When Harry Kane set himself on the edge of the area, to the left of centre, instantly making the calculations, slowing down his pulse, there was the sense that everybody inside the stadium knew what was going to happen. All eyes went to the far corner of the Portsmouth net. The ball duly followed.
It was on this day in 1970 that Jimmy Greaves scored his 265th goal for Tottenham – in an FA Cup win over Bradford. This was No 265 for Kane and, more significantly, it moved him to within one goal of Greaves’ all-time club record.
Kane’s 50th-minute finish followed a slick one-two with Ryan Sessegnon and a dart away from Joe Morrell. It was the highlight of a third round tie in which Spurs eased clear in the second half, having flattered to deceive up until the interval.
Portsmouth are in the grip of crisis, having sacked the manager, Danny Cowley, on Monday after a run of one win in 14 League One games. The decision was taken in a desperate bid to rekindle the promotion dream. Under the caretaker, Simon Bassey, they did as well as they could have reasonably expected but the gulf in class was too wide.
Kane now has 17 goals for the season. Tottenham’s next game is the derby here against Arsenal next Sunday, which would be some time for him to draw level or even surpass Greaves. They had not lost at home to lower league opposition in the FA Cup since 1975, when Nottingham Forest – managed by one B Clough – upset them. Thanks to Kane, the sequence would not be in jeopardy.
“I try not to think about it – sometimes you can think too much,” Kane said of Greaves’s record but he will certainly be thinking about his tally against Arsenal over the coming days. Kane has 14 in the fixture. No player has scored more in north London derbies.
Portsmouth had been determined to seize the day, to make light of the turmoil that has enveloped them, and the 9,000 travelling fans were in full voice. They were encouraged by what they saw in the first half, including an early hooked volley from Reeco Hackett-Fairchild that forced Fraser Forster to push behind.
Spurs were one-paced and predictable before half-time, Antonio Conte’s much-changed team struggling to pull apart the visitors’ five-man backline, which was protected by a disciplined midfield three. Bassey had surely highlighted Spurs’ threat on the counter. The key for his team would be to maintain a compact shape without the ball, to be quick and sharp when playing out. Which they largely did.
Spurs dodged the traditional interval booing in times of struggle but only just. The onus was always going to be on them to make things happen and they failed to do so in the opening 45 minutes.
Their best moment followed a Kane free-kick, which he drilled into the wall. On the rebound, he fed Sessegnon, who crossed for Davinson Sánchez. His header, on the stretch, was off target. Kane also swiped at a loose ball following a corner, Denver Hume blocking, while Son Heung-min shaped a curler wide.
Spurs had to wake up in the second half. They did. Straight away, there was greater urgency, sharper interchanges. Emerson Royal soared at the far post to plant a header from Son’s cross back towards the far corner. He was denied by the inside of a post. Then Kane took over.
According to Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, it had been “compulsory” to pick Kane, even though the centre-forward had started in each of the club’s previous 25 games this season. Plus all of England’s seven. Injury problems elsewhere in the frontline had played a part. But so did Kane’s desire, his remorselessness. He simply never wants to stand down.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
“We’ve been undone by a world-class player with a world-class finish,” Bassey said. “If he plays for us today, maybe we go through, although I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
Portsmouth could barely get out in the second half as Spurs pushed high and Bryan Gil buzzed to good effect. It should have been more for Conte’s team but Oliver Skipp – a late replacement for the injured Yves Bissouma – blazed over after Gil had laid a fizzed Kane pass on a plate for him.
