PREMIER Kane double sinks Reds
London, Oct. 22: Harry Kane scored twice for Tottenham Hotspur in a 41 victory over an abject Liverpool team on Sunday that left the Merseyside club’s Premier League title hopes in tatters.
Kane struck early in each half, book-ending goals from Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli, with Mohamed Salah netting in reply in front of a record Premier League crowd of 80,827 at Wembley that included the great Diego Maradona.
Spurs move level on points with second-place Manchester United, five points below leaders Manchester City, while Liverpool’s sorry defensive display left them a yawning 12 points off the pace in eighth place.
It was a second galling defeat against a supposed title rival for Liverpool, following their 5-0 capitulation at City in early September.
They were unrecognisable from the team that had crushed Maribor 7-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, their travails summed up by a catastrophic defensive display from Dejan Lovren, who was taken off in the 31st minute. Ronald Koeman’s job security was further eroded on Sunday when Everton slipped into relegation zone with a 2-5 home loss to Arsenal.
The statistics are bleak for Everton— they have no win in their last five matches, two victories in the last 13, eight points from nine games and only six league goals.
Even Wayne Rooney’s recreation of his famous breakthrough goal as a 16year-old against the same opposition and in the same Goodison Park net to give Everton an unexpected early lead could not mask the issues the Toffees face. Jose Mourinho launched a withering verbal attack on his Manchester United players following their surprise defeat at Huddersfield Town and confessed he was shocked by their lacklustre performance.
United were beaten for the first time this season, while promoted Huddersfield’s 2-1 win marked their first top- flight victory over their illustrious visitors since 1952.
Huddersfield’s goals, scored by Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre, were a direct result of disastrous mistakes by United’s Juan Mata and Victor Lindelof.
“In the first half I was waiting for it,” said Mourinho, whose side replied through substitute Marcus Rashford.
— Agencies