Tottenham U21s Need Oxford Results To Keep EFL Trophy Campaign Alive

Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s remain bottom of EFL Trophy Southern Group A after a 2–2 draw with Cheltenham Town, followed by a penalty shootout loss, on Tuesday night.

Wayne Burnett’s side have one point from their opening two matches, having lost 2–0 at Exeter City in September.

Tottenham Hotspur now need Oxford United to beat Cheltenham Town before they play Oxford themselves and hopefully progress from the group and into the knockout stages.

Spurs were seconds away from their first win in this season’s competition after Richarlison and Miracle Adewole scored second-half goals to overturn George Miller’s first-half stoppage-time opener.

Miller scored again in the 95th minute, forcing a shootout for the additional point. Cheltenham won it 7–6.

Tottenham therefore took one point from the draw, while Cheltenham took two after winning on penalties.

The result leaves Spurs dependent on another fixture before their final group match. They can no longer secure qualification solely through their own result.

Tottenham visit Oxford at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday, November 24. Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm GMT. The trip completes an away-only group schedule that began at Exeter on September 8 and continued at Cheltenham on October 13.

Richarlison's inclusion was one of the biggest talking points of the pre-match;; he started on the left of a front three that also included Under-18s standout striker Oliver Boast, leading the line.

Cheltenham manager Steve Cotterill praised Richarlison’s approach to the fixture, describing his attitude as “immaculate.”

The striker also spent time signing autographs and posing for photographs with both sets of fans, drawing praise across social media, and even shook goalkeeper Mamadou Diallo’s hand after converting his penalty.

Cotterill said facing an established international gave his players experience competing against someone at the highest level. Wayne Burnett’s team remain unbeaten at the top of Premier League 2 and began their Premier League International Cup campaign with a victory over Dinamo Zagreb at Stevenage Lamex Stadium; they will also welcome Serie A giants AC Milan to Stevenage in the same trophy later this year.

A 4–2 victory over Manchester City on September 19 took Spurs top of Premier League 2, with Callum Olusesi scoring twice. Luca Williams-Barnett and Miracle Adewole also scored as Tottenham recovered from conceding the game’s opening goal.

For Spurs, the Oxford’s meeting with Cheltenham will determine whether Wayne Burnett’s side can reach the Kassam Stadium with a route into the knockout stages.