North End went out of the Carling Cup in the third round at Deepdale as Spurs showed their Premiership fire power in front of goal, despite North End dominating the shooting stats.

Substitute Chris Brown grabbed a consolation goal for Alan Irvine's side, but England star Peter Crouch grabbed a hat-trick and further goals from Jermain Defoe and substitute Robbie Keane made it a rather unfair 5-1 scoreline. Brazilian keeper Heurelho Gomes was, however, forced to pull off a number of world class saves to deny the Lilywhites fans the chance to see their side shock the top flight big boys.

North End started without Chris Sedgwick, whose wife had gone into labour in the afternoon ahead of the birth of their second child, and Alan Irvine named a side that saw Billy Jones in a three man central midfield partnership alongside Veliche Shumulikoski and Darren Carter.

Stephen Elliott started on the right with Jon Parkin, who would be at the centre of North End's best attacking moments, up front on his own. Youl Mawene returned to the backline, with Neill Collins cup tied, whilst Michael Hart came into the starting XI at right back.

A healthy crowd of 16,533, one of the biggest of the third round, saw a spirited North End display, where the scoreline did not reflect the level of performance.

Spurs took the lead just inside the opening 15 minutes, thanks to a close range effort from Peter Crouch, diverting home Gareth Bale's left wing cross, but the goal came after North End had themselves had two good opportunities to open the scoring.

Jon Parkin could have got the game off to a blistering start after just 35 seconds when he latched onto a Shumulikoski ball to fire low at Gomes' goal. The effort took a slight deflection off Dawson and wrong-footed the Brazilian keeper and trickled just past the right hand post.

Eight minutes in and Gomes again was heavily involved, this time forced into a full stretch save from a Billy Jones header, the full back cum midfielder heading downwards from Michael Hart's delivery, forcing the Spurs stopper to pull out a 'worldy'.

Even after the goal it was North End who carved out the better chances, Gomes again needed to make a fine stop from Jon Parkin on 25 minutes; the Beast firing goalwards from 25 yards and the custodian needing to get fingertips on it to tip it behind.

North End could have been on equal terms again on 34 minutes as Darren Carter dragged a 20 yard piledriver just wide after excellent strength and hold up play from Stephen Elliott on the edge of the Spurs penalty area and within 30 seconds of that chance Billy Jones had a glorious opportunity to bring the majority of the 16,000 crowd to their feet as he met a Wallace dink from the left on the volley. Unfortunately it fell to his left foot and miscued the effort wide of the post.

The second goal followed this dominant spell for the Lilywhites, illustrating the need to take your chances when they come. Jermain Defoe jinked his way through the North End back line and although Andy Lonergan pulled off a fine initial save from his close range effort, the England star was quickest to react and looped a header into the net from six yards out.

Like the first goal, the second proved to be the instigator of a period of chances for North End with Gomes needed to get down quickly to claim a header from Parkin, after Michael Hart picked him pout brilliantly from the right hand side and then as the half drew to a close a thunderbolt from the right boot of Parkin from the edge of the 'd' was tipped over by the Brazilian stopper, however, Phil Dowd gave a goalkick!

North End started the second half zipping the ball about crisply and Parkin had a gilt-edged opportunity to pull one back on the 50 minute mark, Billy Jones blasting the ball across the box, but the ball unfortunately just hit Parkin and dropped kindly for Gomes rather than at the striker's feet.

North End's first change of the evening was an enforced one on 52 minutes, Richard Chaplow replacing Michael Hart - who had had a fine game at right back - Billy Jones slotting back into his usual role on the right hand side of the back line.

Andy Lonergan hadn't really been called into action much on the evening, but on 56 minutes he got down brilliantly to a Huddlestone effort that he must not have seen until the last minute as it flew through a ruck of players inside the box and seemed to be heading for the bottom left hand corner.

Shortly after he was again needed, this time to prevent an Aaron Lennon effort heading into the top corner; the England winger having replaced an injured Giovani shortly after the opening goal of the game.

With 20 minutes to go Gomes again showed his international class to deny Ross Wallace a goal from a wonderful 20 yard free kick that he had got up and over a huge Spurs wall, a wonderful sprawling dive palming the ball away.

Within two minutes Wallace had again stung the keeper's gloves, this time from 30 yards and as the ball came back to Parkin the No.26 was yanked back by Dawson 12 yards out. It appeared to everyone in the ground a definite penalty, but not to the one man that mattered, Premiership official Phil Dowd.

With 13 minutes left on the clock the third and killer goal came, courtesy again of Peter Crouch. North End were pinned in their last third and Aaron Lennon pinched the ball and marauded down the left before sliding the ball across to and Crouch slid home from close range to put the game beyond doubt.

North End got a deserved consolation goal, Chris Brown showing his predatory instincts from six yards, after Neil Mellor's excellent ball across the six yard box; the No.9 notching his seventh of the season so far - the two having replaced Parkin and Elliott with 12 minutes left. This was no more than the Lilywhites deserved and gave the crowd something to get excited about in the closing stages as the side pressed for more.

Sub Robbie Keane added a fourth for the visitors in the final minutes, firing home cleverly past Lonergan from eight yards out after North End had pushed up looking for a second and then Peter Crouch completed a hat-trick with a wonderful cheeky backheel from Lennon's left foot cross in injury time to give the scoreline an unfair reflection after a good performance from the home side.