Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is not expecting to delve into the transfer market on deadline day despite losing Christian Eriksen to injury for three months.

United confirmed on Tuesday that Eriksen is likely to be out at least until late April after sustaining an ankle injury in the FA Cup win over Reading on Saturday.

He was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll, who went unpunished before eventually getting sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Losing Eriksen is a major blow for United given his prominence in his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes (2,603) the only outfield player to record more minutes on the pitch than the Dane (2,274) for Ten Hag's men this term.

United will suddenly be without one of their chief creators, as Eriksen's 53 key passes is second only to Fernandes (81), and he leads the way for assists with nine.

But Ten Hag is confident he has the options to cope.

"Of course, [Eriksen] is disappointed about [the injury], we are disappointed about it," the manager told reporters ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

"It happens in top football, you have to deal with it."

He added: "As you said, something coming out on deadline day is difficult and you can't make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department, good players, we also have players who can fill the gap."

With Donny van de Beek out for the season, Eriksen's injury leaves Ten Hag with senior midfield options of Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes and Scott McTominay, while 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has made two appearances in cup competitions and been among the substitutes on a handful of occasions in the Premier League.

Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old Iraq international, has also been on the bench often this season, though he is yet to make his debut and had reportedly been lined up for a loan move.

Either way, Ten Hag accepts there will have to be a degree of adaptation regardless of who steps up because they will not have the same attributes as the Denmark star.

"I think you can never fill that because every player has their own characteristics and identity, so another player will always fill it in in a different way," he said.

"So, it doesn't mean that you have to be less successful, but it's quite clear that Christian Eriksen, for our squad, brings top quality and he has some specifics that are hard to replace. For instance, his impact in the final third, [with his] final ball."

Brazil midfielder Fred would appear to be the most likely to benefit from Eriksen's absence.

Although the 29-year-old has made only five Premier League starts this term, in total he has played in 17 top-flight games, with Ten Hag seeming to value his energy and tenacity in the second half when others might be tiring.

There is also the added convenience of him regularly playing alongside Casemiro with the Selecao.

"You mentioned already in your first sentence, he's playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that's not the worst squad in the world," Ten Hag said with a grin.

"They have so many choices what they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.

"He has done it several times with his performance for instance against Tottenham, for instance against Manchester City.

"When he's coming on [in the] last game [against Reading], he's scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred."

Christian Eriksen will be out of action for up to three months due to the ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's FA Cup win over Reading, Manchester United have confirmed.

Eriksen was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll in the second half, with the Reading forward surprisingly avoiding a yellow card.

Carroll was later sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Eriksen walked away from the incident to play on briefly, but he was soon replaced and later spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches, with a protective boot supporting his left ankle.

United boss Erik ten Hag offered little insight after the match, but following examinations the club believe it is serious enough to potentially rule him out until May.

A statement read: "Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen is expected to be out of action for an extended period because of an ankle injury sustained in our Emirates FA Cup victory over Reading on Saturday.

"While investigations are continuing, initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May."

The absence of Eriksen will be a major blow to United and Ten Hag, as the Danish midfielder has been a key component of the side since his arrival on a free transfer in pre-season.

Bruno Fernandes (2,603) is the only outfield player to spend more minutes on the pitch than Eriksen (2,274) across all competitions for United this season.

It is a similar story in terms of chances created, with Eriksen's 53 bettered by only Fernandes' 81, highlighting the Dane's creative importance, particularly from set-pieces.

Eriksen ranks highest in the squad for assists (nine), however, three more than Fernandes.

If the 31-year-old does not play again until the start of May, he will have missed at least 18 matches in all competitions.

That total will increase if United progress in the FA Cup, Europa League and EFL Cup – they are just 90 minutes away from the final of the latter after winning 3-0 away to Nottingham Forest in last week's semi-final first leg.

The return game at Old Trafford on Wednesday will be the first match Eriksen misses.

The absence of Eriksen further stretches United's midfield options after Donny van de Beek was ruled out for the season at the start of January.

It leaves Fernandes, Fred, Casemiro and Scott McTominay as their only recognised senior midfielders, potentially requiring 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo – who has made two cup appearances but is yet to make his Premier League bow – to step up unless they delve into the transfer market before the window closes on Tuesday.

