‘Lucky’ Kane is a record breaker
Kane scores twice but Son shines brightest as Everton are demolished at Wembley
TOTTENHAM’S response to the demonstration of Manchester City’s superiority over them a month ago has now been emphatic and decisive. Since the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad, Mauricio Pochettino’s team have won four out of five in the Premier League, with one draw and 15 goals scored.
They might be second best to City but, all things considered, that is not a bad place to be. In the form they were in against Everton here they will be a force to be reckoned with throughout Europe in the Champions League.
Never remotely troubled, Tottenham were simply too strong, too quick and too creative for a ragged-looking Ever ton. Son Heung-min was outstanding and Christian Eriksen not far behind. When Harry Kane and Deli Alli are your four or fifth best performers, you know you have a squad capable of great things.
Of course, opposition may not always be as accommodating as Everton. The Sam All ardyce revival has faltered somewhat, this being a fourth successive defeat. More alarmingly, having only conceded twice in his first seven games, Everton have now shipped 10 in four.
Against Spurs they looked nothing like an Allardyce team; over-run in midfield, chaotic in defence and pretty much inviting their opponents to run amok.
And Tottenham did just that. When they attack with pace and verve they are a joy to watch and here they proved impossible to contain. In the 26th minute Everton allowed them time and space to play short passes before Eriksen produced an outstanding switch of play with a cross-field pass into the path of Serge Aurier. But the space afforded both passer and the receiver of the ball was astonishing. Cuco Martina was following Son into the box but no one from midfield saw fit to cover his position. It was a team failure. Aurier took his cue, positively galloped into the Everton box and drove the ball across goal, where Son timed his run perfectly to score from close range. Despite their lack of competitive edge early on and their scant ball possession, it was, however, Everton who had the ball in the net first. From a rare corner, Cenk Tosun rose powerfully and with serious intent to meet the ball and send it goalwards. Wayne Rooney, lurking close to goal, darted to get the final touch but was in an offside position, so it was ruled out. In theory, Tosun, with Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Yannick
Bolasie behind him, should be a forward line with which to be reckoned. It combines goals, craft, experience and speed. Certainly Ronald Koeman, denied Bolasie through injury and a centre forward because of transfer failures, would have liked to have started with a front four resembling this.
Yet there was little chance to judge them in that first half as Tottenham enjoyed chance after chance. There was an Eriksen freekick in the 15th minute which was whipped in and met by Son’s head but diverted sharply over the bar. And there was a Kane strike in the 22nd minute saved by Jordan Pickford. Given their superiority, they might have expected more.
No matter. They put things right early in the second half. Again, there was a degree of chaos among Everton’s defenders. Jonjoe Kenny raced out to cut off Son, who was launching a counter attack. Yet he over-ran himself, allowing Son to slip past and advance into space.
Again Everton were caught on the back foot. Son measured his cross and Kane met it from three yards to extend the lead. And Everton were overwhelmed again in the 52nd minute as Son advanced through midfield and played in Alli, who shot cleanly but hit the side netting.
Two minutes later there was space in abundance yet again as Kane strolled through midfield to shoot from long range, prompting Pickford to parry the ball away. In the 58th minute a lovely Aurier pass found Son, whose quick and powerful strike rebounded off the post. Everton had no response.
A third goal was inevitable. It came just a minute later when Eric Dier swung in a cross and Mason Holgate could only watch as Kane ghosted past him and finished from close range, overtaking Teddy Sheringham as the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer on 98.
A fourth would come, the only surprise being that it took until the 82nd minute. Pickford was largely responsible, his double save in the 77th minute from Son and Alli the equivalent of holding the fort on his own against a clinical assault.
It could not last and, finally, Son cut across goal, played in Alli who, with an audacious back heel, found Eriksen, who swept the ball home.