Tottenham see off Wimbledon

London : Jan Vertonghen scored his first club goal in five years and Harry Kane bagged a brace but Tottenham’s FA Cup win over AFC Wimbledon was far from straightforward.

Wimbledon’s Jimmy Abdou hit the crossbar with a curling first-half effort and Spurs needed 63 nervy minutes at Wembley before finally breaking down their League One opponents.

When they did, however, the floodgates opened, as Kane scored twice in as many minutes before Vertonghen capped a 3-0 victory with a sensational long-range strike.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will now await Monday’s fourth round draw as Tottenham edge one step closer to ending their 10-year wait for a major trophy.

Wimbledon, meanwhile, turn their attention back to their relegation fight in the league but they were certainly not embarrassed here as a disciplined defensive display threatened to upset their Premier League opponents for just over an hour.

But, after hitting a record-breaking 39 goals last year, Kane registered his first and second of 2018, before going off with 13 minutes to play.

He was one of only a few Spurs star names to start the match, with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min all left on the bench. Victor Wanyama, back from injury, made his first start since August.

Lamela was Tottenham’s greatest creative threat early on and he went closest to scoring, his volley stinging the hands of goalkeeper George Long.

Kane was a brooding presence in the visitors’ box but after a couple of early sighters he blasted over from eight yards the sort of chance he might normally convert in his sleep.

The Wimbledon fans were enjoying every minute, taunting Kane and then celebrating like they had scored when their team won a corner soon after.

They almost had the real thing too when Michel Vorm made a mess of a high ball and then Abdou rattled Tottenham’s crossbar with a bending long-range shot.