Cristian Stellini speaks: “I think we have to compliment Portsmouth because they played a good game and made it a tough game for us,” said Tottenham’s assistant coach to the BBC. “It was not easy to find a way to score. We had the possession and had the game under control so we are happy. Maybe we could have scored earlier but we couldn’t find a goal. After we scored the game was different and it was much better for us.
“We had to stretch them to find a way to score. We tried to move players, get Oliver Skipp into the box, drop Harry Kane [into space] to find a solution and we found it immediately. We have to take care of him because he’s our best player and he’s the captain of England. We have tough games in front of us and Harry is important for us.”
Simon Bassey speaks: “I’m really pleased with them, we limited a top side and made a world-class player score a world-class goal,” said Portsmouth’s interim manager in an interview with the BBC. “Our shape was good, we had good energy and offered a threat early in the game. We tired, which is understandable, but I’m really pleased with the players.
“Tottenham took the game away from Palace in 23 minutes the other night, they can do that to you. But our players limited them to very little. When Harry Kane has to pull that out of the bag, it says something. We probably lacked a bit of quality in our final delivery, we nearly got in behind twice, but we were just on the wrong side of those little moments today.”
Match report: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Portsmouth
FA Cup: Harry Kane’s second-half winner sent Tottenham into the fourth round and moved the striker to within one goal of Jimmy Greaves’ club record of 266. David Hytner reports from White Hart Lane …
FA Cup: There’s plenty more FA Cup action to get through this afternoon and evening and in the Potential Banana Skin Bureau of Guardian Towers, Sarah Rendall is your guide for the three o’clock kick-offs.
Early FA Cup full-times
Crystal Palace 1-2 Southampton
Gillingham 0-1 Leicester City
Preston 3-1 Huddersfield
Reading 2-0 Watford
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Portsmouth
Forest Green v Birmingham City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
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Full time: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Portsmouth
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeep! Spurs advance courtesy of the only goal of the game, an excellent second-half strike from Harry Kane. Tottenham were far from their best today but did just enough against an obdurate Portsmouth side who defended stoutly but were unable to carve out any decent goalscoring opportunities save for one Reeco Hackett-Fairchild strike in the first half. It was a rare start for Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster but that save aside, he was no more than a bystander.
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90+3 min: Portsmouth keep battling but are unable to get the ball into the Tottenham penalty area. Cue the final whistle – Tottemnham are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
90+2 min: Tottenham substitute: Alfie Devine on for Bryan Gill, who is warmly applauded by the home fans after another good performance. He’s enjoying his run of games in the absence of the injured Dejan Kulusevski.
90 min: Ben Davies is booked for a shove on Josh Koroma and Portsmouth have a free-kick halfway inside the Spurs half. The ball is floated into the Spurs penalty area and cleared.
89 min: Kane passes the ball wide to Royal after good work by Gill. The cross is headed clear by Michael Morrison, one of several rocks in the heart of Portsmouth’s defence.
87 min: Portsmouth substitution: Owen Dale off, Ronan Curtis on.
87 min: Owen Dale appeals for a corner, convinced his effort took a deflection off Japhet Tanganga. I have no idea whether or not it did but referee Thomas Bramall awards Spurs a goal-kick.
85 min: Portsmouth double-substitution: Joe Pigott and Michael Jacobs come on for Colby Bishop and Joe Morrell.
83 min: Portsmouth caretaker boss Simon Bassey orders another couple of substitutes to prepare for the white-hot cauldron of combat as his side continue their search for an equaliser. Whatever the outcome of this match, they’ve played very well today.
80 min: Spence overhits a cross through the Portsmouth penalty area and the ball carries through to Bryan Gill. He puts it out for a corner off Connor Ogilvie. Son’s delivery is decent but Pape Sarr isn’t quite able to get his head to it.
78 min: Tottenham substitution: Ryan Sessegnon makes way for the lesser-spotted Djed Spence, who if memory serves me correctly, catapulted himself into the spotlight with a terrific performance for Nottingham Forest against Arsenal in the FA Cup last season.
77 min: Broken leg or no broken leg, Louis Thompson isn’t slow about getting stuck in. He is booked moments after coming on for a scything challenge on Bryan Gill.
74 min: Portsmouth double-substitution: Josh Koroma and Louis Thompson on for Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Ryan Tunnicliffe. Thompson makes his first appearance since August, having recovered from a broken leg.
