Harry Kane’s second half goal saw Tottenham Hotspur overcome a battling Portsmouth and ensured his side’s passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of the south coast outfit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In a very turgid affair, neither side registered any moment of significance in the first half, with Rico Hackett seeing an acrobatic effort clawed away by Fraser Forster, before Kane saw a close-range effort from a corner blocked by a sea of bodies as an uneventful first half ended goalless.
Spurs noticeably raised their levels after the break, and were unlucky not to take the lead when Emerson Royal saw his header crash back off the inside of the post from Son’s cross.
However, Spurs did not have too long to wait to take the lead, and barely two minutes after Emerson’s chance, Kane fired Spurs ahead with a wonderful effort from the edge of the area after a one-two with Ryan Sessegnon.
The hosts ought to have doubled their lead 15 minutes later when Oliver Skipp blazed over with the goal at his mercy, but it mattered not. Portsmouth offered nothing in response, and the match fizzled out to see Spurs secure their place in the hat for the next round of the FA Cup.