Majestic Kane is goalscoring king
● Tottenham striker breaks Alan Shearer’s 22-year record in 5-2 victory
Mauricio Pochettino hailed “world class” Harry Kane after the striker smashed the Premier League record for goals in a calendar year with a match-winning hat-trick.
Kane needed just one strike to surpass Alan Shearer’s 22-year-old record of 36 goals but he broke it in style with a superb Wembley treble in the 5-2 demolition of Southampton.
The England international, who has made history in just 36 appearances compared to Shearer’s 42 for Blackburn in 1995, put Spurs into a two-goal half-time lead with a close range header and a simple tapin before completing his secondsuccessive hat-trick with a dinked finish for his side’s fifth.
Dele Alli and Son Heungmin each struck to make it 4-0 to Spurs, while Saints pulled goals back through Sofiane Boufal and substitute Dusan Tadic. “First of all I want to congratulate Harry Kane, massive achievement for him, well deserved,” said Argentine Pochettino.
“For me, he’s world class. I think today, number one striker in the world, specific position, who’s better than him?”
Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard came off the bench to spare Manchester United defeat at the hands of Burnley, scoring twice to rescue a 2-2 draw for Jose Mourinho’s side.
Lingard answered a halftime SOS with United staring down the barrel at 2-0 down but pulled one back with an instinctive back-heel before striking through a packed box in added time to cap a frantic finale.
Steven Defour had put Burnley two in front with a sublime free-kick that followed Ashley Barnes’ opener.
Philippe Coutinho provided the style and compatriot Roberto Firmino the substance as Liverpool’s brilliant Brazilians dispatched rudderless Swansea 5-0 in clinical fashion at Anfield.
Things looked bleak for the Premier League’s bottom side when Coutinho curled home a superb sixth-minute opener.
The hosts’ sluggishness prevented them scoring further until early in the second half when Firmino volleyed in Coutinho’s free-kick, and the former later added his second after Trent Alexander-arnold drilled in a half-volley off the underside of the crossbar. Alex Oxlade-chamberlain fired in the fifth seven minutes from time.
Chelsea defeated Brighton 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Alvaro Morata returned from suspension to nod home the opener 40 seconds after half-time before Marcos Alonso headed in to put the result beyond doubt.
Watford came from behind to defeat Leicester City 2-1 at Vicarage Road. Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring for the Foxes when he headed home from Marc Albrighton’s cross in the first half.
Former Leicester man Molla Wague prodded home after the visitors failed to clear their lines, before Watford went in front after the interval, Abdoulaye Doucoure squeezing the ball past Kasper Schmeichel from the tightest of angles.
Bournemouth salvaged a 3-3 draw against West Ham in a thrilling Premier League encounter at Dean Court.
Callum Wilson was credited with the Cherries’ third in stoppage time after he had the final touch as Nathan Ake headed goalwards. Hammers skipper James Collins headed his side into a seventh-minute lead only for Dan Gosling to equalise.
Ake put the hosts ahead but a Marko Arnautovic brace had West Ham on course for victory before Wilson struck.
Tom Ince’s first Premier League goal since February 2014 was cancelled out by Ramadan Sobhi’s second in four days as Huddersfield and Stoke drew 1-1.
West Brom and Everton drew 0-0.