Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says that it's much easier to play against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City than the lower league clubs.

The North London side had to rely on late goals from Ben Davies and Son Heung-Min to secure a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

The Argentine manager conceded that top teams could suffer from lack of motivation against the supposed smaller teams in cup competitions.

"The starting XI today deserve a lot of credit because it's always difficult to play a team, that is a very good team because they have Premier League players, but to be ready to compete in the FA Cup is always difficult," Pochettino said after the game.

"It is easy to play against Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United when the motivation is higher and for that full respect for the starting XI today because they deserve full credit.

"For me the performance was solid and it is always difficult to play that type of game."