Tottenham's Slender Win vs. Sheffield United Shows Mauricio Pochettino's Impact

Tottenham Hotspur are on their way to Wembley Stadium. 

A 1-0 win over Sheffield United at White Hart Lane means that Spurs only need to avoid defeat in next week's second leg in order to reach the League Cup final. 

The nature of the victory was typical of this sort of fixture.

Spurs were dominant but struggled to open up an effective and attractive Blades side.

Nigel Clough's team has famously seen off Premier League opposition including West Ham United, Southampton and Queens Park Rangers this season, so Spurs' failure to put them to the sword is not the embarrassment that it might appear. 

Holding much of the possession and working the ball calmly around the pitch, Spurs demonstrated an emerging confidence and a competence that had been lacking in the early months of the season. 

It was the substitutions that won the day, though.

Mauricio Pochettino, showing his comprehension of the squad's capacity, introduced Mousa Dembele and Roberto Soldado in place of Ryan Mason and Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Though Soldado has seemingly lost his ability to score any kind of goal, he did the next best thing by winning a penalty shortly after coming on. Chasing a ball launched over the top, he flicked it towards the United defender, who handled to give Spurs a spot-kick.

Andros Townsend's shooting power has never been in question, and he hammered home the penalty to give Spurs their slender lead. 

Dembele was able to play higher up the pitch than Mason and give Spurs an additional weapon in the high-traffic area in front of United's goal. Mason, coming back from injury, had been solid but uninspiring as Spurs worked their way through the first hour. 

This stifled the Blades' ability to build through the middle and forced them to play longer balls, most of which were easily dealt with by the Tottenham defence.

The fact that Dembele was trusted to enter a semi-final that was hanging in the balance speaks to the rehabilitation of the Belgian's reputation. Many expected him to be sold in January, based on his early performances for Pochettino, but he has managed to earn a place in the rotation of Spurs' depleted midfield. 

He has yet to recover the form of his first season at Spurs, but he is showing signs of improvement and is no longer a liability on the pitch. 

Paulinho, who replaced Benjamin Stambouli with the match at 1-0, is showing improvement as well. The Brazilian was arguably the most disappointing of the signings of 2013, and he was entirely absent in the early stages of the season, but Pochettino's patience has pushed Paulinho back into the picture at Tottenham.

His aggression and energy sparked several half-chances as the match wore down.

The £17 million "Brazilian Frank Lampard" was supposed to be perfectly suited to English football and give Spurs a goal threat from midfield. That has proven a significant over-estimation, but he is providing value as an impact substitute.

Dembele and Paulinho were both written off by many observers after being virtually anonymous for Pochettino's Spurs. The pair have a long way to go to be first-choice midfielders again, but their evident improvement is encouraging. 

Spurs' subs may have been the greatest cause for optimism but the continued and growing influence of the local lads can only add to the bubbling excitement at White Hart Lane. Mason, Townsend and Harry Kane started against the Blades, and each played their part as Spurs moved closer to Wembley. 

Kane had a poor game by his own dizzying standards but still presented a constant threat to the United defence. His ability to run through traffic and emerge with the ball at his feet is remarkable and was repeatedly on show at the Lane. 

The acquisition of a rare clean sheet was another happy bonus, while the combination of Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen showed promise as it did against Sunderland. 

Even when Jamal Campbell-Ryce broke down Spurs' left late in the match, Vertonghen and Dier remained calm and snuffed out what could have been a dangerous counter. 

Campbell-Ryce had left-back Ben Davies beaten through much of the match. Davies had a difficult game as is so often the case when Christian Eriksen is nominally ahead of him. The Dane has improved the defensive side of his game but still consistently leaves his full-back facing two men. 

Tottenham's narrow win over Sheffield United demonstrated that Pochettino may even be a better manager than many had already realised. 

One of the selling points upon his appointment was supposed to be his ability to improve players. That impact was quickly seen among Spurs' younger squad members. Kane exploded into form, Mason nailed down a starting role and even Danny Rose won an England call. 

It was hoped that Erik Lamela would grow into his potential with a nurturing Argentina manager, and his second season at Spurs has far exceeded his first. 

Few might have predicted that Pochettino's pastoral role would benefit the likes of Dembele and Paulinho, though.

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