Pedro Porro scored his first goal of the season to put Tottenham Hotspur through to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Burnley on Friday.
Eight-time FA Cup winners Spurs and Burnley looked destined for a replay before Porro broke the deadlock in the 78th minute of a drab game when he intercepted goalkeeper Arijanet Muric’s throw, firing a rocket from long range into the top far corner.
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“[Porro] shoots a lot in training — misses a lot, but today it came off and it was an unbelievable goal,” a grinning Spurs forward Brennan Johnson told ITV.
The victory was relief for Ange Postecoglou’s team, who were missing several key players to injury and international duty, including South Korea captain Son Heung-Min at the Asian Cup, and Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, who are both at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“The bottom line is we’re though to the next round so that’s what you’ve got to take out of it because I think the cup games are a unique beast and we’re through to the next round so that’s the main thing,” Postecoglou said.
“We were a little bit wasteful in the final third because we had most of the ball, most of the territory.”
Burnley’s best chance came in the first half when Zeki Amdouni received a clever flick just outside the six-yard box but took a poor first touch and launched the ball over the bar. They rarely threatened as Spurs found a way to grind out the win.
There are 27 games scheduled for Sunday, while Wigan Athletic host Manchester United on Monday. Everton and Crystal Palace clash in a replay on Jan. 17 to wrap up the third round.
The fourth round is scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 27.
