Tottenham 1-0 Portsmouth: Player ratings as Spurs reach FA Cup round four
By Sean Walsh
From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Tottenham overcame League One side Portsmouth to advance to round four of the FA Cup.
A storied fixture which saw the likes of Harry Redknapp and Kevin Bond invited as guests of honour, Spurs recovered from a sluggish first half to secure the win on a grey afternoon in north London.
The first half-chance of the game fell Pompey's way after 12 minutes, with Reeco Hackett's overhead kick pushed aside by Fraser Forster.
Soon after at the other end, Harry Kane came close to scrambling a corner from Son Heung-min over the line, but his effort was blocked from close rage by Denver Hume.
Full-debutant Pape Matar Sarr flashed a shot from range wide towards the end of a very frustrating first half for the hosts.
At the start of the second half, a high cross from Son was headed against the inside of the post by Emerson Royal, before Kane opened the scoring on the 50-minute mark. The skipper cut inside from the left and played a quick one-two with Ryan Sessegnon before letting fly from 18 yards and finding the far corner.
Spurs' bright start to the second period continued when Japhet Tanganga picked out Emerson on the right byline, and his stretched efforts to keep the ball in helped it reach Son, but his strike sailed over the top.
A kind ricochet off of Bryan Gil allowed Oliver Skipp a clear sight of goal from mere yards out, but he fluffed his lines and skied his volley.
After three minutes of stoppage time, Tottenham's place in round four was confirmed. Their next match comes at home to north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday January 15.
Tottenham player ratings
GK: Fraser Forster - 5/10 - A very quiet day. Booed by over 9,000 Portsmouth fans with every touch for his Southampton allegiances.
CB: Japhet Tanganga - 6/10 - Largely fine. Got rattled by a physical duel with Bishop in the second half but it didn't lead to anything.
CB: Davinson Sanchez - 6/10 - Similarly untroubled. Missed a free header in the first half after leaping too soon.
CB: Ben Davies - 6/10 - Again, dependable. Tottenham's problem was that none of their centre-backs were capable of making line-breaking passes.
RM: Emerson Royal - 5/10 - A sloppy passer when Spurs needed precision. Improved after the break but he was playing Portsmouth after all.
CM: Oliver Skipp - 5/10 - Another rusty display from a man in need of further game time after nearly a year out.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 7/10 - Full of energy and demanded to be given the ball throughout. Lacked a killer pass but then again so did most Spurs players.
LM: Ryan Sessegnon - 5/10 - Timid at both ends of the pitch, though at least provided Kane with an assist.
RF: Bryan Gil - 6/10 - Dug in and worked ever so hard, while he began to pick the lock after the break. Continually selfless in pursuit of a goal.
LF: Son Heung-min - 5/10 - Managed to win a few corners and free-kicks with his delivery and dribbling but provided little in way of direct threat.
CF: Harry Kane - 8/10 - Head and shoulders the best player on the pitch. Began to dictate the game at will in the second half and scored a peach of an opener. Now one goal away from matching Jimmy Greaves' all-time Spurs scoring record.
Substitutes
Djed Spence (78' for Sessegnon) - 5/10
Alfie Devine (90' for Gil) - N/A
Manager
Antonio Conte - 6/10 - Spurs were flat for most of the time, but they looked assured defensively at least.
Portsmouth player ratings
GK: Josh Griffiths (6); RB: Zak Swanson (6), CB: Michael Morrison (6), CB: Sean Raggett (6), CB: Connor Ogilvie (6), LB: Denver Hume (5); CM: Joe Morrell (5), CM: Ryan Tunnicliffe (5), LW: Owen Dale (5), RW: Reeco Hackett (5); CF: Colby Bishop (4)
Subs: Louis Thompson (4), Josh Koroma (5), Michael Jacobs (N/A), Joe Pigott (N/A), Ronan Curtis (N/A)
Manager: Simon Bassey - 5/10