Spurs rise to second as Kane treble crushes Stoke

LONDON: Harry Kane hit a first-half hat-trick as Tottenham stormed up to second in the Premier League with a 4-0 home demolition of Stoke on Sunday.

Kane’s treble took his tally to 17 league goals this season, while his first of the day at White Hart Lane was his 100th club goal.

The England forward, 23, who also scored three against Fulham in the FA Cup a week ago, capped an outstanding all-round display by setting up Dele Alli for the fourth.

That helped Alli to draw a line under his dismissal against Gent that contributed to Spurs’ Europa League exit on Thursday.

Tottenham’s victory took them above Manchester City and closed the gap on runaway leaders Chelsea to 10 points.

“It’s true that today Kane was fantastic, a hat-trick and a fantastic performance. He’s one of the best strikers in Europe and I’m very pleased for him because he deserves it,” Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said.

“He has big potential to improve, he’s still very young. He works hard every day, he’s professional.”

The damaging failure to beat Gent marked the latest disappointment for Spurs in a frustrating month that also saw their title challenge fade significantly.