Harry Kane goal carries Spurs past Portsmouth in third round of FA Cup

Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, center, celebrates after scoring in an FA Cup third round match against Portsmouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Son Heung-min, Zorro mask still in place, played the full 90 minutes as Tottenham Hotspur beat Portsmouth 1-0 in an FA Cup clash on Saturday. But while it was a good outing for the Korean midfielder, this was the Harry Kane show.

It was Kane that scored Spurs' sole goal of the match, a perfectly executed 50th-minute screamer after a quick back and forth with Ryan Sessegnon set him up on the edge of the box. That show was a thing of beauty, a rare moment of brilliance in an otherwise fairly run-of-the-mill cup tie.

It was Kane who scored No. 265 of his Tottenham career, moving within a single goal of Jimmy Greaves all-time record set more than 50 years ago. That he reached this point on Jan. 7, the exact same day in 1970 that Greaves scored his No. 265, also in an FA Cup game, only added to the sense that history was being rewritten before our eyes.

And it will be Kane who attempts to match Greaves record in the most important fixture in the Spurs calendar, the North London Derby, next week.

Spurs face a tough clash as their oldest enemy Arsenal come to visit on Jan. 15. The Gunners currently top the Premier League table, a full 11 points ahead of Tottenham who have slipped to fifth. But that also means Kane has the possibility to deliver No. 266 in front of a home crowd against the club's biggest rival on a day when the odds are not in Spurs' favor.

“I try not to think about it — sometimes you can think too much,” was all Kane had to say on the chance of chasing the Greaves record.

Son, meanwhile, put in a fairly solid performance against Portsmouth. He fluffed the occasional shot, but his crosses and corners were accurate and he seemed to be seeing the ball better than he has in recent games.

Son discussed his experience playing in the mask in a number of interviews during the week, revealing that it has limited his ability to see the ball and frustrated him regularly in games.

Son says his medical team have advised him to keep wearing the mask but are allowing him to make the final decision. So far, his wish to avoid worrying friends and family and causing more damage has kept the distinctive Zorro mask in place, but that may not be the case for much longer.

With Spurs already out of the Carabao Cup, the team now have a week to train before they take on Arsenal on Jan. 15.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]