Roman at the double for Spurs
Tottenham have won the FA Cup eight times
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Friday, 02, Jan 2009 10:40
A controversial penalty helped Tottenham Hotspur book their place in the FA Cup fourth round after a 3-1 win over Wigan Athletic at White Hart Lane.
Spurs broke the deadlock on 52 minutes when they were awarded a spot-kick after Fraizer Campbell was adjudged to have been tripped by goalkeeper Richard Kingston, with Roman Pavlyuchenko converting.
Luka Modric sealed victory with 14 minutes remaining before Pavlyuchenko grabbed his second in stoppage time, while Henri Camara grabbed a consolation for the Latics.
Despite the question marks over the penalty, the decision livened up an otherwise dreary cup tie.
Although both sides fielded strong line-ups, they failed to carve out many chances in the first half.
Camara headed inches wide for Wigan early on while Modric failed to find the target with a vicious low shot.
Harry Redknapp's troops edged the half and should have taken the lead when Campbell headed David Bentley's cross wide, before Modric lashed a shot wide instead of squaring the ball to a team-mate.
The second half was a vast improvement and the turning point came when debutant Kingston clipped the heels of Campbell to concede a penalty, despite Wigan protesting that the striker had already lost his footing.
And to add insult to injury, Pavlyuchenko sent Kingston the wrong way with the spot-kick for his eighth goal of the season.
The penalty triggered a flurry of chances for the home side with Kingston beating away Campbell's diving header while Pavlyuchenko's chip over the keeper bounced over.
And their possession was rewarded on 76 minutes when Jamie O'Hara's shot rattled the post, allowing Modric to head in the rebound.
Steve Bruce's men were again furious with the referee for awarding the goal as Maynor Figueroa was down injured.
Bruce made three substitutions and his side set-up a grandstand finish when Camara poked the ball in from close range on 88 minutes to make it 2-1.
But Spurs clinched their place in the next round when Pavlyuchenko cut inside and curled a shot past the despairing Kingston on 94 minutes, to keep alive Redknapp's dream of lifting the Cup for the second season running.