Hope was one of Antonio Conte’s buzzwords in the build-up to Brighton’s visit and Tottenham still have it in the FA Cup. As the serial winner discussed what is required for success he claimed that without a firm foundation and solid structure hope is all a club is left with.
While it might not be the basis for anything long-term, as Conte is aiming to build, in a knockout competition that is no bad thing. And that is more than Brighton have after they shot themselves in the foot to hand Spurs the place in round five.
Brighton dominated large patches of this tie but were made to pay after contributing to their own downfall.
Harry Kane scored twice in a comprehensive 3-1 win for Tottenham over Brighton in the FA Cup
Emerson Royal forced Spurs’ second strike, which took a huge deflection and was given as an own goal for Solly March
Yves Bissouma (left) was Brighton’s biggest threat and his deflected strike pulled them back into contention in the second half
There was some strange goings on before all three Spurs goals. And it has been a strange season for the scorer of two of them, Harry Kane.
In a campaign which has been underwhelming for Spurs’s talisman his double took his tally to a more than respectable 25 for the season for club and country. They are the sky-high standards he has set.
His first came after an uncharacteristic error on the ball by Brighton’s Adam Webster who compounded that by presenting Kane with his second after the break.
In between a freak own goal from Solly March led to Spur’s second.
Yves Bissouma netted a deflected strike for Brighton to briefly make it 2-1 but it was Spurs who progressed, relatively comfortably, and retain that all-important hope of reaching Wembley.
Conte said: ‘To win in an important competition like the FA Cup is so important. We know this trophy is important. It’s a great competition, a great trophy, a historical trophy in England.
On Kane, he added: ‘Harry’s attitude and commitment for the team is the most important thing for us. For him to score two goals is important for him because he is a true No9.’
Brighton manager Graham Potter said: ‘We weren’t at our best. We contributed to things ourselves that happened. We need to be at our absolute maximum to win here which we weren’t.’
Spurs coach Antonio Conte spoke a lot about the importance of hope ahead of the Cup tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Dejan Kulusevski made his first appearance for Tottenham since signing on loan from Juventus and had an impressive debut
Son Heung-min caused all sorts of problems for Brighton on his return to action after a month out due to injury
Brighton started well, taking the initiative, but out of nowhere got the jitters. On the first occasion they got away with it. After the second, they were ruthlessly punished.
It was a strange slip from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez that gave Spurs encouragement. Under no pressure he scuffed an attempted pass out to his right but was fortunate Kane was on his heels. The England captain only had to wait a few seconds to open the scoring.
Sanchez then passed the ball to Adam Webster who is usually so reliable in possession. But this time could not make his mind up what to do with the ball and ended up gifting it to the fit-again Heung Min-Son.
He and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg combined and Kane beat Sanchez with a brilliant curling finish from long-range. The previous pattern continued but Spurs’s threat on the break was obvious and continued throughout the game.
Their second came via that very route after Emerson Royal picked up the ball in his own half and drove deep into Brighton territory down the right.
Tottenham striker Kane was in deadly form and scored a brace for the first time this season in domestic competition
Spurs are into the fifth round and will feel confident of taking a good proper stab at a first FA Cup win since 1991
None of his teammates kept up with him and in normal circumstances his eventual cross would have been routine, no pressure catching practice for Sanchez.
But, instead, it took a nick off Solly March which sent the ball up and over the Brighton goalkeeper before dropping perfectly into his far corner.
That went down as a March own goal and Royal should have had one of his own from Son’s cut-back soon after.
Neal Maupay and Jakub Moder, either side of the break, were wastefully off target for Brighton but their momentum was building and their goal, when it came, no surprise.
Lloris previously had to readjust sharply to keep out a deflected effort from Yves Bissouma but he had no chance just after the hour when the Mali midfielder’s shot was diverted in off Hojbjerg’s back.
That should have been Brighton’s cue to push for an equaliser but instead they shipped a third three minutes later.
Son showed how sharp he was on his return from injury with a devastating burst between two Brighton defenders before a third, Lewis Dunk, held him up inside the box.
But, in trying to salvage the situation, the recovering Webster could only bundle the ball towards his own goal and Kane slid in to tap in his second of the night.
Maupay blew another chance to give Spurs something to worry about and the game petered out, giving Conte the situation gave Conte the chance to give debuts to his new signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
See how the action unfolded with SportsmaiI‘s Richard Martin
Spurs go marching on into the fifth round of the FA Cup after a comfortable win. Harry Kane looks back to his deadly best and Dejan Kulusevski had a lively debut from the bench. A pretty pleasing night all round for Antonio Conte’s side.
There ends our live coverage of the game but check back for Adrian Kajumba’s match report which is coming up shortly
The former Arsenal man flicks a header towards the bottom corner. He can’t get enough power on it and Lloris gets down to save although he can’t hold on to the ball at first, eventually gathering just before a Brighton player can pounce.
Kulusevski is feeding his new team-mates left right and centre. Kane is the latest to pick up a pass from the Swede and, feeling lucky, he smacks a shot at goal from way outside the box. He doesn’t get any control on the strike and it flies over the bar.
