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Son Heung-min scored twice in Tottenham’s FA Cup win at Preston (Tim Goode/PA)
Record-chasing Harry Kane only briefly watched as Son Heung-min led Tottenham into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win at Preston in a battle of the white lilies.
Kane recovered from illness midweek to take his place on the bench and was hoping for a chance to move away frooooooom Jimmy Greaves’ all-time scoring record for the club, having equaled his tally of 266 with the winner. in Fulham on Monday.
But, while this wasn’t always an easy night for Spurs against a team 26 places below them in the pyramid, the England captain wasn’t needed as Son’s second-half brace made the difference at Deepdale earlier for substitute Arnaut Danjuma to mark his Debut with a late third.
Son’s goals may not come with the weight of history attached, but these were important goals for the Korean, who had only one since October before the match. A boost to the top four would be a much more realistic prospect if he fires again.
Kane had dropped to the bench as one of seven changes made by Antonio Conte, but even so Spurs’ Premier League pedigree was clear, as they commanded the ball, were quicker on their moves, stronger and quicker with the ball. fight for the ball.
But, as Preston, who have made it past the fourth round only once in the last 14 years, defended in numbers, the visitors struggled to create clear chances in the first half.
Dejan Kulusevski saw a shot deflected wide after Ivan Perisic sent a free kick straight into the wall, while Son twice tested Freddie Woodman from distance but earned no more than a corner.
Preston ate the leftovers. Andrew Hughes fired high after a long free-kick, while Tom Cannon’s tenacity nearly forced Davinson Sánchez into a mistake when he tried to return the ball to Fraser Forster, earning him a roar of approval from the stands.
The best play of the Spurs half came two minutes before halftime when Kulusevski exchanged passes with Son to create space for a shot inside the box, but Liam Lindsay slid in to block.
Spurs started the second half with more energy and got their reward five minutes after the restart.
It was another long shot from Son but although Woodman had a clear view the goalkeeper had no chance thanks to the power and precision of his left foot.
Preston was forced to come out of his shells when the game suddenly opened up. Ben Whiteman jumped forward and fed Cannon. The forward on loan to Everton tried to cut back inside the box and then went down anticipating a touch from Japhet Tanganga that never came, earning him a yellow card.
But the home fans were on their feet and just after the hour Whiteman found space on the edge of the box, but he couldn’t get the curl he needed to find the bottom corner of the net.
Spurs responded and Woodman had to pat Perisic’s header as he pushed past his defense to find Clement Lenglet’s cross.
Moments later, Son made his second and the tie was effectively over. Perisic became a provider, his clean move finding Son inside the box. The Spurs man had his back to goal, but a flick from him took him away from Jordan Storey before scoring into the bottom right corner.
There would be no hat-trick, with Son taken off inside the last 10 minutes, but Spurs weren’t done yet as Danjuma, who arrived on loan from Villarreal on Wednesday, converted Kulusevski’s cross in the 87th minute for a debut goal. . .