KANE RESPONDS BY ENSURING HE HAS LAST LAUGH
SOMEWHERE in the last couple of months Harry Kane went from being the golden boy of English football to the fall guy and a punchline for an easy joke. The official FA Cup Twitter account and chairman of the PFA Ben Purkiss were both unable to resist the opportunity. And, it is true, by his own very high standards, the goals have dried up either side of an ankle injury. Kane came into this game against Watford having scored only two in eight games and one of those was a goal he barely touched and claimed on appeal from Christian Eriksen, to the amusement of quite a few. Indeed, there were times last night when he was not as assured as he can be but he refuses to hide from the responsibility of putting himself in the position to score goals. This is his great strength and his goal, Tottenham’s second, was a perfect example. As Son Heung-min crossed from the right, Kane stopped to address the ball and slipped. It looked comical but as the ball rolled out to Kieran Tripper, the Spurs striker climbed to his feet. When Trippier crossed, he was there to tap in his 27th Premier League goal, settle the Wembley crowd and banish fears that Mauricio Pochettino’s team were about to blow a top-four finish. Dele Alli had scored the opener in the first half after some awful handling by Watford keeper Orestis Karnezis. ‘We started a bit slow but we won which is what we’re happy about,’ said Kane. ‘Three games left, we win them all hopefully and then we’re up to third.’ TOTTENHAM: (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7.5; Trippier 7, Sanchez 6.5, Vertonghen 6.5, Davies 6.5 Dier 6.5, Dembele 6 (Wanyama 63min, 6); Eriksen 6.5, ALLI 8 (Lamela 83). Son 6 (Sissoko 74, 6); Kane 7. Subs not used: Vorm, Alderweireld, Aurier, Moura. Booked: Wanyama. Scorers: Alli 16, Kane 48. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7. WATFORD: (4-2-3-1): Karnezis 4.5; Mariappa 6, Kabasele 6, Cathcart 6, Holebas 5; Doucoure 6.5, Capoue 5.5; Femenia 6 (Deulofeu 64, 6), Hughes 7 (Carrillo 83), Richarlison 5.5; Gray 5.5 (Deeney 64, 6). Subs not used: Gomes, Janmaat, Britos, Sinclair. Booked: None. Manager: Javi Gracia 5.5. Referee: Michael Oliver 7. Attendance: 52,675.