Sergio Reguilon flies forward on his favoured left side and takes aim but can’t beat Sanchez. He looks pretty frustrated as it was a fine chance to add to his one goal for Spurs since switching from Real Madrid in 2020.
More careless play from Brighton gives Tottenham another glorious chance. The giveaway allows Kulusevksi to get into the area and he tees up the Dutchman, who somehow blazes his shot way over the bar.
Rodrigo Bentancur, who like Kulusevski also joined from Juventus last month, comes on to make his Tottenham debut. He replaces Harry Winks
Cristian Romero goes off after an encouraging return to action after three months out injured. He is replaced by Joe Rodon, who made his professional debut under Graham Potter when the pair were at Swansea
Dejan Kulusevski makes his first appearance for Spurs since signing on loan from Juventus on deadline day. The Swede has signed an 18-month loan deal and has about 20 minutes to make an impression in front of the fans.
It’s end to end action right now. Brighton break at pace and Maupay is one on one with Lloris. But rather than shoot either side of the goalkeeper or take it round him, he sends the ball straight into his compatriot’s hands.
Spurs took no time at all to respond to the Brighton goal and they quickly restore their two-goal advantage. A marauding run from Son sparks the danger and forces Webster to scramble to get the ball off the Korean. He does that but can only send it rolling towards his goal and before he can get there to scoop it off the line, Kane sides in to make sure.
A second goal for him and a third for Spurs which should be enough.
Bissouma has looked like Brighton’s biggest threat for some time and it’s no surprise he’s the one who pulls the visitors back into the match. The Mali midfielder cut across from the left wing and his shot took a big deflection past Lloris on its way into the net.
Barely a minute after dusting himself down from that challenge from Veltman, Son almost scores. He flies forward and combines with Kane but fires straight at Sanchez.
The substitute goes in the book for a nasty challenge on Son. The Dutchman appeared to tread on Son’s foot and causes the Korean a bit of pain before he eventually gets up and continues. Veltman was playing for Ajax the night Tottenham staged that incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and reach the Champions League final. Perhaps Veltman had that night on his mind when he made the tackle
Bissouma does make Lloris work from the edge of the area. His shot takes a big deflection and the French goalkeeper reacts well to tip it away. Brighton are approaching the door now.
Jakob Moder catches a glimpse a sight of goal and gets a lot of power on his shot but he can’t keep it down and it fizzes over the bar. Lloris just about had it covered though.
The second half is underway. Do Brighton have a comeback in them?
It’s been a very comfortable half for Tottenham and they will feel very confident heading into the dressing room. They have caused a number of problems for Brighton and could have added to their two goals, a wonderful curler from Kane and a deflected shot from Emerson Royal which was given as an own goal against Solly March.
Brighton have had a few nice passages of play but have barely threatened.
Kane is being given far too much space by Brighton and he is happily exploiting it. He fires a low attempt at goal but it’s too close to Sanchez, who comfortably parries.
Brighton are producing a lot of slow build-up play but can’t trouble Tottenham yet. Maupay has a strike after a promising move from the right but he slices the ball and it misses the target by a number of metres
Spurs are opening up Brighton far too easily and Kane almost scores again. He chips the ball towards the far post and just misses it, his cross instead hitting Son. The South Korean is actually offside and the goal wouldn’t have counted in the end.
Emerson scores the most unlikeliest of goals to double Tottenham’s lead. The Brazilian bursts forward from the right wing but has no-one with him to support the attack. He attempts a cross into the box but the ball takes the lightest of nicks off Solly March, sending it over the head of a helpless Sanchez and into the net. Tottenham can’t believe their luck, and neither can Brighton.
It’s been a long and difficult season for Kane but that’s his fifth goal in his last nine appearances and a further sign that he is returning to his best form after a rusty start to the campaign amid his failed attempt to leave Spurs and sign for Manchester City.
Kane gives Spurs the lead with a wonderfully curling strike.
This time Brghton are punished for giving the ball away cheaply as Adam Webster is mugged by Son, who quickly works the ball to Hjoberg. He then finds Kane and the England captain has time to pick his shot from outside the area and curls the ball straight into the far corner.
Robert Sanchez chips the ball straight into the path of Harry Kane but, luckily for the Spaniard, Kane can’t react fast enough and gets no power on the shot, which the goalkeeper quickly gathers.
Marc Cucurella wasn’t looking in front of him and banged straight into team-mate Lewis Dunk. Neither player is hurt and the Catalan quickly apologises
A beautifully crafted piece of play between Ben Davies and Son Heung-min almost leads to a shot on goal but Pascal Gross gets there before Davies can and manages to clear the danger
Full crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and a big atmosphere too under the lights, helped by an extra-large Brighton away following
Brighton are also up for Cup on the evidence of the team they are putting out.
Tottenham have named practically a full strength line-up for the game, which should be no surprise given the club’s rich tradition in the FA Cup. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min start in attack and look our for Rodrigo Bentancur on the bench. The Uruguayan joined Spurs on deadline day from Juventus
Welcome to Sportsmail’s live coverage of Tottenham v Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round!
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