Pochettino realises 'magic of FA Cup' after Wycombe scare
It took a potential disaster against a fourth-tier visitor for Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino to fully understand why the FA Cup is a "special competition."
Staring down a 2-0 deficit at home to League Two outfit Wycombe Wanderers, Spurs rallied in the second half to edge out a wild 4-3 victory. A goal from Heung-Min Son in the 97th minute was even helped into the opposition's net by Wycombe defender Joe Jacobson.
Related - Watch: Wycombe gutted by last-gasp Spurs winner in 7-goal thriller
Seventy places below Tottenham in the English football pyramid, the Chairboys gave their Premier League counterpart a fantastic account of themselves. They showed similar fight earlier in the season, pulling themselves out of relegation trouble to get in a position for promotion to League One.
Pochettino, who's not advanced past the FA Cup fifth round in his three previous attempts as a manager with Tottenham and Southampton, never quite understood the hoopla over the competition.
A close call with an embarrassment changed his mind.
"It was difficult for me at the start when I arrived in England four years ago to understand the magic of the FA Cup, but now I realise it is a special competition," said the Argentine. "I think it is the most special in the world because you cannot replicate it in Spain or France or Italy, the same passion, the same on the pitch, the way a small side from League Two like Wycombe can be exciting.
"They believed they could beat us here, and that is an important thing. The FA Cup creates that feeling and that is fantastic."
An injury to Kieran Trippier after Pochettino had made his three substitutions threatened to derail Tottenham's comeback effort. And when Wycombe's Garry Thompson made the score 3-2, it looked like the White Hart Lane faithful would witness a massive upset.
An 89th-minute equaliser from Dele Alli, however, coupled with Son's deflected winner, put an end to that.
Pochettino was adamant after the match that he and his team did not take the opponent lightly, despite making nine changes to the starting lineup.
"Full credit to Wycombe for how they played in the first half," he added. "They were better than us. From the first moment they played well."