Two-goal Kane on target again
LONDON: A double from Harry Kane, who scored in his fifth consecutive club match, inspired Tottenham Hotspur to a 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham United in the Premier League at White Hart Lane yesterday.
England striker Kane continued his searing form, finding the target in his fourth consecutive league game after 23 minutes to set Spurs on their way to a 12th consecutive league match without defeat, matching the club’s record Premier League run.
After Kane’s blistering leftfoot strike on the turn, Toby Alderweireld headed home a second 10 minutes later, and then Kane struck again straight after the break.
Kyle Walker bent home an elegant fourth in the 83rd minute, before a late consolation from West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini.
Tottenham moved to within four points of surprise leaders Leicester City.
They also jumped three points clear of West Ham, whose best start to a Premier League season was rudely arrested, and lie fifth on 24 points, two behind north London rivals Arsenal and third-placed Manchester City, and three off Manchester United.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “It was a high-level performance. It was fantastic, and we feel very proud. It was a brilliant effort. We showed how we can play, and we need to keep the whole season the performance that we showed. Fantastic, fantastic show against a very good team like West Ham.
On Saturday, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy equalled a Premier League record by scoring for the 10th consecutive match as they went top with a 3-0 win at Newcastle United, before Manchester City were crushed 4-1 by Liverpool.
On a day when champions Chelsea ended their slump with a 1-0 win over Norwich City, Leicester became the third team in five hours to top the table after Manchester United also briefly led following their 2-1 victory at Watford in the early kick-off.
Manchester City, leaders at the start of the day, conceded three goals in the first 32 minutes as Liverpool got their most impressive win yet under new coach Juergen Klopp, while Arsenal also blew an opportunity by losing 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion.
Leicester reaching the summit was the highlight of a poignant afternoon when La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, was played at grounds throughout England as a mark of solidarity with France following last week’s Paris attacks.
Chelsea’s French defender Kurt Zouma led a rendition of the anthem at Stamford Bridge, where a huge French flag was displayed before the champions ended a run of three successive league defeats with victory over Norwich, thanks to a second-half goal from Diego Costa.
That lifted Chelsea up one place to 15th on 14 points, but still a long way behind leaders Leicester, who have 28, followed by United on 27 with City and Arsenal level on 26.
While Vardy equalled former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 12-yearold record for scoring in consecutive Premier League games, Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki also scored for Claudio Ranieri’s unfashionable Leicester side.
United led 1-0 following an 11th-minute volley from Memphis Depay, before Troy Deeney equalised with an 87th-minute penalty but then scored an own goal in stoppage time.
Everton crushed Aston Villa 4-0, and Swansea City and Bournemouth drew 2-2 in an exciting match at the Liberty Stadium. – Reuters