Spurs progress with Kane double

London: With two goals, one in each half, from Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, moved into the fifth round of the FA Cup, beating Brighton 3-1. After an early season loss of form, perhaps with a distraction from his failure in his attempt to move to Manchester City, the Spurs striker looks settled again as his second goal of the match took his tally this season to 15 for Spurs and 25 for club and country.

Apart from a short period of about ten minutes toward the end of the first half, Tottenham dominated the opposition and led 2-0 at half time. Spurs should have taken an early lead when in the 12th minute, Brighton goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez fluffed a clearance but Kane, unmarked, was unable to control the ball.

His disappointment, however, did not last long as a minute later he put his side in the lead with a 20-yard drive after Son Heung-Min and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had combined to put the ball in Kane’s path.

Tottenham’s lead was doubled in the 24th minute when Emerson Royal picked up the ball in his half and ran down the right, deep into the Brighton half for a fine cross which took a deflection from Solly March and went over Sanchez high into the net. It was credited as an own goal although Royal, after his fine work would liked to have claimed it.

Five minutes after the second goal, Kane should have scored again but decided to chip the ball to the left where Son was off side. Shortly before the break Sanchez was forced to make a fine save from Kane. Brighton too wasted chances through Neal Maupay in front of goal and Jakub Moder who shot over the bar from the 18-yard line when he was under no pressure.

After the break Moder again had a fine chance but lifted his shot over the bar. Spurs goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, who had little to do in the first half, made an excellent one-handed save from a shot by Yves Bissouma which had taken a deflection from Cristian Romero.

Brighton were more on the attack in the second half and just after Spurs had missed a chance with Son shooting straight at Sanchez,

Lloris did well to punch away a corner taken by Pascal Gross. But he was beaten in the 63rd minute when a firm drive from Bissouma went into the net with a deflection off the back of Hojbjerg, giving no chance to the Tottenham captain.

Before the visitors could look for the equaliser, Spurs made it 3-1 within three minutes of the Brighton goal. Son made a fine run from the halfway line, passing Joel Veltman, but was tackled by Lewis Dunk at the six-yard box and as the ball went to Adam Webster who tried to pass back towards his goal, Kane slid in to put the ball over the line. There was little else to come from Brighton apart from a late miss by Maupay.