Tottenham 6 Rochdale 1: Fernando Llorente hat-trick seals FA Cup win amid VAR woe and Wembley snow

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Jack Rosser @JackRosser_28 February 2018

Fernando Llorente scored a hat-trick as Tottenham booked an FA Cup quarter-final date with Swansea amid flurries of snow and video assistant referee (VAR) chaos against Rochdale.

Spurs scored four second-half goals in a 6-1 FA Cup replay victory, but referee Paul Tierney garnered unwanted attention from the thin Wembley crowd from start to finish as decisions were checked and checked again via the VAR.

Things looked to be going perfectly to plan when, after just six minutes and a number of early chances, Erik Lamela had the ball in the back of the net.

However, after confusion joined the snow swirling around Wembley for a good two minutes, Tierney - with the help of Graham Scott in the officials' Stockley Park bunker - ruled the goal out for a Fernando Llorente foul in the immediate build-up, a contentious decision and far from a clear-and-obvious error.

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Tottenham took a while to recover from the blow of the goal, but with Rochdale affording the trio of Lamela, Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura space in the middle it wasn’t long before the record was set straight.

Having been left out of the side at Crystal Palace, Son had a point to prove. The South Korean did so in thunderous style as he cut inside from the left, before curling an effort around the Rochdale defence and past ‘keeper Josh Lillis.

Things took another peculiar turn moments later, when Matt Done brought Kieran Tripper down and Tierney awarded a free-kick. But after another lengthy discussion with those controlling VAR, leaving the players still in temperatures as low as -4, a penalty was awarded.

Son stepped up and seemingly doubled his - and Spurs’ - tally for the night, but Tierney’s role continued as he cancelled out the goal, booked the forward and awarded a free-kick, with Son having stopped midway through his run-up; the correct decision.

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Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Keith Hill’s side smelt a chance. Bursting forward, Fulham loanee Stephen Humphrys was found wonderfully by Callum Camps before clipping the ball past a strangely lacklustre Michel Vorm.

Even this seemingly innocuous goal had Tierney questioning himself as, once more, he raised his left hand to his ear, somewhat stunting the celebrations in the away end.

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There was more to follow, though. Causing further problems for the Rochdale back four, Lucas danced his way into the area, only to be hauled down for what seemed a clear penalty: nothing was given, despite another check with VAR a couple of minutes after the incident - queue further confusion.

There was still plenty to be done with the ball though rattled Spurs headed in at half time level with their League One opponents.

Mercifully, the second half passed without and calamitous VAR incident, though each of Llorente’s three goals - all scored within a rampant 12-minute period - were further reviewed as even the Rochdale defenders, three goals behind at this point, had grown tired of the incessant need for clarification.

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After the despair and confusion of the five preceding goals, Son and Kyle Walker-Peters - the latter off the bench to score his first goal for the club - were spared the banality of Tierney’s earpiece holding things up, firmly rounding things off.

Outside of the surreal evening here at Wembley, Spurs can now look forward to a quarter-final tie which surely sets them up for their best shot at that first trophy under Pochettino... once they’ve got their heads around tonight’s events.

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