FA Cup: Kane bags hat-trick as Spurs stroll to cup quarter-finals

Harry Kane’s hat-trick against Fulham ensured Tottenham will be in the FA Cup quarter-final draw with a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage.

Kane, 23, showed his lethal finishing touch to put the Championship side to the sword after a horror-show display of defending.

The England international opened the scoring in the first half from close range, before a clinical double in the second half.

[AS IT HAPPENED: Fulham 0 Tottenham 3]

It put a nightmarish week to bed for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who followed up a limp defeat at Liverpool with defeat in the Europa League at Gent.

The hosts were given a taste of things to come when Christian Eriksen was played clean through by Kane, only to be denied by a fine save by Marcus Bettinelli.

The Danish international then ensured Spurs did take the lead, playing in a fine low cross which Kane finished off from six yards to defuse a confident start by the hosts.

[READ MORE: Lincoln’s FA Cup shock at Burnley]

The demoralised hosts nearly clutched an equaliser not long after when Michel Vorm, replacing number one goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, misplaced a pass to Tom Cairney – only for the Cottagers midfielder to fire his effort straight back to him.

Dele Alli, Eriksen and Kane all wasted good opportunities – the latter the most culpable, losing possession after Bettinelli gifted the ball straight to him.

The bulk of the first half represented something of an open season for the Spurs forwards, threatened more by the offside flag than the Whites’ back line.

But despite being completely outplayed since the opening goal, the hosts nearly levelled right on the stroke of half time when a rapid break saw Ayite inches away from turning home a wicked cross.

But any hopes Fulham had of plucking an equaliser against the run of play were extinguished when Kane doubled the lead from close range following another pinpoint cross from Eriksen.

The prolific Premier League striker – who played despite picking up a knock in midweek – was nearly gifted his hat-trick when he left Kalas in his wake, only for Odoi to clear.

[IN PICTURES: Sunday’s FA Cup action]

But he did not have to wait long for his treble, turning home on 73 minutes when played in by Alli as Fulham were left exposed once more.

Both sides came close to scoring as the game drew to its conclusion, but Spurs held out to ensure Pochettino’s men were not the third Premier League team to suffer FA Cup embarrassment this weekend.