Tottenham striker Robbie Keane scored a late winner to dump Brighton out of the FA Cup in the third round.

The 24-year-old struck a spectacular volley with eight minutes left to earn a hard-fought win at White Hart Lane.

Ledley King had given Spurs the lead with a first-half header but the visitors refused to lie down.

Minutes after the break, Richard Carpenter equalised with a curling free-kick before Keane eventually sealed the win.

Although they are 18th in the Championship, Brighton were unbeaten over Christmas and matched their Premiership opponents in periods of play on Saturday.

But as half-time approached, Tottenham took the lead with an unlikely goal from King.

Reto Ziegler's cross from a short corner found King, who looped his header overSeagulls keeper Michel Kuipers.

Brighton were not to be denied and equalised in the first two minutes of the second half, Carpenter curling in a free-kick from 25 yards to beat Robinson.

But Keane clinched the victory in the 83rd minute, chesting Erik Edman's cross to volley spectacularly past Kuipers into the top corner.

Tottenham boss Martin Jol: "We are unbeaten in nine games and we are very satisfied with this win because the Cup is the shortest way to get to Europe. "In the second half they were not that dangerous but they managed to get a goal.

"We missed a target man because we didn't have Fredi Kanoute but we still went through."