Kane fires Spurs into Champions League
HARRY KANE fired Tottenham Hotspur into next season’s Champions League as Chelsea faltered in a 1-1 draw at home to Huddersfield yesterday that secured survival for the Terriers.
A point for Huddersfield also ensures Swansea will join West Brom and Stoke in being relegated to the Championship barring a 10-goal swing in goal difference between the Welsh side and Southampton on the final day of the season on Sunday.
A surprisingly much-changed Chelsea side from the one that beat Liverpool four days ago fell behind when Laurent Depoitre forced the ball home five minutes into the secondhalf.
Recognising the error of his team selection, Antonio Conte threw on Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard from the bench, and was quickly rewarded when Marcos Alonso levelled just after the hour mark.
However, Huddersfield held on desperately in the final half hour to secure the vital point that guaranteed another season in the top flight.
Spurs capitalised on Chelsea’s slip-up to ensure they will have Champions League football for a third consecutive campaign when they move into a new 62,000 capacity stadium next season.
Tottenham had won just one of their previous five matches and were again far from their best in a nervy display.
But Kane proved to be their talisman once more as his 39th goal of the season just after half-time was enough to move Spurs above Liverpool into third.
At the Etihad, champions Manchester City added three more records to a sensational season by breaking the previous best Premier League marks for wins, points and goals in a 3-1 victory over Brighton.
Pep Guardiola’s men also bid farewell to Yaya Toure in the Ivorian’s final home game in City colours.
Toure was an inspirational figure in City’s first two title wins of a freespending era under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership.
Leroy Sane bagged a hattrick of assists for City as Danilo opened the scoring before Claudio Bravo showed why replacing the Chilean with Ederson in goal has been a major factor in City’s upturn this season.
Bravo was caught in no-man’s land as he rushed from his goal to try and clear but allowed Davy Propper to cross for Leonardo Ulloa to head into an unguarded goal.
However, Bernardo Silva quickly restored City’s lead before Sane again provided the inspiration for Fernandinho to seal a record-breaking three points 18 minutes from time.
Arsene Wenger’s penultimate game in charge of Arsenal ended in depressingly familiar fashion as the 10-man Gunners were defeated 3-1 at Leicester.
Arsenal remain the only team in England’s top four leagues without a point away from home this year having now lost seven straight Premier League games on the road.
Kelechi Iheanacho had already fired the Foxes into an early lead before Arsenal were reduced to 10 men when Konstantinos Mavropanos was shown a straight red card for hauling down Iheanacho.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored his ninth Arsenal goal in just 13 appearances since a club record move from Borussia Dortmund in January to draw the visitors level.
But Arsenal were left ruing another refereeing decision as Demarai Gray tumbled inside the area and Jamie Vardy rifled home the resulting penalty before Riyad Mahrez added a late third for Leicester. – AFP