Tottenham too strong for League One Doncaster

Tottenham barely broke into a sweat as they eased into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 win over Doncaster.

Boss Thomas Frank had promised to have a decent crack at the competition this season and he was as good as his word as Joao Palhinha’s improvised strike, a Jay McGrath own goal and Brennan Johnson’s stoppage-time breakaway disposed of League One Rovers.

Frank named a strong side including Pedro Porro, Xavi Simons and Rodrigo Bentancur, and they should have led inside three minutes after Archie Gray fed Johnson down the right.

Mathys Tel only needed to get a touch on Johnson’s low cross six yards out but the French forward missed the ball completely.

Frank had given Doncaster permission to play their on-loan winger Damola Ajayi against his parent club.

That act of generosity almost backfired when the teenager hooked the ball across goal, only for Toyosi Olusanya to fluff his header at the far post.

Instead Spurs went ahead in the 14th minute after Rovers goalkeeper Ian Lawlor missed his punch at a corner.

Sean Grehan headed the loose ball off the line but only as far as Palhinha, who hooked an overhead kick back over the defender and into an empty net.

Spurs doubled their lead three minutes later when Wilson Odobert raided down the left and sent in another low cross.

Doncaster defender McGrath was unable to sort his feet out in time and succeeded only in bundling the ball into his own net.

The Premier League side sensed they could end the tie as a contest before half-time, but Lawlor made good saves to deny Tel and Gray while Bentancur’s header from a corner floated just wide.

And Rovers almost pulled one back before the break when Owen Bailey’s Paolo Di Canio-style volley was tipped onto a post by