Van der Vaart hands Redknapp reprieve

Watford 0 Tottenham 1:HARRY REDKNAPP took a break from denying two counts of cheating the public revenue to watch his Tottenham Hotspur team progress rather fortuitously to the FA Cup fifth round.

Redknapp, who has a further five days at least at Southwark Crown Court while his case continues, had been unable to take training all this week and there was evidence in a lax display that his band may have missed his exhortations at their Spurs Lodge base in the run-up to this tie.

Watford were vibrant throughout and had written the tale of the first half with Spurs’ contribution barely a footnote until Van der Vaart scored three minutes before half-time.

Taking the ball from Kyle Walker inside home territory, the Dutchman wandered towards goal, and from 30 yards unloaded a shot that bounced over the prone Scott Loach, who will be disappointed at his poor attempt to save.

Marvin Sordell had given an immediate sign of Watford’s intent with an early effort but this troubled the visiting defence far less than the Sean Murray attempt moments later that had Carlo Cudicini unable to hold on to the ball before it was scrambled away to safety.

Redknapp had fielded a strong XI that included Luka Modric, Emmanuel Adebayor, Van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Scott Parker.

They woke up momentarily after 13 minutes when Adebayor shrugged off Lee Hodson, the home right-back, and bounced a pass into Walker on the opposing flank who floated in a cross that the Togolese forward was crowded out from finishing by a clutch of Watford defenders.

That was about as good as it got for Spurs until Van der Vaart’s intervention.

The hosts continued to worry Cudicini: Troy Deeney moved down the right and pinged in a cross that Sordell put wide; then a midfield mix-up allowed Prince Buaben to let fly with a 30-yarder that flirted with Cudicini’s goal before going narrowly wide.

There was more.

Joe Garner, playing off Sordell in Watford’s attack, dumped Van der Vaart on the ground, then played in a pass to his strike partner that Walker had to clean up.

Tottenham’s first shot of the period followed but it was a tame attempt – Defoe looping the ball off the penalty area turf into Loach’s hands.

Normal service soon resumed when Sordell ghosted past Modric and sprayed a pass that zoomed at Murray at a low velocity but proved just a little too strong.

Despite having the lead at the break, Redknapp’s words to his team in the dressingroom should still have been of the colourful variety after witnessing such an insipid display.

But, if they were given a rollicking, the Spurs players did not take heed.

In a frantic opening to the second half John Eustace had the first opportunity to level proceedings when a corner fell to him but the home captain blasted over.

Even clearer was the next chance, Watford’s best of the night.

Jake Livermore might have tidied up close to his area but he was caught in possession and when the ball arrived at Murray’s feet he smacked it off Cudicini’s left post and, with the Italian not to be found in position, Deeney disappointed Watford fans by steering the rebound wide to the dismay of the home crowd.

Spurs, at least, responded better than they had during the opening 45 minutes.

From a Danny Rose cross Walker, arriving late, forced a tip-over from Loach from his powerful header.

Van der Vaart then employed his left foot to beat Loach but not the crossbar and the ball rebounded to safety.

Next the substitute Mark Yeates put in a corner from the left that Eustace headed against Cudicini’s left post and the goalkeeper closed the game saving desperately with his legs.

But once Yeates had been blocked by Dawson this was Tottenham’s night and they will be among the favourites in the last 16 of the competition.

WATFORD: Loach, Hodson, Mariappa, Nosworthy, Doyley, Eustace, Deeney, Buaben, Murray (Yeates 67), Sordell, Garner (Whichelow 80). Subs not used: Bond, Dickinson, Iwelumo, Forsyth, Jenkins. Booked: Hodson.

TOTTENHAM: Cudicini, Walker, Kaboul, Dawson, Rose, Parker, Van der Vaart, Modric (Lennon 46), Livermore, Adebayor (Pavlyuchenko 90), Defoe (Pienaar 80). Subs not used: Friedel, Bassong, Kranjcar, Assou-Ekotto.

Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).