Another game, another two goals for Harry Kane and yet another win for Spurs who cut the gap to Chelsea at the top of the table and remain unbeaten at White Hart Lane in the Premier League.
The game had been billed as the battle of the Premier League’s top scorers with Kane and Romelu Lukaku going into the clash level at the top of the goalscoring charts. Lukaku had a difficult afternoon but still managed to grab a goal yet come full time it is the Spurs man out on his own on 19 goals after bagging a double. After a steady start Kane lit up the Lane after just 20 minutes with a goal out of nothing. The striker picked up possession and moved it forwards before thumping it past the despairing dive of Joel Robles from 25 yards. The goal was his 18th Premier League goal of the season, his 13th in 12 appearances in 2017, the seventh time he has scored an opening goal in a league game this season. The stats keep growing, so does Kane’s reputation – on current form he’s the best striker in a league that contains Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Minutes later and Kane almost had a second. On the edge of the box, he wriggled inside, swapped passes with Christian Erikssen but this time Robles managed to block his effort.
Suddenly it was all Spurs, swarming all over Everton, Eriksen rolled one just wide, Victor Wanyama hit a post and Kane might have had a penalty after tangling with Ashley Williams but somehow Everton made it to the break just 1-0 down. Unfortunately for the visitors the second half continued in much the same vein, Robles saving a Dele Alli header before Jan Vertonghen stung his palms with a fierce shot after a marauding run from the back. But it was Kane again who finally beat the Everton stopper on 56 minutes after Alli pinched possession off Williams after a poor pass from Morgan Schneiderlin. Alli then rolled the ball in to his team-mate who finished low and confidently.
Another goal and another record for Kane, his 14th home league goal of the season, the highest number ever recorded by a Tottenham player in a Premier League campaign. He could have had a hat-trick too, Robles again saving from Kane from point-blank range after Everton’s defence had gone missing, but it wasn’t too be. In stark contrast Lukaku at the other end of the pitch was having a game to forget. Starved of service, with very little support he was also coming out second best to Vertonghen. However, that all changed with 10 minutes to go, a rare slip by the the Spurs defender which Lukaku was quick to exploit firing home to become Everton’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer with 61 goals.
The goal set up a dramatic finish as Everton pressed for an equaliser but it was Spurs scoring again after Alli touched home Harry Winks’ free kick in stoppage time before Enner Valencia grabbed another goal back seconds later as the game somehow ended up 3-2. Despite the late drama the day very much belonged to Kane, again the match-winner, as Spurs sealed their ninth home league win in a row – a club record.