Tottenham will face a trip to Wrexham in the fifth round of the FA Cup if the Welsh side overcome Sheffield United in a fourth-round replay next week. 

Wrexham, the National League outfit co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were pegged back at the death in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Championship promotion hopefuls United on Sunday.

Hollywood star Reynolds was in attendance at the Racecourse Ground as John Egan's stoppage-time equaliser denied the hosts a famous win, teeing up next Tuesday's replay at Bramall Lane.

Should the fifth-tier outfit cause an upset against the Blades, they will host Spurs in a mouth-watering midweek tie, a fixture which would certainly be viewed as their biggest since Reynolds and McElhenney took charge in 2021.

Elsewhere, Manchester City will face Bristol City for a place in the quarter-finals after overcoming Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Friday.

Manchester United's reward for their 3-1 victory over Reading is another home tie against the winners of Monday's meeting between Derby County and West Ham, while Brighton and Hove Albion will go to Stoke City after Kaoru Mitoma's last-gasp strike eliminated holders Liverpool.

The winners of Fulham's replay against Sunderland will host Leeds United, potentially teeing up a rematch of the 1973 final in which the second-tier Black Cats stunned then-holders Leeds with a 1-0 victory at Wembley Stadium.

The ties will be played during the week commencing February 27 and will be decided by extra time and penalties if drawn, with replays no longer taking place after the fourth round.

Liverpool wanted a fresh start in 2023 but Andrew Robertson says the Reds have been "nowhere near good enough" this season and played "worse" since the World Cup.

The Scotland international captained Jurgen Klopp's side at Brighton and Hove Albion as Kauro Mitoma's last-minute strike dumped the FA Cup holders out in the fourth round.

Liverpool had taken the lead through Harvey Elliot before Lewis Dunk's fortuitous first-half equaliser paved the way for Mitoma's deserved late winner in Sunday's 2-1 triumph.

Klopp's men are out of both domestic cups and sit only ninth in the Premier League, having won just eight of their opening 19 top-flight games.

Having lost nine times already in 31 outings across all competitions this campaign, Robertson bemoaned Liverpool's abject performances that have continued after the World Cup break.

"This season has been nowhere near good enough," Robertson told ITV Sport.

"At the start of the year, we wanted a fresh start, but that hasn't happened – we've been worse. In the league, we haven't been good enough and now we're out of both cups."

The Reds' downfall may have appeared somewhat of a surprise after falling narrowly short of an unprecedented quadruple last term.

Liverpool missed out in the Champions League final to Real Madrid and saw Manchester City secure the Premier League title on the last day of the season, though they lifted the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Sadio Mane's sale to Bayern Munich and Roberto Firmino's diminishing role should be factored in, while Mohamed Salah has failed to hit his usual lofty heights after scoring just nine goals in 19 league games.

Luis Diaz has been out injured after a promising first campaign at Anfield and signings Darwin Nunez and Cody Gapko are still settling in, yet Robertson struggled to explain why Liverpool continue to falter.

The left-back added: "It's really disappointing. You can't put your finger on one thing that's gone wrong. It's more than that. It's about trying to put a performance together where all these things click and that's proving difficult right now.

"You can tell we're not as confident in front of goal, and defensively we're still a wee bit open in certain areas.

"We were on the back of two clean sheets, which was positive, but today, two disappointing goals and they had a couple of big chances as well.

"We need to try and get the confidence back. It's easier said than done but that's the only way we can pick up results. You have to be able to score goals and you have to be able to keep clean sheets.

"We're not managing that just now and we need to do it. We keep saying that and it doesn't help the fans. I feel sorry for them, the way we're putting on a show for them just now.

"We let them down again and we're obviously disappointed to be falling out of the cup."

All it lacked was a Hollywood ending, but Ryan Reynolds described Wrexham's 3-3 draw against Sheffield United in the FA Cup fourth round as "one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen".

Wrexham, the Welsh side who compete in the fifth tier of the English league system, were moments away from toppling a Sheffield United side who are closing in on promotion to the Premier League.

Paul Mullin's 27th goal of the season had put Wrexham 3-2 ahead in the 86th minute, with their visitors to the Racecourse Ground by then down to 10 men after Daniel Jebbison was sent off.

