TOTTENHAM eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a commanding 3-0 win over Cheltenham.

Mexican Giovani Dos Santos was at the heart of all three goals as the Premier League high-flyers brushed aside their League Two opponents at White Hart Lane.

Cheltenham brought more than 5,000 fans with them for the tie against their Premier League opponents, but hopes of a dramatic upset wilted in the first half.

Tottenham capitalised on their first half dominance in the 23rd minute when Jermain Defoe opened the scoring.

Niko Kranjcar unpicked the Cheltenham defence with a great through-ball to put through Dos Santos who expertly chipped the ball over keeper Scott Brown, only to see Defoe slide in and claim the goal on the line.

Roman Pavluchenko double the lead after 42 minutes after a series of slick passes. Dos Santos was central again, playing in Defoe to cross to Pavlyuchenko for a simple tap-in.

And the Mexican attacking midfielder finally got his reward five minutes from time when his looping shot went over Brown and made it 3-0 to Spurs.

Captain Michael Dawson dominated pre-match headlines with his return to the side after a five-month layoff with an Achilles injury.

But the 28-year-old had an easy game at the heart of a makeshift back-four which included Jake Livermore at right back.

Harry Redknapp had rested most of his first team, and included several reserve players who could have been rusty.

But Cheltenham never looked like causing an upset, and did not force keeper Carlo Cudicini into a meaningful save.

Tottenham pressed for more goals in the second half but a string of chances were saved or deflected wide before Dos Santos got his goal.

The game also saw the return of Aaron Lennon on the right wing, and with both he and Dawson almost completing a full match, Redknapp will have something to smile about after losing Scott Parker, William Gallas, and Sandro to injury.

Tottenham Hotspur

Carlo Cudicini, Danny Rose, Sebastien Bassong, Michael Dawson, Steven Pienaar, Niko Kranjcar, Jake Livermore, Giovani Dos Santos, Aaron Lennon, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermain Defoe

Subs: Heurelho Gomes, Younes Kaboul, Rafael van der Vaart, Iago Falque, John Bostock, Tom Carroll, Dean Parrett

Cheltenham Town

Scott Brown, Steve Elliott, Marlon Pack, Josh Low, James Spencer, Alan Bennett, Russ Penn, Luke Garbutt, Sido Jombati, Kaid Mohamed, Luke Summerfield

Subs: Steve Book, Keith Lowe, Danny Andrew, Darryl Duffy, Jeff Goulding, Brian Smikle, Bagasan Graham