Premier League high-flyers Tottenham Hotspur were held to a shock goalless draw away to third tier Stevenage in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday and face a replay to reach the quarter-finals. League One Stevenage demonstrated excellent defensive organisation and no little skill in attack to keep a Spurs side managed by Harry Redknapp, favourite for the permanent England job, at bay.
Spurs did have the ball in the back of the net early in the second half when Louis Saha turned in Danny Rose's low cross. But the Frenchman's effort was ruled out for offside after a linesman spotted the striker's shot had clipped the offside Scott Parker before hitting the net.
However, few could deny Stevenage deserved a money spinning replay trip to Spurs' White Lane ground, such was the way the team from Hertfordshire, north-west of London, kept going right until the end.
In an earlier Cup tie on Sunday, Stoke won 2-0 win away to fourth-tier Crawley Town despite playing most of the match a man down after Rory Delap was sent off. Goals either side of half-time, courtesy of a Jonathan Walters penalty and a Peter Crouch header, saw Stoke, last season's beaten finalists, make it into the last eight.
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