The two most impressive players on the pitch scored all the goals and want to be somewhere else, despite being loved by the clubs for whom they play. But they have vastly contrasting ways of showing it. Stephen Hunt was Reading’s heartbeat; he scampered, he harried, he probed and passed. Dimitar Berbatov shrugged and scowled and did not run unless he had to. All the same, both teams would be far less enjoyable to watch and more ineffective without them. Some serious cajoling is called for.

The build-up to this tie was all about Reading’s ambition. Steve Coppell, the manager, rested players and said that the FA Cup was not a priority. Dave Kitson was even rude about it. But, led by Hunt, Reading appeared hell-bent on staying on the road to Wembley.

“Once we crossed the white line, our only thought was getting a good result,” Hunt said. “Look, the manager and Kits [Kitson] were only stating the obvious; staying in the league is the most important thing for this club. We never said we were going to give less than 100 per cent and we never said the FA Cup doesn’t matter; maybe Kits did, but he knew he wasn’t going to play today, so it was easy for him to say that.”

Kitson’s “we don’t give two sh**s about the FA Cup” comment will probably come back to haunt him, especially if Reading win the replay. “It’s not a good statement to make,” Coppell said. “Kits is a terrific footballer, but he just says what is at the front of his mind. He’ll have to be a bit more circumspect with the things he says. It’s a headline waiting to happen.”

Paul Robinson seems to a walking headline and Reading’s goals could be attributed to the goalkeeper’s handling errors. For Hunt’s first, he caught the ball but carried it over the line; for the second, Robinson parried Leroy Lita’s shot into his path.

“He has a great mentality and he has allied that now with real maturity and performance,” Coppell said in praise of Hunt.

Not surprisingly, Coppell turned down a £2.5 million bid for the player from Sunderland. “I told the club what I thought about that and that will remain private,” Hunt said. “I’ll just keep going and see what happens.”

With Robbie Keane having another of those days when the goals would not come for him, Berbatov underlined his class. The Bulgaria striker coolly controlled the ball before equalising in the 28th minute and Keane, who has had his past two penalties saved, appeared more than happy to let him take the spot-kick awarded for a foul on the Ireland striker by Liam Rosenior. Tom Huddlestone, a late substitute, lasted three minutes before being sent off for a weak head-butt aimed at Bobby Convey and Tottenham spent the final ten minutes in panic mode, a state with which their fans have become familiar.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): P Robinson 4 — P Chimbonda 5, M Dawson 5, L King 5, Lee Young Pyo 4 — S Malbranque 5 (sub: T Huddlestone, 80min), J Jenas 5, D Zokora 5, A Lennon 5 — R Keane 5 (sub: A Taarabt, 64 6), D Berbatov 7. Substitutes not used: R Cerny, J Defoe, C Gunter. Booked: Zokora, Jenas. Sent off: Huddlestone.

Reading (3-4-2-1): A Federici 5 — U de la Cruz 6, A Bikey 5, M Duberry 5 (sub: A Pearce, 90) — L Rosenior 5, E Fae 6, K Cissé 5, S Hunt 9 — B Convey, 6, S Long 4 — L Lita 5. Substitutes not used: M Hahnemann, J Harper, S Cox, H Robson-Kanu. Booked: Convey, Duberry.

Referee M Clattenburg
Attendance 35,243

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