London - Two goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko sent Tottenham Hotspur into the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night as they overcame Wigan Athletic 3-1 at White Hart Lane.

Pavlyuchenko broke the deadlock from the penalty spot early in the second half after Frazier Campbell had been brought down by Wigan goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

With 15 minutes to go, Luka Modric appeared to have made the win safe for the home side as he headed in after Jamie O'Hara's shot had rebounded off the post.

But Spurs, who despite a recent recovery in the Premier League still languish dangerously close to the relegation zone, were unable to relax as Wigan striker Henri Camara scored from close range in the dying minutes.

Pavlyuchenko's second however, killed off the challenge of the away side in injury time. The Russian finished off a Spurs counter- attack, and his low shot just evaded Kingson as it crept inside the post.

The FA Cup kicks off in earnest on Saturday with Premier League leaders Liverpool taking on Championship side Preston North End and last year's winners Portsmouth facing Bristol City. (dpa)