Kane determined to extend hot streak
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur hero Harry Kane wants his side to carry on from where left off against bitter rivals Arsenal when they face Liverpool at Anfield today.
The 21-year-old was the star turn as he scored two goals in Tottenham’s comefrom-behind win over Arsenal in last weekend’s North London derby at White Hart Lane.
Now fifth-placed Spurs are a point and a place in front of Arsenal, one of their rivals for a top four spot — and the Champions League football that goes with it — along with Liverpool, currently seventh.
Yet not since 1995 have Spurs finished above perennial Champions League qualifiers Arsenal.
“If we finish above Arsenal, of course we’ve got a great chance of finishing in the top four because Arsenal have been up there for so many years now,” said Kane.
“You’d like to think if you’re above Arsenal then you’d be in the top four but the Premier League is a strange league sometimes and you never know what’s going to happen. We’ve got to focus and do what we can do.”
Kane is the English top-flight’s leading scorer with 22 goals in all competitions, including an impressive run of 11 in his last 14 matches.
“He is doing well, scoring goals and we have to look after him,” Liverpool central defender Martin Skrtel said of Kane.
“But it is not only him, Tottenham are doing well as a team. They are playing much better than they played before so we have to be ready for them.”
Saturday’s goalless draw in the Merseyside derby represented Liverpool’s fourth successive match without conceding and Skrtel added: “We are happy for our clean sheets because from the beginning of the season there was a lot of criticism of the defending.”
Arsenal, who had won five successive matches before losing to Spurs, have the seemingly ideal chance to bounce straight back when they face bottom-of-the-table Leicester at the Emirates Stadium today.
However, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger insisted the Foxes would be no push-overs.
“We play at home against Leicester, a team who fight not to go down,” said Wenger. “We have to recover from the disappointment and be ready to respond very quickly.”
Leicester, who lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, were forced to issue a statement late Sunday insisting Nigel Pearson was still their manager following a report he had been sacked.
Meanwhile relegation-threatened QPR, still without a permanent manager following Harry Redknapp’s resignation last week, will go in search of their first away league win of the season against Sunderland.
Chelsea could find themselves 10 points clear at the top of the table come full-time tomorrow if they win at home to Everton and second-placed Manchester City, the defending champions, lose away to Stoke.
As if to emphasise their goal threat, it was right-back Branislav Ivanovic who scored Chelsea’s winner against Aston Villa and Blues manager Jose Mourinho said: “He is a competitive animal. A big heart.
“A team is an artist like [Eden] Hazard, it is a defender like Branislav. The mix and combination of talent makes a team.”
Meanwhile City manager Manuel Pellegrini insisted his side’s recent slump could not be blamed on the absence of key midfielder Yaya Toure, who helped the Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
City, who drew 1-1 with lowly Hull last weekend, have now gone four games without a league win while Toure has been on international duty.
“You can’t have any doubt how important Yaya Toure is for us,” said Pellegrini. “But we feel that every game without Yaya we could win. It is not just about one player.”
Tomorrow also sees third-placed Southampton at home to West Ham and Manchester United, currently fourth, welcome Burnley to Old Trafford.