Report: Spurs 3-0 Palace

English FA Cup

Fredi Kanoute and Stephane Dalmat destroyed Palace as we booked our place in the fourth round FA Cup.

The French pair were simply magnifique in this convincing 3-0 win.

Kanoute's finishing was exemplary to bag a hat-trick and make it 12 goals in 14 starts for us this season.

But the memory is of Dalmat at his twinkle-toed best, twisting, turning, darting left and right - Palace left-back Gary Borrowdale's head will still be spinning.

He created Kanoute's second goal and created havoc all afternoon - his positive approach indicative of the team and a determination to start 2004 with a bang.

The only downside of the afternoon was Gus Poyet's sending off in the 78th minute. Annoyed at a tackle from Dougie Freedman, the midfielder reacted by leaning into Freedman with his head - completely different from a head-butt - but referee Andy D'Urso showed a straight red card anyway.

Within minutes of Poyet's departure Mr D'Urso was sending off the wrong man as Jamie Smith clattered into Bobby Zamora only for Danny Butterfield to take the long walk.

It was a strange end to what had been anything but a nasty game and quiet second half after Kanoute's hat-trick goal ended the contest.

It was also a quiet start before the opening goal with 13 minutes on the clock. Poyet did the hard work, skipping away from Michael Hughes and sliding the perfect pass through to Kanoute who finished with style.

Dalmat then took over. Jackson was inches away from a tap-in from the trickster's driven cross and a minute later, 19 on the clock, Dalmat drove into the box, evaded three defenders and squared for Kanoute to make it 2-0.

Jackson went close after 35 minutes and Kanoute was denied a hat-trick by Cedric Berthelin in the Palace goal, a decent save low to his right to keep out the striker's volley.

Kanoute didn't have to wait long for his first Spurs hat-trick. Only three minutes had ticked past in the second half when Dalmat, who else, danced his way in from the right touchline and found Ledley King who delightfully lifted the ball over Palace's defensive line for Kanoute to make no mistake.

Kanoute and Robbie Keane should have made it 5-0 within minutes as the visitors were left shell-shocked.

Simon Davies' arrival off the bench for his first action since September added to the occasion and Dalmat scraped the Palace bar with a fizzer from 18 yards.

Kasey Keller was forced into routine action by Ben Watson and Freedman but the game was going nowhere when the red cards arrived, Poyet off after 78 minutes, Butterfield following him down the tunnel three minutes later.

Dalmat had the final effort of the game and one last attempt to grab deserved award for his display only to see Hughes hack his deflected shot off the line five minutes from time. That, really, was the only thing missing.

MINUTE BY MINUTE

8mins: YELLOW. Watson for foul on Keane.

12mins: YELLOW. Watson for foul on Poyet.

13mins: First serious effort as Kanoute cut in from left, dragged shot wide.

14mins: GOAL. Poyet into Kanoute, good finish one-on-one, lifted ball over Berthelin. 1-0.

18mins: CLOSE. Kanoute fed Dalmat, driven cross inches away from Jackson.

19mins. GOAL. Brilliant work from Dalmat, beat three defenders, squared for Kanoute to tap in. 2-0.

28mins: Taricco volley bobbled wide.

35mins: Poyet break, slid in Jackson, won race with Berthelin but Symons there to clear.

37mins: Carr deep cross met on volley by Kanoute, Berthelin decent save low to his right.

44mins: YELLOW. Jackson for lunge on Routledge.

Half-time: Spurs 2, Palace 0.

Half-time: SUB. Freedman for Johnson.

48mins: GOAL. Dalmat involved again, King lifted ball over defence to Kanoute to complete is hat-trick. 3-0.

49mins: CHANCE. Kanoute through again, wide right, opted to square, Palace cleared.

51mins: MISS. Keane clean through on Berthelin, smashed ball over.

55mins: YELLOW. Doherty for foul on Shipperley.

58mins: Watson drive safely fielded by Keller.

61mins: SUB. Davies for King.

63mins: Dalmat scraped the bar from 16 yards.

68mins: SUB. Smith for Symons.

72mins: SUB. Zamora for Jackson.

75mins: Freeman volley straight at Keller.

78mins: YELLOW/RED. Straight red for Poyet after incident with Freedman, who is booked.

78mins: SUB. Granville for Borrowdale.

81mins: RED. Straight red for Butterfield even though Smith made poor tackle on Zamora.

89mins: Dalmat cut into box from short corner, deflected shot hacked off line by Hughes.

Injury time: Popovic header straight at Keller.

Line-ups: Spurs: Keller, Carr, Taricco, Gardner, Doherty, King, (Davies, 61), Jackson ( Zamora, 72), Poyet, Dalmat, Keane, Kanoute. Subs: Hirschfeld, Postiga, Kelly.

Palace: Berthelin, Butterfield, Symons (Smith, 68), Popovic, Borrowdale (Granville, 78), Routledge, Watson, Hughes, Gray, Shipperley, Johnson (Freedman, 45). Subs: Black, Fleming.

Referee: Andy D'Urso

Attendance: 32,340