Sheringham's touch is too much for Tranmere

Tranmere Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4

Glenn Hoddle could have been excused for not trusting a three-goal lead, but there were no sudden reversals of fortune in this stormy Worthington Cup tie at Prenton Park last night.

Not only did Spurs squander a three-goal lead against Manchester United in their last Premiership outing, but Hoddle saw the same thing happen to his Southampton side in the FA Cup at Tranmere last season. In a match of eight bookings, including two doubles that led to sendings off, the mathematics of the scoreline never threatened to go similarly berserk.

Tranmere had the handicap of losing their midfielder Mickey Mellon after just half an hour and also saw him concede the contentious penalty that gave Spurs the lead. The referee, Phil Dowd, had booked Gus Poyet for diving, but took a very different view when Teddy Sheringham went down in the area under what looked an innocuous challenge. Sheringham shrugged apologetically but stuck his spot kick into the corner anyway and Tranmere were never truly in contention again.

"I thought it was potentially going to be a good game, but I really thought it was spoiled by the referee," said the Tranmere manager, Dave Watson. "People paid good money to see that and he spoiled the game. Decisions like that change games."

Mellon departed for two clumsy tackles and seven minutes before the break Spurs were comfortably in command. Sheringham, who missed a far more inviting chance than the one he took at Old Trafford on Saturday, laid off Mauricio Taricco's cross perfectly for Darren Anderton to stroke home.

Soon after the interval, Tranmere, so impressive in knock-out football over the last couple of years despite their declining League status, were on their way out. Steffen Freund pulled the ball across from the right and Poyet got a thin touch that sent it in via the far post.

There was still time for Tim Sherwood to come on and get himself booked within a couple of minutes. Another substitute, Sergei Rebrov, completed the scoring by taking advantage of a series of defenders missing kicks as the ball rolled across the goalmouth, and Sherwood gave the game its final twist by being dismissed for his second offence ­ deliberate handball. "That was ludicrous," Hoddle said. "No common sense. The referee just wasn't good enough tonight. There were only nine matches and I don't know why we didn't have a Premiership referee in charge."

Despite that Hoddle was happy with his side's performance. "Over the last two years they've had some great cup runs," he said of Tranmere. "They've turned a lot of people over, myself included, so it's nice to have come here and laid those ghosts."

Tranmere Rovers (4-4-2): Murphy; Yates, Allen, Sharps, Roberts; Parkinson, Henry (Hinds, 69), Flynn, Mellon; Barlow, N'Diaye (Hume, 62). Substitutes not used: Challinor, Achterberg (gk), Allison.

Tottenham Hotspur: Sullivan; Taricco, King, Perry, Thatcher; Davies, Freund (Sherwood, 71), Anderton, Poyet (Leonhardsen, 84); Sheringham, Ferdinand (Rebrov, 58). Substitutes not used: Keller (gk), Thelwell.

Referee: P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent).