Tottenham get a lot of stick. Even the most hardened Spurs fan, mate, would agree they deserve a fair bit of it. But if you strip back the jokes, the commemorative DVD and T-shirt to celebrate a 1-0 league win over Chelsea in November 2006 (“If you missed it, here is your chance to see what all the fuss is about!”), the websites dedicated to documenting how long it’s been since they last won a trophy, the concept of a cheese room, Richarlison’s back tattoos and getting mugged off by Dulux, there is a very likable club there. The big issue for Spurs is that they just can’t seem to get over the line when it matters. Of course, it’s a fine margin between victory and defeat; just ask Hugo Lloris, France’s World Cup-winning captain.

Even Spurs’ best moment of recent years, that preposterous away-goals win over Ajax in 2019 – the sort of victory from the jaws of defeat that Tottenham themselves are used to being on the wrong end of – was followed up by one of the Spursiest starts to a Big Cup final you could dream of, a dubious penalty conceded 23 seconds into the match to set Liverpool on their way to yet another European triumph. Therefore, can Football Daily even dare to call the Carling Cup semi-final first leg 1-0 victory over Liverpool some sort of vengeance for that game? Probably not, especially given their volatility over two legs and the fact they are battling it out for Carabao, not champagne. But there was a quiet satisfaction to Wednesday’s win against the Premier League leaders. So let’s give Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou – a previously gracious and philosophical manager, reduced to speculating in recent days if one of the world’s greatest players would be able to hit a barn door in a Spurs shirt – some flowers.

The Londoners were excellent against Liverpool. Archie Gray, 18 years young and out of position at centre-back, was magnificent in defence. Alongside him, Radu Dragusin temporarily morphed into Gary Mabbutt, complete with all 10 of his toes. Three days after signing, Antonin Kinsky was thrust into the starting XI and looked like he had been between the sticks for a decade, the only thing overshadowing his performance or tearful post-match embrace with his sister the footage of a middle-aged man in the foreground of said embrace, furiously searching through his phone trying to find the camera app. After a midfield performance full of industry and class, Lucas Bergvall scored an incisive winner, even if his goal came approximately a minute after he should have been handed his second yellow of the game for a blatant foul on the visitors’ Kostas Tsimikas.

“There’s a linesman there, a fourth official there, there’s VAR, a referee and he doesn’t get [one],” sobbed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. “I’m not saying this is the reason why we lost tonight but it was a big moment in the game.” But don’t let that crucial, blatant, game-deciding incident detract from the narrative of this glorious triumph. Sure, Liverpool will probably win the second leg 3-0 at Anfield and go on to prolong Newcastle’s own trophy drought in the final, the Reds’ latest domestic silverware barely a footnote in their own glittering history, but Tottenham will always have this Milk Cup semi-final first leg win. They will always have Wednesday 8 January 2025. And if you missed it, you can always grab the commemorative T-shirt and DVD, presumably out next week, to see what all the fuss is about.

Join Taha Hashim from 7pm GMT for hot FA Cup third-round clockwatch action on … what’s this … a Thursday night?

“New players have come in from other clubs and they say that the people that have her role don’t do it in the same way. My mum will go out with them and make sure they get the best apartment or show them where the shops are. She will also make sure their partners are looked after. I sometimes even see her walking around babysitting some of the players’ kids if they don’t have anywhere to take them for the day. She goes far beyond her role but she enjoys it too” – Charlton’s Miles Leaburn, son of Addicks legend Carl, pays tribute to mum Tracey, who’s also the head of player care down at The Valley.

With respect to football miracle comparisons (Tuesday’s Football Daily), please forgive my pedantry when I point out that Leicester ‘did a Nottingham Forest’ (remember Brian Clough?). So if Forest ‘do a Leicester’ they will actually be ‘doing a Forest’. And ‘doing a Forest’ is better than ‘doing a Leicester’ because ‘doing a Forest’ involves going on to subsequent back-to-back Big Cup successes, whereas ‘doing a Leicester’ involves subsequent relegation” – Mark Brookes (and others).

If you’d like to hear what ‘a straight-to-ITVX buddy-cop drama (with Eddie Howe as the increasingly exasperated police chief)’ would sound like (yesterday’s Football Daily), I’d direct you to back episodes of Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson’s excellent Athletico Mince podcast, which features script read-throughs of Geordie Heat, a police procedural with DCI Howe and his crack squad of Tyneside heroes solving the big problems faced by their community (mostly Mr Sting from the massive house with the massive gates). In Eddie’s words, I wish you all the best in your future [effin’] endeavours” – Jon Gerrard.

