Tottenham's mercurial wing wizard David Ginola scored a goal of magical quality which is certain to go down in FA Cup folklore.

Spurs fans long remember Ricky Villa's mesmerising run in the 1981 FA Cup final replay against Manchester City at Wembley, one which has virtually worn out the archive reel.

Ginola's 68th minute winner to kill off Barnsley's FA Cup dreams was even more spellbinding, a few moments of sublime artistry which will be recalled for a long time after by those who witnessed it at Oakwell.

Forget the fact Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men just nine minutes prior to what will be a contender for goal of the season, if not the eventual winner in this sixth round clash.

It wouldn't have mattered if Barnsley had 22 men on the pitch at the time as the Frenchman turned on the flair to twist and shimmy his way past a series of despairing challenges before applying the coolest of finishes.

Four tormented Tykes players were left trailing in his wake as he started a run which began a few yards inside the Barnsley half and ended with a curled right-foot shot which comfortably beat the helpless Tony Bullock in the Barnsley goal.

The 4,000 travelling Tottenham fans erupted as Ginola suddenly embarked on another amazing run, this time in sheer ecstasy to celebrate his wonder-goal.

He ripped his shirt off in the process before being mobbed by the Spurs players and was still stood in his vest, shirt in hand, as Barnsley restarted the game.

The sad fact is he also played his part in Adie Moses' sending-off in the 59th minute - a repeat of his quarter-final dismissal of a year ago against Newcastle.

On that occasion the unfortunate centre-back was shown the red card for two bookable offences against Alan Shearer in a matter of minutes during Barnsley's defeat at St James' Park.

This time it was a matter of seconds as Birmingham referee Mike Reed first produced a yellow to the former Spurs fan, with Ginola the man brought down.

Tottenham manager George Graham was up in arms at the challenge which only really warranted a stern talking to, but the fact the Scot raced to the touchline in protest may well have influenced Reed's thinking.

For the second caution, and ultimately the red, there could be no excuses as Moses scythed down Les Ferdinand by the corner flag.

Having been booked just moments previously, Reed was left with little alternative but to give him his marching orders, with Moses visibly upset as one of the Barnsley coaches offered a consoling arm.

But as he trudged head bowed to the dressing room, it also provoked a touchline furore between Graham, Barnsley boss John Hendrie and coach Eric Winstanley.

Heated words were clearly exchanged and fingers pointed as the debate rumbled on for several moments after Moses had disappeared down the tunnel.

The repercussions were still being felt when Ginola struck to send his send into a semi-final against Newcastle at Old Trafford early next month.

With such a tricky tie out of the way, Tottenham can now concentrate on their Worthington Cup final with Leicester on Sunday as they aim for Wembley on two fronts.

The two explosive moments at either end of the emotional scale were the sole highlights of a match which was so tame in the first-half that there was no indication of the drama to come.

Chances were at a premium, the best of which was a Chris Armstrong header from a superb Ginola cross from the right wing which Bullock superbly tipped over at full stretch.

Barnsley's one real opportunity came within minutes of Ginola's goal as Nicky Eaden delivered a ball to the near post which Bruce Dyer, another one-time Tottenham supporter, headed narrowly wide.

The Tykes, having failed to find the net in eight of their previous 10 league games, never looked like breaking down a typically resilient Spurs team who have now lost just one of their last 19 matches in all competitions.

But the plaudits and the acclaim all belonged to Ginola, given a rapturous round of applause by the noisy travelling army as he was subbed late on, and vehemently booed by the Barnsley faithful who remembered the part he played in the Moses dismissal.

For Spurs though, that will easily be forgotten, with only a goal to savour living long in the memory for the 19,000 Oakwell crowd.

Teams

Barnsley: T. Bullock, Eaden, De Zeeuw, Moses, Morgan, Tinkler, McClare (Van Der Laan 66), Blackmore (M. Bullock 76), Jones, Hignett, Dyer (Sheron 81).

Subs Not Used: Leese, Appleby.

Sent Off: Moses (59).

Booked: Moses, Tinkler, Morgan.

Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Campbell, Vega, Taricco, Anderton, Sherwood, Freund, Ginola (Sinton 89), Ferdinand (Iversen 76), Armstrong.

Subs Not Used: Nielsen, Young, Baardsen.

Booked: Carr.

Goals: Ginola 68.

Att: 18,793

Ref: M Reed (Birmingham).