City through to EFL trophy knockouts

Match Report: Exeter City 2-0 Tottenham U21s

A stunning Jake Richards free kick was the highlight as Exeter City saw off Tottenham under-21s to qualify for the knockout stages of the EFL trophy, with Millenic Alli notching the other goal early on in the second half.

Despite some impressive build up from the back, Spurs weren’t particularly sharp in the final third, with Oliver Irow passing up their only clear chance of the first forty-five. Leo Black, a technically gifted attacker with clear talent, found some space in the Exeter box, and via a deflection teed up Irow, who sent what should have been a simple volley high and wide into the Big Bank (which was healthily full for an EFL trophy evening match).

City’s first half was dominated by an apparent inability to stay onside, with the flag going up against the likes of Pedro Borges and Caleb Watts seven or eight times. Millenic Alli did go close not long before the break with a shot from close range which was parried away brilliantly by a stretching Luca Gunter in the Tottenham goal.

Ben Purrington and Leo Black both let good headed opportunities go by for Exeter and Spurs respectively within five minutes of the restart, but it was not much later that Alli passed up what was by far the simplest chance of the game. A low ball across the box was just behind both Sonny Cox and the oncoming Spurs defence, leaving space for Alli to fire well high of the goal, which was empty barre the wrongfooted Gunter.

Alli soon atoned for his glaring miss though. A deep corner was headed firmly down by Pedro Borge, leaving Alli in a similar position from which he had just sent the ball over. He managed to keep his shot low this time, and fired past Gunter to open the scoring, celebrating with a backflip which was, if a little out of place in this fourth-choice competition, certainly enjoyed by the 3000 or so inside St James Park.

As Tottenham pressed forward for an equalizer, City began to break, with some academy products coming on in search of a debut goal. Theo Cutler took the ball wide of Gunter in a one on one before hitting the side netting from a tight angle, as created by a brilliant Pedro Borge through ball.

A header just wide from a corner by captain Dante Cassanova, as well as a shot from an angle which was well blocked by Ed James were as close as Spurs came as they pushed forward late on, but they failed to convert and were punished with minutes to go by a superb Jake Richards free kick.

His brilliant strike from the corner of the box, just moments after he had been booked for a cynical shirt pull, clipped the underside of the ball and nestled in the bottom corner to seal all three points for the Grecians.

City are now out of their EFL trophy group with a game to spare and will look to continue their good form away to Wigan this Saturday.