Movie star Reynolds, co-owner of the club who have been the subject of a major documentary series during his two years at the helm, was getting ready to celebrate a huge moment in Wrexham's history.

But Sheffield United had not read the script and rode roughshod over the fairy tale ending when John Egan scored in stoppage time to earn a draw, meaning the teams will go to a replay at Bramall Lane.

Rob McElhenney, the actor, writer and producer who also bought into Wrexham, was not there to witness the high drama first hand, but Deadpool main man Reynolds could be seen holding his phone out to the raucous atmosphere with the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia star on the other end of the line.

It was a game that was shown live on the BBC, with National League leaders Wrexham showing why they could well be back in the Football League next season.

Reynolds wrote on Twitter: "When @RMcElhenney and I got into this it all felt so impossible. But impossible is @Wrexham_AFC's favourite colour.

"That was one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen. Thank you each and every Wrexham supporter who came out and aimed your heart at that pitch tonight."

Reynolds posted a picture of himself with Premier League record scorer Alan Shearer and Manchester United and Wales legend Mark Hughes, who were working as pundits at the game.

Shearer replied to Reynolds' post, writing: "Thank you for your hospitality today!!! What an incredible atmosphere and game. A living breathing screaming nightmare!!!!"

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes the club are "ready to go forward without" Moises Caicedo following interest from Arsenal.

Caicedo has been strongly linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium all month, but reports of interest intensified this week.

Arsenal were rumoured to have had a bid worth £60million rejected by Brighton, which seemed to prompt Caicedo to publicly declare his desire to leave.

In a statement posted to social media on Friday, the Ecuador international spoke of wanting to make the most of a "magnificent opportunity".

While he did not specifically name Arsenal, the Gunners – who signed Leandro Trossard from the Seagulls in this window – are said to have since upped their offer to roughly £70m.

Brighton have told Caicedo to stay away from the first team while his future is unresolved, hence his absence from Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool, but De Zerbi is apparently content for a sale to go through.

"Caicedo is a very, very good guy," the told reporters after the game. "I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.

"I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him – I think we need some players in some positions.

"I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team, but we can improve from the transfer window.

"We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe."

Caicedo's statement of intent to leave caught fans by surprise, and De Zerbi earlier described it as a "mistake".

But the Brighton coach also sympathised with the 21-year-old, convinced those advising him were behind it rather than Caicedo unilaterally deciding to publish the comments.

"I was surprised, but I can understand where the mistake started," De Zerbi added.

"I don't know if you understand, but Moises is a good guy. I think [he was influenced by someone else]."

Jurgen Klopp ruled out rushing into the transfer market to boost Liverpool's flagging season after the holders suffered FA Cup elimination at Brighton and Hove Albion.

With a deadline for mid-season deals coming up on Tuesday, Klopp declared there would be no new faces arriving at Anfield.

Klopp told beIN Sports: "No, nothing will happen in this transfer window, that's all."

Liverpool's last trophy hope for this campaign lies in the Champions League, where they face Real Madrid at the last-16 stage, having lost to the Spanish giants in last year's final.

The Reds are out of both domestic cups and sit only ninth in the Premier League, having won just eight of their opening 19 games in the competition. Across all competitions, they have already lost nine times in 31 outings this term.

Klopp picked fault in the body language of several of his players in the 2-1 fourth-round loss to the Seagulls, which followed 15 days on from a 3-0 league defeat to the same opposition at the Amex Stadium.

He also wrote off Liverpool's set-piece defending as a major disappointment, with Brighton twice punishing the Reds from such situations.

"That doesn’t feel great, obviously. That's not cool, but we have to take it," Klopp said in his post-match press conference.

He added: "We have still space for improvement. We make steps, but we have to improve, we have to improve further on and that's what we will do."

Klopp felt the performance of his players on Sunday was far better than in their league display against Brighton, but these are small comforts.

Liverpool are in a crisis that is only deepening as their German boss fails to deliver results, despite being backed in the transfer market, with Dutch World Cup star Cody Gakpo arriving this month from PSV.

They face Wolves in the league next weekend, before a derby against Everton and a trip to high-flying Newcastle United precede the Champions League first leg against Madrid.