The mention in yesterday’s Football Daily of picking a forward to convert a chance to save your life reminds me of the great Aussie rules commentator Dennis Cometti. When a co-commentator spoke in exactly those terms about an in-form player, Dennis said, if he had to pick someone to kick a goal to save his life, he’d pick his mum. After a pause he added: ‘She’s not much of a kicker, but at least she’d care’” – Chris Mackenzie Davey.

I see Harry Maguire has discovered an extra yard of speed – even if it’s 85mph in a tunnel beneath Manchester airport. Perhaps he believes United’s season is about to take off” – Mark McFadden.

It’s good to see that in just one day, Tottenham announced Paris Baguette, a South Korean bakery chain, ‘as its new official coffee and bakery partner’, saying they ‘will be integrating its coffee product into our matchday food and beverage menus, and will be working with the club to drive global brand awareness’. And they also announced ‘dog of the match’ at every home game throughout the season. ‘Members of Tottenham Hotspaw’, no less, with a pun so bad that even Football Daily letter writers wouldn’t stoop to it. Apparently, they played a game of football yesterday too, but I couldn’t take too much excitement in one day” – Noble Francis.

Send letters to [email protected]. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Chris Mackenzie Davey. Terms and conditions for our competitions – when we have them – can be viewed here.

Celtic are now 16 [SIXTEEN – Football Daily Vidiprinter Ed] points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 2-0 home victory over Dundee United. Indeed, the biggest narrative coming out of the game appears to be fans reprising songs for a full team of former players and manager Martin O’Neill, what with Brendan Rodgers having called for them to be more patient over the reaction to backward passes during the weekend 3-0 win over St Mirren. Tunes about Artur Boruc, Mikael Lustig, Billy McNeil, Charlie Mulgrew, Tommy Burns, Victor Wanyama, Jimmy Johnstone, Scott Sinclair, Jota, Odsonne Édouard and Henrik Larsson all received an airing. “It was just the kit man, he was the only one that missed out, I think,” honked Rodgers. “It’s all part of the dance here, isn’t it? Listen, my job is to put the best team on the pitch and win, win consistently and everyone can smile.”

In need of new year reading? Get yourselves over to the Big Website bookshop, where you’ll find a host of great tomes just waiting to be added to your online basket, including David’s latest collection of cartoons: Chaos in the Box.

The Met police have handed a “full file” of evidence on a Premier League player accused of rape to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Rob Edwards has been mutually consented out of Luton Town. “We all felt that action was required to rectify this with 20 league matches still to play,” sighed chief suit Gary Sweet. “It is typical of Rob’s humility that he also recognised this himself and leaves not just as a former manager, but as a trusted friend who has left his mark on every player and member of staff.”

New West Ham boss Graham Potter is pumped and reckons the two make a perfect fit. “It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me, and equally that I was the right fit for the club I am joining,” he whooped. “It’s a hefty challenge. It’s pretty much Christmas for the adults. I struggled to sleep last night, fuelled by excitement.”

Sportsbank, a group of investors fronted by two Crystal Palace fans, has signed an exclusivity agreement with John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings – the club’s co-owner – and intends to make a “significant financial investment”.

The latest in Barcelona’s Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor saga: the pair can play for now after Spain’s supreme sports council stuck its neb in.

Women’s Championship quartet Birmingham, Bristol City, Newcastle and Southampton will take part in a trial permitting fans to get their booze on in the stands while watching games.

And … “To the left, to the right, jump up and down and to the knees …” Yes, Wolves have signed Reims central defender Emmanuel Agbadou for £16.6m.

Arsenal in for Bryan Mbeumo? Everton targeting a move for José Mourinho? Oof! All this and more tittle-tattle in the latest Rumour Mill.

Check the latest January moves in our men’s and women’s transfer interactives.

How the tell-nothing documentary craze failed its viewers. By Aaron Timms.

Mallorca top scorer Cyle Larin has his sights set on the Spanish Super Cup but, as he tells Sid Lowe, also harbours ambitions of playing in the Premier League.

Ben McAleer explains why Manchester City should go big to sign Omar Marmoush.

And Luke McLaughlin explains how a potential father-son FA Cup meeting at Goodison Park could join football folklore.

In the third round of the 1988-89 FA Cup, Coventry City, winners in 1986-87, visited what John Motson called “Stockbroker Country” to face Sutton United of the GM Vauxhall Conference. And, though Panini dreamboat Dave Phillips cancelled out Tony Rains’s opener, Matthew Hanlan’s winner completed one of the great shocks – celebrated in the classic style, as evidenced by this photo.