United boss moans as Kane breaks records
BIG spending is the reason Manchester City is speeding clear of Manchester United in the English Premier League race, according to United manager Jose Mourinho.
After salvaging a 2-2 draw against Burnley, secondplaced United trails City by 12 points, with City looking to extend that advantage against Newcastle overnight.
“Manchester City buy the fullbacks for the price of the strikers,” Mourinho said, referring to the summer buys of Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy by City for more than $172 million.
“Is not enough, is not enough,” the Portuguese manager said of his own expenditure at United, about $517 million in the past 19 months.
It could have been worse for United. Jesse Lingard came off the bench at halftime to score twice and cancel out first-half strikes from Burnley’s Ashley Barnes and Steven Defour.
The result left United one point ahead of third-placed Chelsea, which continued its strong home form by defeating Brighton 2-0.
At Wembley, Harry Kane established a record for the most Premier League goals in a year and will finish as Europe’s leading scorer for 2017.
Kane’s 22nd-minute header for Tottenham Hotspurs against Southampton was his 37th goal of the year, moving him past Alan Shearer’s previous Premier League best, which was set when he played for Blackburn in 1995.
But Kane was not happy to settle for that milestone and he scored twice more to claim his eighth treble of the year.
His second goal took him to 55 for club and country in 2017, lifting him above Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to become Europe’s top scorer in the past 12 months in the five major competitions (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France).
“It has been a fantastic year. To get compared to those players, the Messis and Shearers, is what it is all about. Hopefully 2018 is even better,” Kane said.
His heroics were the highlight of a memorable Boxing Day for Spurs as Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min also scored in a 5-2 victory.
Liverpool retained its grip on fourth place as Philippe Coutinho’s gem inspired a 5-0 demolition of bottom club Swansea. Coutinho produced a majestic strike to put Liverpool ahead from the edge of the area in the sixth minute. Roberto Firmino netted from Coutinho’s free-kick seven minutes after halftime. Young Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold notched his first league goal in the 65th minute and Firmino scored again a minute later.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rounded off the thrashing in the 83rd minute.
Bournemouth salvaged a controversial 3-3 draw against fellow strugglers West Ham at Dean Court. Watford ended a six-game winless run as they beat Leicester 2-1, West Bromwich Albion are without a win in 18 league games after a goalless draw against Everton, while Huddersfield drew 1-1 with Stoke.