It’s one of those special days in the football calendar in English football – it’s the weekend of the FA Cup Third Round. It’s the time for Premier League teams to join the competition and often test how inspired the teams from lower divisions are. Tottenham Hotspur are having a topsy-turvy season and needed a confidence boost against a lowly opposition in the Cup. But Antonio Conte’s team failed to impress against Portsmouth, a club currently playing in the EFL League One, the third tier of English football. Despite holding the ball for most of the match and rarely letting the visitors from the south coast carve out a chance, the Cockerels gave their fans more questions than answers. A trademark Harry Kane strike ☄️(via @EmiratesFACup)pic.twitter.com/5oNz8fhUq4— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 7, 2023 Harry Kane is often the difference maker for his team, and it proved so once again. The captain scored a terrific goal to settle the game five minutes after the break. Conte’s team is looking short in attack. They failed to find the net in the first half of 12 out of their last 13 matches. Poor set pieces, lack of clear chances and failure of Son Heung-min to hit his usual form is hurting the north London club these days. Conte asked for new players, but he really should be doing better with what he already has – at least against third-tier opposition at home.GOAL!Leicester City 1-0 GillinghamKelechi Iheanacho scores#LEIGIL #FACuppic.twitter.com/XypEZw8eci— H/F (@hfworld_) January 7, 2023 And if Spurs are struggling, then what can you say about Leicester City? They also had to sweat heavily to secure passage into the FA Cup fourth round. Kelechi Iheanacho also proved the difference as the Foxes won narrowly at EFL League Two’s Gillingham. The Gills gave a fantastic account of themselves against a superior opponent despite being the fourth tier’s bottom side.In an all-Premier League duel at Selhurst Park, goals from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong gave Southampton a rare victory. Crystal Palace took the lead through Odsonne Edouard, but it wasn’t enough on the day. Still, the Saints will spend the rest of the season fighting for survival in the EPL and won’t have the luxury of dreaming about the latter stages of the FA Cup – no matter how prestigious the competition remains.
