Tottenham Hotspur were dealt an injury blow during their 2-1 victory over Coventry City in the EFL Cup.
The Lilywhites have booked a place in the fourth round of the League Cup, but it was far from a cakewalk as they were forced to come back from a one-goal deficit to secure the win.
Tottenham went into Wednesday’s showdown as overwhelming favourites, but their Championship opponents refused to roll over and nearly snatched a memorable victory.
As expected, Ange Postecoglou rang the changes from the side that played in the disheartening 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in the north London derby.
The Australian’s heavily rotated line-up dominated possession in the early stages but failed to create anything worthwhile.
Coventry goalkeeper Ben Wilson didn’t even have to make a save in the opening 45 minutes, which paints a picture of Spurs’ toothlessness in the final third.
The end-to-end contest needed a spark, and Coventry delivered, with Brandon Thomas-Asante firing the Championship side into the lead just after the hour mark, sending the home crowd into rapture.
Tottenham were staring down the barrel of yet another early exit from the League Cup, having been eliminated from the tournament in the second round last season.
Coventry had several chances to bury the game but were wasteful in front of goal, which gave Spurs a lifeline, and they capitalised in the dying embers of the game.
Forgotten defender and unlikely goalscorer Djed Spence levelled matters in the 88th minute before Brennan Johnson, who had come under heavy scrutiny earlier this week, snatched a winner two minutes into stoppage time.
Despite claiming victory, Tottenham failed to emerge from the fierce encounter unscathed, with Wilson Odobert picking up an injury just 17 minutes into the game.
Timo Werner was also forced off with an injury in the second half, but Postecoglou will hope the issues are not serious as Spurs now turn their attention to this weekend’s London derby against Brentford.