Happy hunting as Kane tames faltering Foxes
LEICESTER’S TOP-FOUR HOPES FADE
Hugo Lloris with 24 shots – the most by a visiting team at Spurs – it looks like Europa League football at the King Power now.
Rodgers has had nightmares about pitting his wits against Mourinho ever since he missed out on the title by a whisker at Liverpool, with Steven Gerrard’s fateful slip and Demba Ba galloping clear to score in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Anfield in 2014. And inside six minutes, Rodgers was suffering at the hands of his nemesis again.
Son Heung-Min sprang the offside trap and although Kasper Schmeichel appeared to have the Korean’s shot covered, the Foxes keeper was stranded by a telling deflection off James Justin. The Foxes were unlucky when Ben Davies smuggled Jamie
Vardy’s back-heeled finish off the line before Hugo Lloris made a stunning one-handed save to divert Ayoze Perez’s volley round the post.
Eight minutes before the break Spurs executed a perfect counter-attack to extend their lead. From a cleared Youri Tielemans corner, Giovani Lo Celso led the charge, Moura rolled an inviting pass
into the channel and
Kane swept his left-foot finish into the far corner.
Soon it was 3-0. Lucas Moura robbed Luke Thomas to lead another fast break and Kane teased Ryan Bennett before cutting inside and bending his shot home.
Mourinho says he has little interest in finishing above Arsenal, saying Spurs need to be exploring more ambitious horizons. But it is a start.
And although Kane is not going to win the Golden Boot this year because of his injury lay-off in the New Year, 33 goals for club and country – 17 in the Premier League – is still a decent season’s work by any yardstick.
That honour is likely to go to 23-goal Vardy, who was out of luck this time.
But Kane has now scored more goals against Leicester than any other club.
Can he play you week, Brendan?
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Lloris 8; Aurier 7, Sanchez 6, Alderweireld 7, Davies 7; Sissoko 6, Winks 6 (Skipp 90); Lo Celso 6 (Lamela 77); Moura 8 (Bergwijn 77), Son 6 (Fernandes 89); Kane 8.
Goals: Justin 6 og, Kane 37, 40.
LEICESTER (3-4-3): Schmeichel 6; Bennett 4 (Gray 46, 7), Morgan 5, Evans 5; Justin 6, Ndidi 5 (Mendy 70, 5), Tielemans 7 (Praet 70, 6), Thomas 6; Perez 7 (Iheanacho 59,6 ), Vardy 6, Barnes 6 (Hirst 83). every
JOSE MOURINHO anointed Harry Kane as the new Special One after the England captain fired Tottenham to the gates of Europe.
Kane’s two goals crowned a classic contain-and-destroy performance in which Spurs managed just 30 per cent possession.
Mourinho said: “He is a guy who lives for family, for football and a little bit of golf – but he’s an amazing professional.
“Everyone thinks he is a fantastic player and Tottenham is so lucky to have him – the player, the person and the Tottenham boy.”
Kane returned the compliment to his boss, saying: “It was hard for him to come and put his stamp on things but we have been able to do that in the last three wins.
“It’s just one of those teams I seem to score a few against.”
Brendan Rodgers feels his side can still reach the Champions League but they may need to win their shoot-out with main rivals Manchester United next Sunday to make it happen.
He said: “We still have a shot at being in the Champions League next season and we’ll give it everything to get there.”