Men's

Round 3

White Hart Lane

Sat 2 Jan 2010 | 15:00

Match Report

Niko Kranjcar was the star with two goals as Tottenham comfortably moved into the fourth round of the FA Cup at the expense of struggling Peterborough.

The hosts took the lead when Jermain Defoe's flick allowed Kranjcar to fire past England Under-21 keeper Joe Lewis.

The Croatian midfielder then latched on to Gareth Bale's pull-back after the break and doubled the advantage.

Bale crossed again for Defoe to make it three before Robbie Keane sealed the win from the spot late on.

The result means Spurs have still never lost to Posh, who will now focus on correcting the poor league form that has seen them slip to the bottom of the Championship.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp had fielded a strong side at White Hart Lane, quashing any rumours of key players being saved for the club's quest for a Champions League spot.

And a team of 11 full internationals quickly set about dominating the game, with Peterborough's lone striker Craig Mackail-Smith looking very isolated in the opening stages.

Defoe somehow managed to hit the bar from only five yards out, while Tom Huddlestone saw a long-range shot saved by Lewis.

A wonderful move from the hosts then ended with a back-flick from Defoe setting Kranjcar free in the area - only for Lewis to pull off an outstanding save.

But the Croatian was not to be denied for long, breaking free from midfield after being set up by Luka Modric and letting fly with a low shot past Lewis' despairing dive.

Peterborough never looked likely to fight back into the game and their faint hopes were all but ended when Kranjcar bagged his second after the break.

Keane inspired another fine move that culminated with Bale pulling the ball back from the byline and into the path of the midfielder who fired past Lewis.

Mackail-Smith did see a powerful shot brilliantly saved by Heurelho Gomes but Tottenham responded by rushing upfield to make it 3-0 when another cross from Bale was turned in by Defoe - his 16th goal of the season.

Substitute Danny Rose impressed for the hosts after coming on in the second half and when he was fouled inside the box late on, Keane wrapped things up from the penalty spot.

Spurs will now hope for a kinder fourth-round draw than the clash with Manchester United they endured last season.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp: "I put a good team out to win the game.

"You don't want to take liberties and winning is a good habit. I didn't want to put a weak team out and turn in a sloppy performance and then regret it afterwards."

"We've got a chance the same as all the big boys. We have a good squad and there was no reason for me to mess about too much today.

"It would be nice to see someone outside the big four win the cup again. There's a long way to go but I like the way we are playing. We moved the ball well and played the ball around the pitch quickly."