Harry Kane shrugged off any concerns about a knee injury to hit his maiden FA Cup hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur eased past derby-rivals Fulham into the quarterfinals of England’s premier cup competition.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino put out a fairly strong XI against the Championship side, with Kane starting alongside Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli. Spurs were playing in a somewhat unfamiliar 4-4-2 formation, as Hugo Lloris, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker were among those given a rest ahead with Thursday’s Europa League tie against Gent on the horizon.
The tie at Craven Cottage started with the away side firmly in the driver’s seat, monopolising possession and went ahead fairly early, thanks to their star striker.
Kieran Trippier’s quickly taken throw released Eriksen on the right wing and the Danish midfielder delicately placed cross was met by a sliding Kane to open the scoring in the 15th minute. While the cross was excellent, it was at an awkward height and Kane had to really reach to score his 17th goal of the season.
Despite the early deficit, Fulham were fairly organised in defence and didn't let Spurs double their lead in the first half, with the teams heading to their dugouts with the slightest of margins separating them.
And the second goal came six minutes into the second period, with the same trio heavily involved as they were in the first. Trippier’s overlapping run was found by Harry Winks and while the fullback was closed down, the passed it back to Eriksen, who took a touch before delivering an inviting cross which was promptly guided into the back of the net by Kane. While replays suggested the striker was marginally offside, the goal stood and with over 40 minutes remaining, the tie was effectively over.
Fulham responded with a couple of substitutions, including 16-year-old Ryan Sessegnon, but were unable to fashion any meaningful chances as Michel Vorm probably put in a fairly quiet shift in the Spurs goal.
And Kane was to get his hat-trick, with Dele Alli the provider this time. His perfectly weighted through ball set up Kane for a one-on-one with Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli and it never looked like the striker would miss from there. His low finish whizzed past the keeper in the 73rd minute, allowing Pochettino to make changes as he looks to keep his players fresh for upcoming games.
Spurs’ reward for their Fulham triumph is a home quarterfinal clash with League One side Millwall, who upset Leicester City 1-0 on Saturday, scheduled for the 11th of March.