"If we are in a better situation, 10 points more in the league and stuff like this and then you lose here at Brighton, you just say, 'Respect'. What they do is really good," Klopp said.

"But we are obviously in a situation where we constantly want to make the final step, and that's why it feels now especially bad in this moment because it didn't happen.

"But there were, again, steps in the right direction. You can imagine nobody wants to hear that any more, I cannot hear it any more, but it's still right. That means we have to go from there.

"We have to improve, we have to do better, the body language with a couple of boys has to be much better, defending in the formation has to be better from a few."

Klopp felt Liverpool lacked a little luck, with Lewis Dunk deflecting in Brighton's leveller from Tariq Lamptey's shot before the winner came from Kaoru Mitoma in second-half stoppage time.

"You should not forget that," said Klopp, "but we are still out and that's obviously the worst outcome of a game you can have."

Kaoru Mitoma's stunning stoppage-time winner secured Brighton and Hove Albion a 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday to dump the holders out of the FA Cup.

The tie appeared to be heading back to Anfield for a replay with the game finely poised at 1-1, but the in-form Mitoma netted a spectacular late goal to put Brighton into the fifth round.

Liverpool took the lead via Harvey Elliott during an entertaining first half, but Brighton were good value for Lewis Dunk's fortuitous equaliser nine minutes later.

Brighton's continued positivity in the second half looked to set to go unrewarded, but Mitoma's ball juggling and cool finish sparked bedlam at the Amex Stadium as Liverpool's FA Cup defence crumbled.

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi cast doubt over the club's determination to not sell Moises Caicedo despite labelling the player's transfer plea a "mistake".

Reports earlier this week suggested Arsenal had a £60million bid for the Ecuador international rejected by Brighton.

Caicedo responded by announcing his desire to leave in a post on social media, calling it a "magnificent opportunity" without specifically mentioning Arsenal.

The 21-year-old has since been told to take time away from the club while there is uncertainty surrounding his future, meaning he was unavailable for Sunday's FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

It was ahead of Sunday's game when De Zerbi was asked about the latest on the Caicedo saga, and the Italian could not offer much certainty about him staying beyond the January transfer window.

"Moises is a good guy. We will see what happens [Monday] and the next day," he told ITV.

"We hope he stays with us until the end of the season, but this is a question of the club and Moises.

"In life you can make mistakes.

"There are many solutions for everyone and we will see the best solution for the club, for him and for us."

Arsenal are rumoured to have submitted a second bid worth up to £70m for the talented central midfielder, who joined Brighton in February 2021 for roughly £4.4m from Ecuador's Independiente del Valle.

Erik ten Hag has no complaints with Manchester United's fixture schedule and insists his squad is deep enough to cope with challenging on multiple fronts in the second half of the season.

United beat Reading 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday to advance to the last 16 of the FA Cup, while Wednesday's 3-0 first-leg win over Nottingham Forest means they are all but assured of a place in the EFL Cup final.

The Red Devils are also still in Europa League contention, with a knockout play-off round tie against Barcelona on the horizon, and are fourth in the Premier League with 18 games to go.

Ten Hag's side potentially have nine matches to come in February, but the Dutchman considers that a positive as United bid to end a six-year wait for a trophy.

"I don't complain," he told reporters. "We know what the fixture schedule is; we have to deal with this.

"At clubs we have to set squads and squads are big enough to deal with it and I think players like to play.

"You can build and construct a good team when you play often and, in my perspective, when you play often the same you are getting the routines in."

Ten Hag surprised many by naming a strong starting line-up against Championship side Reading, with Harry Maguire coming into the side as the only change from the Forest match, which followed on from a 3-2 league loss at Arsenal.

"If you see everything in the perspective of the result, after a defeat we've bounced back," Ten Hag said. "I was happy with the performance at Arsenal, but we made mistakes.

"We have to work on those mistakes but now twice we have had good performances and two good results."

Casemiro's second-half double and a neat finish from Fred earned United victory over Reading, who had Andy Carroll sent off but pulled one back through Amadou Salif Mbengue.

United lost key midfielder Christian Eriksen to injury prior to the hour mark, but Ten Hag says it is too early to determine if the Denmark international is going to spend any time on the sidelines.

