Easy as Son, two, three
SPURS HOTSHOT BEATS HATE-MOB
HEUNG-MIN SON provided the perfect response to the mindless Millwall fans who did their best to get under his skin.
The taunt of “Three for a fiver” was meant to put the South Korean off his game, instead it inspired him to find the net on three occasions.
And it was the Lions who left White Hart Lane with their tails between their legs, after Son and his Spurs team-mates ruthlessly ended their dreams of an FA Cup semi-final and a day out at Wembley.
Further goals from Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and even £17m flop Vincent Janssen meant it was Spurs who went marching on into the last four for the first time in five years.
As for League One Millwall, they are more than likely to be hauled over the coals by the FA after their fans taunted Son with chants of “DVD” and “He’s selling three for a fiver” every time he touched the ball.
Gloss
That’s a reference to the racial stereotype of Asian street sellers flogging counterfeit goods in the UK, and it is likely to go down with football’s authorities about as well as it did with an angry Spurs bench.
Tottenham fans also used the word “pikey”, which has been regarded as a race hate term, in a chant aimed at the 3,681 away fans.
But it was the abuse for Son which left more of an impression in a London derby which featured violent scenes outside the stadium.
Missiles were thrown by rival fans and at least one flare set off in a series of standoffs in the roads around the ground before kick-off.
Mounted police in riot gear struggled to keep order at times, with minor skirmishes reported after the game.
There were no major incidents inside the stadium, but an injury to Harry Kane took plenty of the gloss of Tottenham’s victory and made Son and Janssen’s goals
all the more timely. Spurs clearly wanted this one over quickly and peppered stand-in Lions keeper Tom King.
King was playing because Spurs old boy Jordan Archer failed to recover from a groin injury.
Millwall were already boasting a hat-trick of Premier League knockouts in the FA Cup, after wins over Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester, although they all came at The Den.
The Lions came into this tie on a 17-match unbeaten run but they were under the cosh until Spurs were forced into a 10th-minute change when Kane limped off.
There were hearts in mouths around the stadium when the England striker twisted his ankle after a sliding tackle from Jake Cooper.
Kane was slow to rise and shook his head before limping down the tunnel to be replaced by Eriksen.
But it failed to change the momentum and the onslaught continued, with Lions skipper Tony Craig lucky to get away with a shirt pull on Dele Alli. So it was no surprise when Eriksen volleyed in the opener after Alli reacted quickest to a half-cleared cross.
It was his 12th goal of the season for club and country, and Spurs almost made it two when Victor Wanyama headed against the crossbar.
When the second did come, though, it was a belter. There didn’t look much on when Son received the ball, but the screamer he unleashed into the top corner was unstoppable.
His second just after half-time was a beauty too. Kieran Trippier lofted in a pinpoint pass and Son took one deft touch before burying it past King.
Alli then got in on the act with a goal of his own, made easy by a superb low cross from Eriksen.
Even substitute Janssen nabbed a goal, his first from open play for the club, before Son completed his hattrick with a shot that squirmed right through King.