73 min: Bryan Gill advances up the inside right, cuts inside and unleashes a shot which is inadvertently blocked by one of his own teammates.
71 min: Ryan Sessegnon finally gets the better of Zak Swanson, sitting the deefender on his backside with a shimmy and sending a cross into the Portsmouth penalty area. Denver Hume clears the ball upfield.
70 min: An excellent tackle from Reeco Hackett-Fairchild sends Portsmouth off on a counter-attack and Zak Swanson tees up Owen Dale on the edge of the Spurs penalty area. His pile-driver is blocked.
68 min: Oh dear. With the goal at his mercy, Oliver Skipp blasts high over the bar from eight yards out after a Bryan Gill dink had taken a little deflection into his path off Ogilvie. That is a dreadful miss.
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67 min: Ryan Sessegnon has a shot from distance blocked by Conor Ogilvie after some neat Spurs passing around the edge of the Portsmouth penalty area.
65 min: Swanson slides in to dispossess Sessegnon and send Portsmouth upfield on a rare second half sortie. Their attack comes to nothing.
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62 min: Tottenham win a free-kick for another infringement, about 30 yards from the Portsmouth goal, a little right of centre. Son stands over the ball while Josh Griffiths spits in his gloves and rubs them together. The saliva is superfluous as Son’s free-kick is terrible and the ball sails high into the stand.
61 min: Denver Hume blatantly shoves Son off the ball as the Tottenham striker ran on to a return pass from Royal in space outside the Portsmouth penalty area. For reasons best known to himself, referee Thomas Bramall doesn’t award Spurs a free-kick.
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59 min: Pompey centre-back Sean Raggett clears a Harry Kane pull-back into the Portsmouth penalty area after the Spurs captain had run on to a weighted through ball from Emerson Royal.
56 min: More good defending from Zak Swanson, who prevents Son from getting a cross into the Portmouth penalty area down by the corner flag. An Arsenal player (albeit without making a senior appearance) from the age of six until his move to Portsmouth this season, the 22-year-old defender is relishing this game against Spurs.
54 min: Tottenham have visibly grown in confidence on the back of that fine Kane goal and are trying to pile the hurt on their impudent visitors. After their excellent showing in the opening 45 minutes, Portsmouth are struggling to get a foothold in this second half.
53 min: Heung-min Son collects a pass from Harry Kane in a good position but is unable to steer his shot on target under pressure from Joe Morrell.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Portsmouth (Kane 51)
He’s one of their own! Harry Kane plays a give and go with – I think – Sessegnon on the edge of the Portsmouth penalty area, collects the return pass and fires the ball into the corner. Tottenham are ahead.
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49 min: Emerson Royal gets on the end of a cross at the far post, heads the ball across the face of goal and watches in disbelief as it hits the upright and bounces into the arms of a greatful Josh Griffiths. How did that stay out?
48 min: Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop is grappled to the ground by Ben Davies, who lands on top of him. Free-kick for Portsmouth, wide on the right. Reeco Hackett-Fairchild whips the ball into the mixer, where Ben Ogilvie heads over under pressure from Davinson Sanchez.
47 min: Ben Davies spots an Oliver Skipp run through the middle and picks out the midfielder with a floated pass from deep. The excellent Zak Swanson clears up at the back for Portsmouth.
Second half: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Portsmouth
46 min: Play resumes with no changes in personnel on either side after the break.
An email: “As a Charlton fan, I’m wondering how we scored three goals at Fratton Park a few days ago,” writes Dean Kinsella. “Really good defending.”
Well, I suppose Charlton have Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Scott Fraser to rely on for goals, while Tottenham have to make do with the more workmanlike duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
Early FA Cup half-times
Crystal Palace 1-1 Southampton
Gillingham 0-0 Leicester City
Preston 0-0 Huddersfield
Reading 1-0 Watford
Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Portsmouth
Forest Green v Birmingham City was postponed
Half-time: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Portsmouth
Peep! It’s all square at the break after yet another decidedly underwhelming opening 45 minutes from Tottenham. Hats off to Portsmouth, who have been defensively obdurate and arguably had the best chance of the game so far, when Reeco Hackett-Fairchild forced Fraser Forster into a smart save.
44 min: Reduced to taking potshots and slinging crosses into the box because they can’t find any other way through the Portsmouth rearguard, Tottenham continue to nkock on the door. Japhet Tanganga has an effort from distance blocked, then Heung-min Son curls a shot high and wide of the top bin.
