Tottenham comfortably negotiated a tricky Worthington Cup third round tie at Tranmere.

First-half goals from Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton were supplanted in the second half by strikes from Gus Poyet and Sergei Rebrov.

England striker Sheringham converted a debatable 20th-minute penalty after being felled by Mickey Mellon.

It was Mellon who was sent off shortly after for a second bookable challenge, a decision which seemed harsh.

As if to make amends for that rash decision, the referee later dismissed Spurs substitute Tim Sherwood for scarcely deserving fouls

Six minutes before that, it was Anderton who had doubled the lead after taking a smart pass from Sheringham.

The result of the game was put beyond doubt four minutes into the second half when Poyet opened his account for the north London club, turning the ball in from Steffen Freund's cross.

Dave Watson's men had been in rampant scoring mode of late, scoring 19 times in their last six games, suggesting an upset might be on the cards.

The last time Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle brought a team to Tranmere, his Southampton side saw a 3-0 lead overturned in a famous FA Cup tie.

There never seemed any chance of that and with just nine minutes remaining, Rebrov made it an emphatic performance with his first goal of the campaign.

The Ukrainian international pounced amid a static defence to convert Sheringham's cross