LONDON: Harry Kane extended his hot streak with a blistering brace as Tottenham beat Everton 3-2 to close the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points on Sunday. Kane opened the scoring with a thunderous first-half strike at White Hart Lane and netted again after the break to take his goal tally to 24 in 28 games this season. Everton forward Romelu Lukaku, Kane’s closest rival in the race to finish as Premier League top scorer, got one back before Dele Alli struck for Spurs in the closing moments. There was still time for Enner Valencia to score Everton’s second, but Tottenham held on for a third victory in their last four league games.
Kane’s prolific form puts a little more pressure on runaway leaders Chelsea, who must win at West Ham on Monday to restore their 10-point advantage. “Harry is one of the best. I repeat that not only if he scores, even if he does not score. He was fantastic. He deserves all the praise,” Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “We deserved to win. I feel very proud. We’re in a very good position here.” Everton could have no complaints about their first defeat in their last 10 league games, a setback which dents their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League.
Tottenham had an early penalty appeal when Kyle Walker surged past Leighton Baines into the area, but the Everton defender recovered impressively, just getting a foot on the ball with his last-ditch challenge. Although Spurs were monopolising possession, all the neat passing from Pochettino’s men hadn’t forced Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles into action. Sensing that his team needed to be more direct, Kane took matters into his own hands to break the deadlock in the 20th minute. — AFP
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