43 min: Pape Matar Sarr tries a shot from distance but sends his effort high and wide to whistles of derision from the Portsmouth end.
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42 min: Emerson Royal has a shot from distance blocked and optimisitically claims a handball. Tottenham work the ball wide, their dominance increasing. Portsmouth stand firm but are being pinned back deep inside their own half.
40 min: Free-kick for Tottenham, a few yards outside the Portsmouth penalty area and a little left of centre. Harry Kane rifles the ball into the defensive wall, collects the rebound and sends a cross towards the far post. Davinson Sanchez is unable to get enough power on his header to trouble Griffiths unduly.
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39 min: I stand corrected. Replays show Griffith did actually get a fingertip on that cross in a bid to steer it away from any imminent dangers at the far post. Apologies, Josh.
37 min: A Sessegnon cross from the left whistles across the face of the Tottenham goal, with Josh Griffiths stretching to intercept the ball but failing to lay a glove on it. There’s nobody in a white shirt on hand to do any damage.
36 min: Harry Kane tries and fails to pick out Son with a delivery into the Portsmouth penalty area. The visitors clear.
35 min: Ryan Sessegnon has another attempted cross blocked by Zak Swanson, who subsequently shepherds the Tottenham wing-back to the touchline. Great defending from Portsmouth, who look very well organised.
33 min: Owen Dale, who it seems isn’t actually Cup-tied and has been cleared to play by his parent club Blackpool, wins a corner for Portsmouth. Nothing comes of it.
31 min: Tottenham win what seems like their 274th corner of the half. Son sends the ball straight into the gloves of Josh Griffith. I noticed during the World Cup that his corner-taking was conspicuously poor and it doesn’t seem to have improved a great deal since his return from Qatar. While taking them for South Korea, he seemed incapable of clearing the first man on the near post. His deliveries are going dseeper today but only one has been dangerous.
28 min: Oliver Skipp miscontrols the ball, giving it away to Michael Morrison. The late Spurs replacement lunges in with his studs up to try to win it back and catches the Portsmouth defender on his ankle. Skipp is spared a yellow card, which seems a bit of a surprise. Lenient refereeing from Thomas Bramall and his VAR Graham Scott. Skipp could conceivably have seen red there.
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26 min: Oliver Skipp tries to reun on to a through ball down the left side of the Portsmouth penalty area. Josh Griffiths darts out to smother the ball and prevent Skipp from getting a shot off from a tight angle.
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24 min: Ryan Sessegnon takes on Zak Swanson down the left flank but is steered towards the byline. His attempted cross is blocked by the defender and the ball ricochets wide off the Spurs left wing-back. Goal kick.
22 min: Another Tottenham corner. Son’s delivery is headed out for another one by Colby Bishop, who complains to the referee that he was being pushed in the back. Son’s next delivery is cleared, but only as far as Oliver Skipp. Tottenham continue to press and probe around the Portsmouth penalty area but Zack Swanson steals the ball from Son with a good, well-timed tackle inside his own penalty area.
19 min: With Portsmouth on the attack halfway inside the Tottenham half, Ryan Tunnicliffe gives the ball away to Son with a misplaced pass but works industriously to win it straight back again. Portsmouth don’t look at all out of their depth here, seem confident in possession and are moving the ball around nicely.
17 min: Pape Matar Sarr and Emerson Royal combine down the right flank for Spurs but the ball runs out of play before the right wing-back can get a cross in.
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16 min: Bryan Gill whips a cross into the Portsmouth penalty area from the right flank but his delivery is too close to Josh Griffiths, who claims confidently.
14 min: Morrison puts the ball out for another Spurs corner and Son’s inswinger floats menacingly towards the far post. Josh Griffith flaps at the ball first time around but recovers to block a Harry Kane shot from close range that takes a deflection off Denver Hume.
12 min: Fraser Forster is forced into action, diving to his right to save a Reeco Hackett-Fairchild shot on the turn. He claws the ball around his post for a corner. That’s the first chance of note in the game and it’s gone to the League One side.
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11 min: Portsmouth goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, in on loan from West Brom, rushes to the edge of his penalty area to collect a long ball up the inside right from Japhet Tanganga.
9 min: Spurs corner after Michael Morrison blocks a Ryan Sessegnon cross and puts the ball behind. Nothing comes from the set-piece and Portsmouth break upfield. Fraser Forster clears up at the back for Tottenham.
