Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane moved to within one goal of the club’s record scorer Jimmy Greaves with the only goal in a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Kane had hardly been in the game in a dull opening half but curled home a superb effort five minutes into the second period to take his Tottenham tally to 265 goals.
Eight-time FA Cup winners Tottenham, who lost to Portsmouth in the 2010 semi-final, failed to register a shot on target against their third-tier opponents in the first half but improved after the break to dominate.
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After Kane broke the deadlock with his 17th club goal this season, midfielder Oliver Skipp wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 as Tottenham eased through with few alarms.
Premier League Leicester City, who won the Cup in 2021, also reached the fourth round with a 1-0 win at Gillingham who are bottom of the Football League.
Kelechi Iheanacho extended his fine FA Cup record with the second-half winner. It was the striker’s 16th career goal in the competition as Leicester avoided a major upset.
Gillingham, watched by new owner Brad Galinson, set aside their miserable league campaign to provide a stern test for Premier League opposition at MEMS Priestfield but never really looked like pulling off a shock.
Dom Jefferies went closest for Neil Harris’ hosts, while Gills goalkeeper Jake Turner ensured a nervy finish for the Foxes with a string of impressive saves to keep the game in the balance.
Southampton put aside their poor Premier League form to come from behind to beat fellow top flight side Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park with Adam Armstrong scoring the winner.
The hosts were hoping to kick-start another run to Wembley after losing to Chelsea in the semi-finals last season and opened the scoring through Odsonne Edouard.
But it began to unravel for the Eagles when James Ward-Prowse scored directly from a free-kick late in the first half.
Nathan Jones’ Saints – struggling in the league – sealed victory after the break through Armstrong, who took advantage of Vicente Guaita’s error to send his side through.
Irish goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made two important saves early in the second half, both times denying Michael Olise.
Meanwhile Irish striker Shane Long was on target in Reading’s 2-0 win over fellow Championship play-off chasers Watford.
Former Bohs striker Promise Omochere’s winner sent Fleetwood into the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time with a 2-1 win at home to QPR.
Fleetwood had to come from behind but Omochere rifled in midway through the second half to knock the Sky Bet Championship side out.
Sam Field had broken the deadlock for QPR on 37 minutes, bundling in after Lyndon Dykes had helped on Ilias Chair’s ball into the box.
But the lead lasted three minutes as the unmarked Toto Nsiala headed in Danny Andrew’s corner to draw Fleetwood level.
The hosts had created the better chances before the goals, with Cian Hayes dragging an early effort wide and Omochere inches away from turning in Hayes’ dangerous ball across goal.
Admiral Muskwe should have sent the Cod Army into the break with a lead, but he blazed over in stoppage time after Carlos Mendes Gomes had sent him clear of the defence.
Muskwe fluffed a fantastic chance five minutes into the second half, when Rangers goalkeeper Seny Dieng parried Omochere’s shot straight to him. With the open goal gaping in front of him, he completely miscued his tap-in.
But Omochere produced a fine finish on the turn to give Fleetwood a deserved win and create one of the shocks of the third round.
Anass Zaroury and Manuel Benson both scored twice as Championship table-toppers Burnley beat Premier League strugglers Bournemouth 4-2 at the Vitality Stadium.
The Clarets, managed by two-time FA Cup winner Vincent Kompany, made the most of a trio of defensive errors to book their place in the fourth round with a 14th win in their last 17 fixtures.
Bournemouth played their part in a thriller with Ryan Christie and Dominic Solanke netting, but their losing streak extended to five matches.
Layvin Kurzawa and Daniel James secured Fulham’s place in the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Hull as Marco Silva gained victory over his former employers.
Kurzawa was one of seven changes to Premier League Fulham’s line-up and was left with a simple 37th-minute finish after Matt Ingram parried Harry Wilson’s shot, while James secured a 2-0 win at the death.
Their Championship hosts also shuffled their pack but were left to rue Harvey Vale fluffing his lines early on, on his first home start, as they faded after beginning brightly at the MKM Stadium.
Silva, whose first managerial job in England was at Hull in a brief stint in 2017, rested a number of first-team players that have helped Fulham into seventh in the top flight after three straight wins.
World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister scored his first goals since returning from Qatar as Brighton eased past Championship side Middlesbrough to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
The Argentina international, a half-time replacement for Adam Lallana at the Riverside Stadium, produced deft 58th-minute and 80th-minute finishes to cement a comfortable 5-1 victory for the Premier League side.
First-half goals from Pascal Gross and Lallana - with Evan Ferguson involved in the build-up for both - either side of Chuba Akpom’s equaliser – his 14th of the season – had set the visitors on their way.
Substitute Deniz Undav added a late fifth on a day when Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls were given a taste of what awaits them should they make it out of the second tier this season
Blackpool belied their poor Championship form to beat Nottingham Forest 4-1 and dump the Premier League side out of the FA Cup.
The Seasiders, featuring former Shamrock Rovers man Andy Lyons for the first time since his move, find themselves in the second-tier’s relegation zone after a nine-game winless run but led ed at half-time through Marvin Ekpiteta’s close-range finish.
Michael Appleton’s side then soaked up Forest’s second-half pressure and added further goals through Ian Poveda, CJ Hamilton and substitute Jerry Yates before Ryan Yates headed a late consolation for the visitors.
Josh Windass scored twice as Sky Bet League One Sheffield Wednesday pulled off the shock of the FA Cup third round with a 2-1 win over Premier League high-flyers Newcastle at Hillsborough.
Windass fired the Owls in front early in the second half – with replays showing he appeared to be offside, but there was no VAR to check – and then struck a second in the 66th minute when he ran clear to slot past Martin Dubravka.
Newcastle – who sit third in the Premier League table following millions invested after the club’s Saudi-backed takeover – pulled a goal back through Bruno Guimaraes from a corner.
Windass crashed a 25-yard free-kick against the crossbar before Newcastle substitute Chris Wood blazed a late chance over as the Owls held out for a memorable victory.
Said Benrahma scored a stunning long-range effort against his former club as West Ham United reached the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 win at Brentford on Saturday.
There had been few opportunities for either side before substitute Benrahma rushed forward and unleashed a powerful effort from distance to break the deadlock with his side’s first shot on target in the 79th minute.
Brentford had the better of the limited first-half chances, with Yoanne Wissa denied from close range by Lukas Fabianski.
Yet they did little in the way of replicating the form which saw them lead 2-0 after 43 minutes against West Ham when they met in the Premier League eight days ago.
Thomas Soucek went the closest to opening West Ham’s account shortly after the break but he miscued his effort from five metres out and directed Emerson’s cross wide of goal.
The visiting supporters had been singing Benrahma’s name throughout the match, and the Algerian provided his side with the spark they needed in the final third to avoid a replay and reach the next round.
