Kane surpasses 200 goals in win
NOTTINGHAM: Harry Kane missed a penalty but scored twice to surpass 200 league goals in his career and give Tottenham Hotspur a 20 victory at Nottingham Forest yesterday that kept up its strong start to the Premier League season.
Forest, which has signed 17 players for about £150 million ($NZ286 million) since promotion, made the early running before Spurs’ prolific striker silenced the crowd with a low fifthminute strike from inside the penalty area.
His scuffed goal, after a superb run and pass by Dejan Kulusevski, was Kane’s 200th league goal.
But it was to get better in the second half when Kane scored a closerange header from a sumptuous outsideoftheboot cross by Richarlison in the 81st minute. That was his 187th Premier League goal, adding to nine in the Championship and five in League One.
Spurs’ third victory in four games, plus one draw, left it third in the Premier League on 10 points, two behind north London rival Arsenal which has had a flawless start.
Kane acknowledged the pressure Forest put them his side under for long periods and said Spurs had plenty of room for improvement.
‘‘We’ve had a great preseason, we’re feeling fit but we’re not quite showing it yet.
‘‘We are still winning games and becoming stronger as the game goes on,’’ he said.
West Ham United opened its Premier League goals and points account for the season as a deflected effort by Pablo Fornals sealed a 10 victory at Aston Villa.
The Spaniard took aim from 25m in the 74th minute and his effort looped in after hitting Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
It was reward for an improved secondhalf performance by West Ham which offered little before the break.
The victory lifted West Ham off the foot of the table into 17th place with three points, the same as Villa.
‘‘It’s a great three points. The Premier League is tough at the moment. There’s very little between the teams, games are really tight and that’s the way it was today,’’ West Ham manager David Moyes said.
And while Moyes was clearly relieved to get the Hammers season up and running, the focus shifted to Steven Gerrard whose side has lost three of its opening four games.
Newcastle United winger Allan SaintMaximin struck a thunderous volley in the final minute to rescue a point in a 11 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ruben Neves had broken the deadlock in the 38th minute, rifling a shot from distance through the legs of Joe Willock and into the net to cap off a brilliant move. — Reuters