8 min: Emerson Royal is fouled by Denver Hume out by the right touchline. Free-kick for Spurs, who will send the ball into the Portsmouth box. Son’s delivery isn’t the best and Portsmouth clear comfortably.
6 min: Portsmouth win a free-kick near the centre-circle, lump the ball forward and it’s put out for a Spurs goal-kick. The hosts play it out from the back and set about trying to find an opening.
3 min: Tottenham win their first corner, Royal’s cross going behind off Owen Dale. Still wearing his protective facemask, Son sends the ball into the Portsmouth penalty area. He overhits his delivery and the ball is cleared.
2 min: Portsmouth win a throw-in deep in Tottenham territory and it’s taken long by Connor Ogilvie. Harry Kane puts the ball out for a corner, which Ryan Tunnicliffe sends into the mixer. It’s headed clear.
Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth is go
1 min: Portsmouth get the ball rolling, their players wearing blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. The players of Tottenham are in their usual home kit of white shirts, navy shorts and white socks.
A late replacement for Spurs: Just back from injury, Yves Bissouma seems to have done himself a mischief in the warm-up and has been replaced by Oliver Skipp in midfield.
Not long now: Tottenham’s players are kept waiting in the tunnel for several minutes by their visitors, who seem reluctant to leave the kind of well appointed dressing-room they don’t get to change in very often. When they finally deign to join their hosts, the teams are led out by referee Thomas Bramall and his team of match officials.
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Portsmouth: A huge contingent of almost 9,000 Portsmouth devotees have travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to cheer on their team, which has been picked by caretaker manager Simon Bassey, who will be in the technical area today. Portsmouth did request additional tickets for their fans but their request was turned down.
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Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Forster, Royal, Tanganga, Sanchez, Davies, Sessegnon, Bissouma, Sarr, Gil, Son, Kane.
Subs: Lloris, Doherty, Spence, Romero, Lenglet, White, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Devine.
Portsmouth: Griffiths, Morrison, Raggett, Ogilvie, Swanson, Tunnicliffe, Morrell, Hume, Dale, Bishop, Hackett.
Subs: Oluwayemi, Freeman, Dockerill, Thompson, Payce, Curtis, Jacobs, Koroma, Pigott.
Team news: Antonio Conte makes eight changes to the side that started against Crystal Palace but the front three of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Bryan Gill all keep their places because injuries dictate their manager has few other options to choose from.
Portsmouth make four changes to the line-up that lost against Charlton, two of them enforced. Marlon Pack is suspended, while Tottenham loanee Dane Scarlett is ineligible. Striker Joe Pigott and winger Ronan Curtis drop to the bench.
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Today’s match officials
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Assistant referees: Derek Eaton and Steven Meredith
Fourth official: Carl Boyeson
VAR: Graham Scott
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🏆 Your @EmiratesFACup team news is in!
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) January 7, 2023
📋 Here's the #Pompey starting XI to take on @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/iBHl4wwk0L
Here's how we line-up this afternoon! 👇 pic.twitter.com/SAhloWPJVF
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 7, 2023
Early team news
Richarlison, Rodrgio Bentancur, Lucas Moura and Dejan Kulusevski all remain sidelined with injury, but Yves Bissouma is available for selection after sitting out a ban. FOllowing his excellent midweek performance against Crystal Palace, Bryan Gill is likely to keep his place, while reserve goalkeeper Fraser Forster and fringe players such as Djed Spence, Pape Sarr and Japhet Tanganga could also get a run out.
Portsmouth midfielder Marlon Pack is suspended after getting himself sent off against Charlton, while skipper Clark Robertson is suffering from a hip injury and may have to sit this one out. On loan from Spurs, striker Dane Scarlett is ineligible to play against his parent club. Blackpool loanee Owen Dale also misses out as he is cup-tied.
FA Cup third round: Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth
Without a win in nine League One matches and managerless since the dismissal of Danny Cowley following their New Yerar’s Day defeat at the hands of Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon in the hope of registering an early giant-killing.
Their hosts are likely to ring the changes but remain light on options up front, a state of affairs that suggests Harry Kane will probably lead the line for Spurs. Antonio Conte absented himself from his media duties yesterday, feeling unable to face the press following the sad passing of his great friend Gianluca Vialli. A universally popular man, our condolences go out to all Vialli’s loved ones. Kick-off at White Hart Lane is at 12.30pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
