Spurs thrash Swans; Gunners second
TOTTENHAM claimed only their second win in 11 matches as Harry Kane celebrated signing a new longterm contract with two goals in a 5-0 rout of struggling Swansea yesterday.
Kane committed his future for the next five and a half years this week and the England striker scored a 39th-minute penalty to open the scoring before Son Heung-Min scored a spectacular second just before the break.
Kane then added his second of the game four minutes after the break and Christian Eriksen also got on the scoresheet twice late on as Mauricio Pochettino’s side produced the perfect response to consecutive defeats by Monaco and Chelsea.
On the back of a memorable 5-4 victory over Crystal Palace, Swansea boss Bob Bradley opted to make two changes, with Mike van der Hoorn and Jefferson Montero starting.
The game took a while to get going with Tottenham defender Kyle Walker floored by an early aerial challenge by Neil Taylor.
Eventually Spurs took the lead on 39 minutes when Kane took a spotkick, firing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
Tottenham did get their second on the stroke of half time with a spectacular acrobatic effort from Son.
Kane made it 3-0 within four minutes of the restart with a cool finish from 15 yards after Son had done the hard work on the break.
It was Kane’s sixth goal in five matches since his return from an ankle injury last month.
Tottenham scored a fourth on 70 minutes as Eriksen headed home KANE ABLE: Harry Kane converts the penalty to score the opening goal against Swansea City at White Hart Lane yesterday from close range from Son’s cross and a fifth followed in stoppage time as Eriksen scored his second from substitute Moussa Sissoko’s pass. AT THE Stadium of Light, Sunderland took the lead in the 64th minute when Leicester defender Robert Huth deflected a Jan Kirchhoff header into his own net.
Jermain Defoe grabbed Sunderland’s second goal in the 77th minute and, although Japan striker Shinji Okazaki reduced the deficit three minutes later, the hosts held on for a third win in their last four league games. Struggling champions Leicester remain just two points above the relegation zone after a fifth successive league game without a win. CRYSTAL Palace striker Christian Benteke eased the pressure on boss Alan Pardew with a brace in a 3-0 win over Southampton at Selhurst Park.
After six successive defeats, including an astonishing late meltdown in a 5-4 loss at Swansea last weekend, Pardew finally got a lucky break when Palace went ahead in the 33rd minute.
Southampton keeper Fraser Forster miskicked Jose Fonte’s backpass to gift the simplest of tap-ins to former Liverpool forward Benteke.
James Tomkins netted for Palace in the 36th minute and Benteke marked his 26th birthday with his second goal in the 85th minute to secure the Eagles’ first win in their last eight league games. STOKE eased to a 2-0 win against Burnley as Jonathan Walters struck in the 20th minute and Marc Muniesa bagged his first Premier League goal in the 35th minute. WEST Bromwich Albion climbed to sixth place with a 3-1 victory over Watford at the Hawthorns.
Jonny Evans put Albion in front with a powerful header from Chris Brunt’s 16th-minute corner and Brunt made it two in the 34th minute when he fired home a 25-yard free kick.
Christian Kabasele got one back for Watford on the hour, but their hopes of a comeback were ended when Roberto Pereyra was sent off for kicking James McClean in the 84th minute and Matt Phillips scored Albion’s third in the final moments. Arsenal beat West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium to move into second place.
Goals by Mesut Ozil (24th minute) Alexis Sanchez (72nd, 79th and 86th minutes) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (84th minute) gave the Gunners the points. Andy Carroll came on as a substitute to pull one back for the Hammers. — AFP and Sports staff