"It's always difficult to say in this moment so short after the game has finished," he said.

"But it's an ankle [problem]. We have to see what the diagnosis is, so it will be a minimum of 24 hours before we know that and then I can say more."

United are back in action on Wednesday with the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final against Forest, before returning to league action at home to Crystal Palace next weekend.

Erik ten Hag is waiting for a full diagnosis on Christian Eriksen's ankle injury after the midfielder was pictured leaving Old Trafford on crutches.

The Denmark international was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Reading striker Andy Carroll during Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round victory.

Carroll avoided punishment from referee Darren England for the tackle, though he was later sent off for two bookable offences.

Eriksen's injury is a cause of concern for United, with crucial Premier League clashes and a Europa League showdown with Barcelona on the horizon, and Ten Hag is waiting for a full assessment on the problem.

"It's always difficult to say so soon after the game finished, but it's an ankle [injury] and we have to see what the diagnosis is," he told a post-match press conference.

"It will be a minimum of 24 hours before we know that, and then I can say more."

Victory for United keeps the club in contention across all competitions this season and the performance of Antony caught the eye, having provided the assist for Casemiro's opener.

Ten Hag had called for more from the pre-season signing following the midweek EFL Cup win against Nottingham Forest and, while he has seen progress, feels there is still more to come.

"I have some experience with him. We have to challenge him and if you challenge him he can adapt, adjust his game, that is what we have to do, definitely," he added.

"He has to be more variable, more dynamic, but also he needs his team-mates and his team-mates around him. But also [needs to know] how to use your team-mates.

"He has to work on that, but he is investing in that at the moment, and you see the progress. But still I think there is a lot of room for improvement."

Jurgen Klopp defended himself from criticism amid a difficult season for Liverpool as he insisted he did not become a "bad manager overnight".

Liverpool are ninth in the Premier League at the season's halfway point, trailing leaders Arsenal by 21 points and fourth-placed Manchester United – who have played a game extra – by 10.

It is a far cry from last season when they entered the final weeks of the campaign with the possibility of winning four trophies.

They ended up with an FA Cup and EFL Cup double, losing out to Manchester City in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Liverpool have been badly impacted by injuries throughout the season, while some key players have struggled for form.

A lot of the criticism is falling at the feet of Klopp, but he spoke defiantly ahead of Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

"I didn't become a bad manager overnight," Klopp told reporters. "I was never as good as people probably said or not as bad as some people might think.

"But imagine if you [the media] were here today talking to another coach of Liverpool because last season we'd won all four trophies and I said, 'See you later, [I'm going on] holiday!'.

"Imagine if you saw a different [manager] and he has to explain these things and he tells you how it is. Nobody would listen!

"They'd say last season was great and this year is not great – so go!

"You have to have wide shoulders and really just take it. It's tough, I'm sorry, but we will go for it with all we have to get out of it and then play in a way that the people can't wait to go to the stadium again.

"Hopefully we can get through this together and get much closer again. From there we all know anything can happen.

"So far, we've not given the fans much this season, but we are still in two cup competitions, and we'll not give up in the league. Why should we?

"Other teams are doing really well and we respect them a lot, but we want to beat them and I will see how we can do that at Brighton."

Klopp does not want to blame Liverpool's problems entirely on their injury woes, though at the very least he believes they would be much closer to the top four had the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota not missed the majority of the season up to now.

"It was clear it would be difficult, but with lesser injuries I think we can agree we could easily have had at least five points more," he added.

"Okay, that still wouldn't make a brilliant season, but we would be fighting for the Champions League. That's a normal season.

"But injuries to decisive players have made it an especially average or bad season so far, and you cannot just replace them.

"On top of that, if you don't have time to train and you have three days until the next game, it's not like you can invent football in those one and a half sessions."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged Casemiro's attacking output has taken him by surprise after the Brazilian scored twice in Saturday's 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading.

United booked their passage to the fifth round thanks to the straightforward victory at Old Trafford.

Despite the ultimately routine nature of the win, it took United 54 minutes to break Reading's resistance – the breakthrough came via Casemiro's impudent scoop following Antony's incisive pass.

Casemiro then got a second four minutes later, his long-range strike taking a slight deflection en route to the bottom-right corner, with Fred getting the third with a cheeky flick.

