be 20 on Friday so this is as good an early present as the young midfielder could have wished for. They have made nine changes of their own – Kelvin Wilson and David Vaughan are the only survivors from Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Millwall. Dexter Blackstock, fit again after a long-term knee injury, takes a place on the bench. 6.51pm BST18:51 Tonight's Forest team CORRECTION #NFFC Starting XI: De Vries, Fox, Wilson(C), Lascelles, Harding, McLaughlin, Vaughan, Grant, Osborn, Paterson, Veldwijk #NFFC Subs: Darlow, Collins, Halford, Blackstock, Tesche, Walker, O. Burke 6.49pm BST18:49 Tonight's Spurs team #THFC team: Vorm, Naughton, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Bentaleb, Stambouli; Lennon (c), Paulinho, Townsend; Soldado. #COYS #THFC subs: Friedel, Chiriches, Dier, Mason, Lamela, Eriksen, Kane #COYS 6.35pm BST18:35 Hello. So, what are you doing tonight? Footy finishes around 9.30. That leaves plenty of time before bed; plenty of opportunities for the art of “conversation”, or perhaps to catch a film or some television with a loved one. Maybe sneak down the pub for a late jar or two with friends who have some actual interests. Well cancel it, cancel all of it, because Capital One Cup ties go the distance nowadays, and nobody likes someone who promises things they can’t deliver. Liverpool and Middlesbrough wore us out last night; will Spurs and Forest, a pairing that still seems quite high-powered to those of a certain age, leave us spent once more? In the hour before kick-off, dear reader, we’ll go down a few blind alleys and come to no firm conclusion whatsoever – so stick with us. 6.30pm BST18:30 Preamble Good evening. And welcome to a third round League Cup fixture, dripping in nostalgia. Tottenham host Nottingham Forest, four days after the tenth anniversary of the death of Brian Clough. Nick will be with you shortly, no doubt littering his updates with sepia-tinted images of Old Big ‘Ed, while anyone wondering why so many visiting fans are wearing green need wonder no more by clicking here. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino meanwhile, says his side have been hit in the face and will come out swinging … Mauricio Pochettino has likened Tottenham Hotspur’s home defeat by West Bromwich Albion on Sunday to a “big hit in the face” and is keen for it to snap his players out of complacency. The manager had promised a thorough investigation into why his team slipped to the 1-0 Premier League defeat and his conclusion pointed to a flaw in their mentality. Pochettino is generally happy with the squad’s progression under his charge and he believes that the West Brom game was an isolated poor performance. He continues to split hairs and argue that 0-0 would have been the “fair” result. Click here to read on… Or why not indulge in what football was like when managers would hold hands … Kick-off: 7:45pm |