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On this day: Tottenham Hotspur reach FA Cup semis

On this day in 2012, Tottenham Hotspur record a 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers to progress through to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers went into their FA Cup sixth-round clash at White Hart Lane in 2012 still in shock after the circumstances that brought a halt to their initial encounter 10 days earlier.

Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and saw his heart stop for over an hour during the first half in North London, but after extensive medical treatment in the immediate aftermath of his collapse, he was able to begin the road to recovery before the second staging of the match.

Spurs and the Trotters were aware that they were competing for a last-four date with Chelsea at Wembley, and both Harry Redknapp and Owen Coyle named strong lineups as they attempted to move one game away from the final.

It was the home side who began the contest on the offensive, with Luka Modric being denied by Adam Bogdan after the goalkeeper had previously stopped Gareth Bale's dipping shot from finding the back of the net.

Spurs' dominance continued as the half reached the midway point, and after Rafael van der Vaart sent an attempt straight at Bogdan, Emmanuel Adebayor found the Hungarian in equally impressive form after his low shot was prevented from finding the bottom corner.

Ryan Nelsen of Spurs scores the opening goal with a header during the FA Cup sixth round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane on March 27, 2012© Getty Images

Bolton had done well to see off the early wave of pressure from Spurs, but as half time approached, Bogdan was forced into action once again. Bale teased the away side's defence with his trickery down the left before laying the ball off to Scott Parker, who saw his low shot punched away by the goalkeeper.

Spurs started the second half in the same manner in which they had ended the first, but it was the woodwork that denied them on this occasion, with Van der Vaart's free kick striking the top of the crossbar and going behind for a goal kick.

Bolton soon found themselves unable to escape their own half, and after Ledley King's header had brushed the top of the net, Bogdan was called into action to stick out a leg to stop Van der Vaart's low strike giving the home side the advantage.

However, with 16 minutes remaining, Spurs finally made the breakthrough through defender Ryan Nelsen, who jumped above a number of players to head home Van der Vaart's corner for his first goal for the club.

Within the space of three minutes, Tottenham had all but wrapped up their passage through to the last four with a second goal. Jermain Defoe, who had entered the action as a second-half substitute, found Bale, who had plenty of time to slide the ball past an unfortunate Bogdan and into the bottom corner.

Louis Saha of Spurs is congratulated by teammates Ryan Nelsen and Gareth Bale after scoring his team's third goal during the FA Cup sixth round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane on March 27, 2012© Getty Images

Bolton had shown little ambition in attack throughout the match, but Bale's goal sprung them into life as they looked to find two goals to take the match to a replay at the Reebok Stadium.

Their late efforts looked in vain as the match reached the 90-minute mark, but in the opening seconds of added-on time, Kevin Davies broke free at the back post to slide the ball past Carlo Cudicini to ensure a nervy ending for the home team.

However, after doing enough to prevent Bolton creating any further opportunities, Spurs broke down the other end to seal a 3-1 triumph through Louis Saha, who turned sharply on the edge of the penalty area before driving the ball past Bogdan with what turned out to be the last kick of the game.

Tottenham's run in the competition came to an abrupt halt in the semi-finals when they were blown away by a clinical display from Chelsea, who ran out 5-1 winners at Wembley.

Bolton responded to their defeat by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, but one win in their final eight fixtures saw the Lancashire outfit relegated to the Championship.

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Manchester City players and fans celebrate John Macken's late winner against Tottenham Hotspur on February 04, 2004.
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