It was just the latest in a series of exceptional performances from Casemiro since his reported £60million move from Real Madrid in August, the brace taking him to four goals for the season.

Add to that his five assists, and Casemiro's nine goal involvements for the campaign is the fourth-most in the United squad, while he also ranks fourth for open-play chances created (28).

When asked if he was surprised by Casemiro's impact in this regard, Ten Hag told ITV: "Yes. We know he's a great player. The midfield at Madrid with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, it was great…

"I think he's capable of that [being an attacking threat]. We see offensively he's a part, and he enjoys it when he can come in [to the attack].

"What I like is dynamic football with variations and many positional switches, so we have to make the opponents think, so we can make the most."

United captain Harry Maguire credited the midfielder with having a transformational effect in several aspects.

"He's done what he was brought in to do," Maguire said. "He's a phenomenal player, he has been throughout his career. You don't win what he's won without being a top player.

"He's improved the team, improved the morale and improved the performance, and it's great to have him."

Manchester United had to be patient but eventually cruised to a deserved 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading on Saturday thanks in part to Casemiro's brilliant brace.

The Royals, managed by former United midfielder Paul Ince, frustrated the Red Devils in the first half at Old Trafford, but Erik ten Hag's side simply had too much quality in the end.

Marcus Rashford's disallowed goal in the 35th minute would have been a just reward for United, but a breakthrough was just a matter of time and came via Casemiro's lovely finish.

He then added a long-range second, before Fred's outrageous flick finished Reading off following Andy Carroll's dismissal for two bookings, with Amadou Mbengue's late header a mere consolation.

United were dominant right from the start, with Reading struggling to get out of their half.

Bruno Fernandes went close a few moments before Rashford seemingly ended the visitors' resistance, but his header was ruled out for offside against Wout Weghorst.

Reading then wasted the best chance of the half as Junior Hoilett robbed Tyrell Malacia in the box and forced David de Gea into a vital stop.

United capitalised on that let-off just after the break.

Antony's disguised pass found the run of Casemiro, whose impudent scoop left Joe Lumley well beaten.

Teed up by substitute Fred, Casemiro netted again four minutes later as his first-time 30-yard effort found the bottom-right corner via a slight deflection.

Carroll saw red after a couple of wild challenges, and a minute later Fred made it 3-0 with a sensational backheel from Fernandes' cross.

Mbengue pulled one back with a powerful header, though United's victory was never in doubt.

Son Heung-min welcomed his return to goalscoring form after hitting a brace in Tottenham's FA Cup victory at Preston North End.

A second-half double in Saturday's 3-0 victory brought an end to a barren run for Son, who had scored just once in 13 appearances.

Spurs had struggled during that stretch, falling behind in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Premier League and seeing speculation mount over the future of Antonio Conte.

An FA Cup trip to Deepdale offered a break from that pressure, however, and Son flourished leading the line.

Back amongst the goals, Son feels the result can provide a boost ahead of next Sunday's league showdown against Manchester City.

"I needed the goals for my confidence. It was really important, they were from the kind of positions where I like to shoot," he told BBC Sport.

"In the first half I had a couple of chances, they were on target and the keeper made a good save. The second half, they went in.

"The goals were needed, as an attacking player you always need goals, it doesn't matter how good you are playing or how bad you are playing.

"The most important thing is to get that goal. I think today it was important that I could help the team and get into the next round, I'm very happy.

"When you look at the scoresheet, it looks like a comfortable win but the FA Cup has never been comfortable. We suffered a lot away from home, the lads did an amazing job.

"There's a lot of talk about our performances and how we are playing. We are focused, we're doing what we have to do and we know what we have to improve.

"We have so much space to improve, so this game could bring us some really good energy for next weekend."

Son's goals were his first in the FA Cup since he netted against Southampton in February 2020. Indeed, each of his last four strikes in the competition have come in the fourth round.

Spurs, meanwhile, have now progressed beyond the fourth round for a fourth straight season, their longest such run in the FA Cup since 1979 to 1983, though they have been knocked out in the fifth round in the previous three campaigns.

Harry Kane remained on the bench on Saturday – it was the first time he has not featured in a Tottenham game since October 2021, ending a run of 68 successive appearances.