LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur swept into the FA Cup fourth round as Fernando Llorente hit a hat-trick and Serge Aurier struck twice in a 7-0 rout of fourth tier minnows Tranmere on Friday.
There are 74 league places between the football sides and Tottenham, third in the Premier League, underlined the gulf in class as they demolished Tranmere, who sit ninth in League Two.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team took control of the third round tie through Aurier’s powerful strike late in the first half and Spain forward Llorente added to their lead after the interval.
Aurier netted again and South Korea winger Son Heung-Min produced a superb solo effort as the goals flowed. Llorente struck twice more to complete his treble before Harry Kane came off the bench to seal Tottenham’s biggest win since a 9-1 thrashing of Wigan in 2009.
After the hectic Christmas schedule, Tottenham will be relieved their 11th game in 33 days was a stroll at Prenton Park, especially with the League Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea looming on Tuesday.
Tottenham haven’t won the FA Cup since 1991 and silverware has been in short supply ever since, with the 2008 League Cup their most recent trophy.
