Tottenham vs. Sheffield United: Winners and Losers from Capital One Cup Game

Tottenham Hotspur will take a 1-0 aggregate lead into next week's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Although the visiting Blades were no passengers in what was a generally entertaining cup tie, they were unable to find the back of the net and found themselves a goal down when Andros Townsend converted from the penalty spot with 16 minutes remaining.

United defender Jay McEveley's handball was therefore the difference on Wednesday, although his side won't have been all that discouraged with what was a mostly heartening display from the League One outfit.

Overall there were several standout performances at White Hart Lane, as well as one or two that were rather less impressive.

Following are the individual winners and losers from the encounter.

Winner: Jan Vertonghen, Who Was Solid in Defense for Spurs

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Jan Vertonghen has had his moments this season—both good and bad.

It was the former he delivered on Wednesday, however, as he helped keep a pesky Sheffield United outfit from finding the back of the net at White Hart Lane.

The Tottenham centre-back's most important contribution came in the dying minutes when he intercepted Jamal Campbell-Ryce's attempted cross, but over the course of the 90 minutes, he also won all of his aerial battles and completed an impressive 92 percent of his passes, according to WhoScored.com.

Loser: Jay McEveley, Whose Handball Sent Spurs to the Penalty Spot

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Sheffield United might have escaped north London with a scoreless draw had Jay McEveley not handled the ball in the 74th minute.

It's likely he never expected Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado to so effectively control a long, floating pass to the far post, but even so his handball offence was sloppy to say the least.

Seconds after the incident Andros Townsend stepped up to the penalty spot and scored what proved to be the only goal of the match.

"If McEveley had spent more time tracking Soldado and less time appealing for offside he might not have made such a poor decision," analysed television presenter Mark Pougatch via Twitter.

Winner: Roberto Soldado, Who Did Just Enough to Create a Goal

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Roberto Soldado might be known best for missing glorious chances, but on Wednesday the Tottenham Hotspur striker played a vital part in creating the only goal of the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg.

In the 74th minute he drifted to the far post and did exceptionally well to bring down Jan Vertonghen's arcing pass.

The result was the Jay McEveley handball that sent Andros Townsend to the penalty spot, and thanks to the latter's precision from 12 yards the hosts prevailed 1-0 on the night.

"Superb movement from Soldado to win the Tottenham pen," remarked the BBC's Leon Mann via Twitter.

Soldado has recently been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen, as Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror reported, but his form against the Blades may have offered a chance of redemption at White Hart Lane.

Winner: Stefan Scougall, Who Didn't Stop Running Until He Was Substituted

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Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough will have taken several positives from Wednesday's match—among them playmaker Stefan Scougall.

The 22-year-old had his side's best chance to find the back of the net in the 40th minute, and while he routinely pestered the Tottenham back line, he did a shift on the defensive side of the ball as well.

In the 43rd minute, he smartly hacked away Ben Davies' drilled cross after the latter had received Emmanuel Adebayor's pass following a neat exchange with Ryan Mason.

Loser: Emmanuel Adebayor, Who Offered Next to Nothing

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Somewhat surprisingly, Emmanuel Adebayor was Tottenham Hotspur's captain on Wednesday against Sheffield United.

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old—who was making his first start since November—lasted just 65 minutes at White Hart Lane and took just two shots during his mostly anonymous time on the pitch.

As it happened, he was lucky to have lasted beyond the 17th minute, when referee Neil Swarbrick showed leniency and merely booked him for stretching his arm into Louis Reed's face.

"Can anyone explain the Adebayor being captain decision? Surely others more deserving?" asked BT Sport's Darren Fletcher during the match.

Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino was quoted by Mark Bryans of the London Evening Standard as saying, "You forget (I named the captains) at the beginning of the season. I think it is not the moment to explain why."

He continued, "When I took a decision it was seven months ago, I took the decision that Kaboul, Lloris and Adebayor were three captains, seven months ago. It is a long, long time ago that happened. I had no doubts (about making him captain). I didn't hear (any bad reaction). I am focused on the game."

Winner: Andros Townsend, Who Scored from the Spot

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Andros Townsend scored the only goal on Wednesday—albeit a penalty after Jay McEveley was judged to have handled the ball.

But his shot was confident and decisive, and even though Sheffield United goalkeeper Mark Howard guessed correctly, he was unable to come up with the save.

According to WhoScored.com, Townsend also touched the ball 69 times and completed 86 percent of his passes during the match.