Exeter City beat Tottenham Hotspur U21 2-0 in Group South of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening. Danny Rose opened the scoring in the thirty-fifth minute before Louie Cayless added a second just before the final whistle. The hosts sat second in the group with six points from three games, while Tottenham remained fourth with just two points after three defeats.
Rose found his way through after twenty-seven minutes when Ajay Matthews came on for Exeter. The striker collected his yellow card two minutes later, and by then the match had already shifted direction. Tottenham controlled the ball but could not find a clear path into the penalty area.
Exeter made six substitutions across the second half, while Tottenham brought on Ellis Lehane, George Feeney, Sonny Cox, Reiss Elliot-Parris and Malachi Hardy. The visitors had 66 per cent possession yet only managed one shot on target all evening. Exeter's defence made 29 clearances and won 16 tackles as they ground out the win.
The statistics tell a story of wasted possession. Tottenham completed 459 passes and launched 63 attacks, but created zero big chances. Their shots accuracy sat at twenty per cent, with three attempts off target and only one on goal. Exeter, with just 34 per cent possession, hit five shots on target from 14 attempts.
Five yellow cards were shown across the ninety minutes. Danny Rose, Louie Cayless and Liam Oakes went for Exeter, while George Feeney and Maxwell Adedeji were booked for the visitors. Tottenham's goalkeeper made three saves, the most either side produced.
The result leaves Exeter with a comfortable position in Group South and moves them closer to qualification. Tottenham's third loss in three games raises questions about their ability to compete at this level. The line has barely moved for either side in terms of group standing, but the gap in performance was stark.
