No happy ending for O'Neill as Rovers lose 0-4 to Spurs

Shamrock Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4

There was no happy ending to Michael O’Neill’s reign at Tallaght Stadium as his Shamrock Rovers were roundly beaten by Tottenham in their final game of the season, and his last as manager.

The victory wasn’t enough for Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham to go through, however, as Russians Rubin Kazan came from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Greek side PAOK Salonika to secure the second qualifying place from Europa League Group A.

Spurs, with nine changes in their starting 11 from the side that lost to Stoke at the weekend, started shakily with Rovers’ Jim Paterson having a goal disallowed for offside inside two minutes.

Ken Oman, having executed a vital block to a Jermain Defoe shot at one end, fired narrowly wide at the other on 12 minutes as Spurs failed to clear a Billy Dennehy free-kick into their area.

But Spurs’ class soon told as they eased into their deserved 3-0 match winning lead by the break. Winger Danny Rose bounced a cross onto the bar before the Londoners took the lead on 29 minutes. Steven Pienaar brilliantly dummied past Stephen Rice to rifle a low drive across goal and into the far corner of keeper Richard Brush’s net.

Defoe just failed to get a touch to a dangerous cross from Giovani dos Santos a minute later. Brush then had to show his agility to touch a shot from Mexican dos Santos away for Spurs’ second corner of the night.

The Tallaght crowd was then stunned to silence on 38 minutes by a delightful second goal. Defoe neatly laid the ball off for left winger Andros Townsend to score with a curling right foot shot.

The third arrived right on the blow of the break. Townsend broke on the left to cross and Defoe turned Enda Stevens to flick the ball to the net.

Dennehy and substitute Stephen O’Donnell had shots on goal early in the second half for Rovers while Karl Sheppard got nothing when clearly taken out by Jake Livermore just outside the box.

Spurs remained on top, though, and Dos Santos hit a post while Rovers’ skipper Dan Murray made a miraculous block to deflect a Townsend shot over the bar.

Sheppard was again left dumbfounded on 71 minutes when Younes Kaboul tripped him in the box as Swiss referee, Stephan Studer, waved play on.

The action flowed from end to end late on with Pienaar rifling a low drive off the butt of a post before Pat Sullivan brought the save of the night from Carlo Cudicini with a crisp volley from distance on 88 minutes.

But Spurs would have the final say in the 90th minute when substitute Harry Kane scored from close range following Townsend’s clever nod down at the back post as Rovers slumped to their heaviest defeat in the group.