Kane and Iheanacho save their teams (©AFP)
Kane and Iheanacho save their teams (©AFP)

FA Cup: Iheanacho and Kane score winning goals, and Southampton get a rare win against EPL opposition

Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 07.01.23. | 17:39

Spurs struggled to break down Pompey until Kane's classy strike

It's one of those special days in the football calendar in English football - it's the weekend of the FA Cup Third Round. It's the time for Premier League teams to join the competition and often test how inspired the teams from lower divisions are.

Tottenham Hotspur are having a topsy-turvy season and needed a confidence boost against a lowly opposition in the Cup. But Antonio Conte's team failed to impress against Portsmouth, a club currently playing in the EFL League One, the third tier of English football. Despite holding the ball for most of the match and rarely letting the visitors from the south coast carve out a chance, the Cockerels gave their fans more questions than answers.

Harry Kane is often the difference maker for his team, and it proved so once again. The captain scored a terrific goal to settle the game five minutes after the break.

Conte's team is looking short in attack. They failed to find the net in the first half of 12 out of their last 13 matches. Poor set pieces, lack of clear chances and failure of Son Heung-min to hit his usual form is hurting the north London club these days. Conte asked for new players, but he really should be doing better with what he already has - at least against third-tier opposition at home.

And if Spurs are struggling, then what can you say about Leicester City? They also had to sweat heavily to secure passage into the FA Cup fourth round. Kelechi Iheanacho also proved the difference as the Foxes won narrowly at EFL League Two's Gillingham. The Gills gave a fantastic account of themselves against a superior opponent despite being the fourth tier's bottom side.

In an all-Premier League duel at Selhurst Park, goals from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong gave Southampton a rare victory. Crystal Palace took the lead through Odsonne Edouard, but it wasn't enough on the day. Still, the Saints will spend the rest of the season fighting for survival in the EPL and won't have the luxury of dreaming about the latter stages of the FA Cup - no matter how prestigious the competition remains.

FA CUP

Third round

Friday

Manchester United – Everton 3-1 (1-1)

/Antony 4, Coady 52 og, Rashford 90+7 pen - Coady 14/

Saturday

Crystal Palace - Southampton 1-2 (1-1)

/Edouard 14 - Ward-Prowse 37, Armstrong 68/

Gillingham - Leicester 0-1 (0-0)

/Iheanacho 56/

Preston - Huddersfield 3-1 (0-0)

/Lees 60 og, Diaby 73, Browne 85 - Kamberi 57/

Reading - Watford 2-0 (1-0)

/Abrefa 45+3, Long 90+3/

Tottenham - Portsmouth 1-0 (0-0)

/Kane 50/

18:00 AFC Bournemouth - Burnley

18:00 Blackpool - Nottingham Forest

18:00 Boreham Wood - Accrington Stanley

18:00 Chesterfield - West Bromwich Albion

18:00 Fleetwood Town - Queens Park Rangers

18:00 Hull City - Fulham

18:00 Ipswich Town - Rotherham United

18:00 Middlesbrough - Brighton & Hove Albion

18:00 Millwall - Sheffield United

18:00 Shrewsbury Town - Sunderland

20:30 Brentford - West Ham United

20:30 Coventry City - Wrexham A.F.C.

20:30 Grimsby Town - Burton Albion

20:30 Luton Town - Wigan Athletic

21:00 Sheffield Wednesday - Newcastle United

23:00 Liverpool - Wolverhampton

Sunday

15:30 Bristol City - Swansea City

15:30 Derby County - Barnsley

17:00 Cardiff City - Leeds United

17:00 Hartlepool United - Stoke City

17:00 Norwich City - Blackburn Rovers

17:00 Stockport County – Walsall

19:30 Aston Villa - Stevenage

19:30 Manchester City - Chelsea

Monday

23:00 Oxford United - Arsenal

***odds are subject to change***


tags

FA CupHarry KaneKelechi IheanachoJames Ward-Prowse

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