Tottenham 2-2 Watford (4-2 on penalties)
- Published
- comments
Former MK Dons player Dele Alli captained Tottenham for the game in Milton Keynes
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli will remember his Milton Keynes homecoming "for all of his life", says manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Alli, who began his career at MK Dons, scored the winning penalty in a shootout as Tottenham beat Watford to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.
The game was played at Stadium:MK as work continues on Spurs' new stadium.
Isaac Success put Watford ahead, goals from Alli and Erik Lamela made it 2-1 before Etienne Capoue equalised.
Success and Will Hughes scored for the Hornets in the shootout but Spurs goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga denied Capoue and Domingos Quina.
Son Heung-min, Lamela and Fernando Llorente converted Tottenham's opening three penalties before Alli - captain for the match - scored.
"I gave him the armband because it was so exciting for him to play here in his home town," said Pochettino.
"It is difficult for him to have another possibility to play here again and I wanted to provide him a very good feeling. I hope he appreciates a lot my gesture.
"He was inspired by the occasion. To play here he was so excited. The energy in the previous day was amazing."
England international Alli played 76 games for MK Dons, scoring 20 times, before joining Tottenham for £5m in 2015.
"We can feel here the love that the people feel for him and that was fantastic for us," added Pochettino.
"For him it is an experience he will remember for all of his life. To be Tottenham captain and score is a fantastic night for him."
A 'home' win for Tottenham
Tottenham expected to move into the 62,000-seater ground by 15 September, but the work has overrun, with no known date for its completion.
They played their first two home Premier League games of the season at Wembley, but that was unavailable for this tie after staging Saturday's world heavyweight title boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin.
That meant the four-time League Cup winners played a 'home' match more than 50 miles away from their new stadium, in front of a crowd of 23,650.
"I want to say thank you to our fans," said Pochettino.
"They need to be praised by myself on behalf of the players, the staff to come here and offer their support. They made a massive effort.
"Thank you to all the town of Milton Keynes and all the club - they welcomed us in a very good way. They helped us in every way."
Spurs through after late drama
The fans had to endure a poor first half with neither side having a shot on goal in the opening 20 minutes.
But 40 seconds after the interval Success ran through the middle of the Tottenham defence, held off a challenge from Serge Aurier and shot past Gazzaniga.
Isaac Success had also scored for Watford in their 2-0 win over Reading in the second round of the Carabao Cup
Tottenham went down to 10 men when Aurier had to leave the field injured after Pochettino had made his three substitutions.
However, substitute Christian Kabasele was dismissed only four minutes after coming on when he pulled down Alli for the equalising penalty.
Lamela put Spurs ahead with four minutes remaining with a calm finish from Mousa Dembele's through ball.
However, Capoue equalised against his former side when his shot deflected off Ben Davies.
Tottenham rested Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, while Watford made 10 changes from their last Premier League match.
More Watford woe in shootouts
This was the first time both Arsenal and Tottenham were playing 'home' games on the same day since 12 March, 1988. On that occasion Spurs lost 3-1 to Norwich in the old first division, with the Gunners going down 2-1 to Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
After seven shootout defeats in a row, Tottenham have won their last two in all competitions. Watford have now lost their past three shootouts.
Erik Lamela has scored three goals in five games in all competitions for Spurs this season, one fewer than he managed in 33 games last term.
Watford have been eliminated in all four League Cup ties against Spurs, losing 1-0 in the second round in 1975-76, 8-6 on aggregate in the second round in 1994-95 and 2-1 in the quarter-finals in 2008-09.
Tottenham have progressed from six of their past seven League Cup third-round ties, with their only defeat coming against rivals Arsenal in 2015-16.
Watford have lost 13 of their past 14 away matches in the League Cup against top-flight opponents, conceding 40 goals.
Gracia unhappy at red card - what they said
Watford manager Javi Gracia said: "We played really well but there were some decisions that were hard to accept.
"What I saw was Dele Alli and Christian Kabasele fighting for the ball and they both went to the ground.
"The penalty is one thing but I cannot understand the red card. With every game we play I'm more proud of my players, they have performed very well."
What's next?
Spurs, who are fifth in the Premier League, travel to Huddersfield on Saturday at 15:00 BST, when fourth-placed Watford face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.