Low-energy Tottenham set for another season without silverware

Cristian Stellini apologised to supporters after delivering a damning indictment of his Tottenham players in the wake of their latest FA Cup no-show.

Spurs fell at the fifth round for the fourth consecutive season to spurn a golden opportunity to end a 15-year wait for major silverware. They could have few complaints with the outcome after such a lacklustre display.

Sheffield United deservedly sealed a place in the quarter-final for the third time in the last four seasons. The Championship promotion-hopefuls will be one of four EFL clubs in the last eight in a wide-open competition which would have seen Spurs host Blackburn Rovers at the next stage had they progressed.

They remain in the Champions League and sit fourth in the Premier League, but the manner of this abject exit inevitably leaves them open to justified criticism.

"We've missed a big opportunity and we want to apologise to the fans," Stellini said after a late goal from substitute Iliman Ndiaye proved decisive. The assistant Spurs boss was critical of the energy levels shown by his players, and he added: "There were 5,000 fans here to watch our performance and I want to say sorry to them."

To rub salt into the wounds, the hosts made more changes than the visitors, eight, due to an illness bug in the camp and with one eye clearly on what is now a cup dress rehearsal when they face Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday,

Stellini defended the decision to leave Harry Kane out of the starting line-up, one of six changes from the side to have beaten Chelsea at the weekend. The skipper headed a stoppage time chance wide after coming on as a 65th minute substitute and Stellini added: "I don't regret not playing Harry from the start.

"We have a lot of games and Harry has played the last six games, one time with fever, one time with a problem so we have to take care of our best player. We played with Richarlison, Moura and Son up front and that's good enough to play in this type of competition so it's not about Harry.

"We picked a good team to play this type of opponent, the problem was the motivation, it was the energy that was disappointing. Maybe if you don't play regularly you drop the energy from the start because you think the game is easy. The reality has to be different if we want to win. We need to be more consistent and that's about mentality.

"If the energy isn't at the same level as the opponent, sometimes you can lose. We had opportunities to score but we never found the target. We can't pick the same team in every game, we need to give an opportunity to everyone but we're disappointed with the energy. We must make sure we react immediately when we play Wolves on Saturday."

Richarlison failed to grasp a rare opportunity in his favoured central attacking role, the Brazilian stretching his six-month domestic goal drought after blazing wastefully over from a diminishing angle when springing the hosts' offside trap before the break.

A cross from Lucas Moura clipped the crossbar and Wes Foderingham clung on to a near post Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg header early in the second-half, but the visitors did precious little to merit victory.

The Blades grew in confidence and as the contest wore on as it became clear that a single goal would settle matters. It arrived with a little over 10 minutes remaining from Ndiaye.

The Senegal international had been introduced less than five minutes earlier, and swiftly underlined his potential when picking up a loose ball inside the area to slalom past three tired challenges before beating Fraser Forster at his near post with a low shot the Tottenham keeper will not want to see again. 

"We were brave with and without the ball," Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom said. "The most pleasing thing from start to finish was the composure we showed on the ball throughout the game.

"The Championship is what we're fighting for but we're enjoying the FA Cup. It was a great winning goal from Iliman. I might be biased but for me there aren't many Premier League players who can do what he does with the ball."