Football news - Harry Kane and Son Heung-min score as Spurs win against West Brom
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Updated 07/02/2021 at 17:15 GMT
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Premier League - Tottenham 2 (Kane 54' Son 58') West Brom 0
Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with team mates Ben Davies and Son Heung-Min
Image credit: Getty Images
Harry Kane once again demonstrated his importance with a landmark goal as Tottenham got back to winning ways courtesy of a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened West Brom.
The England striker made a quick recovery from his ankle injuries to return to the side and help Jose Mourinho’s men end a run of three straight league defeats with a crucial second-half opener.
Kane fired home his 208th goal for Spurs in the 54th minute after seeing a flurry of chances go begging in a one-sided first period. The strike saw Kane break the 20-goal barrier for the seventh straight season and also ensured he drew level with Bobby Smith as the club’s joint-second highest scorer in history.
Son Heung-min then sealed victory just four minutes later when he provided the finishing touch to a lightning counter attack led by Lucas Moura.
West Brom gave a debut to deadline-day signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but it was fellow loanee, Mbaye Diagne who came closest for the visitors when he saw a rare chance saved by Hugo Lloris. The Galatasaray forward also had two goals correctly ruled out for offside.
The result sees Spurs move up to seventh while West Brom, who have won just once in 13 league matches, remain 11 points adrift of safety in 19th place.
Spurs will now look forward to a big week in their season. On Wednesday they visit Everton in the fifth round of the FA Cup before taking a trip to Manchester City on Saturday. West Brom host Manchester United on Sunday.
TALKING POINT - Crucial Kane inspires Spurs just in time for a massive week ahead
It says much about just how vital Kane is to Tottenham that he was fast-tracked back to fitness following a horrible, toothless run without him. Mourinho and his men desperately needed a victory to try and get back on track and it was no surprise that Kane had such a big say in the outcome. You could argue he was a tad rusty in the first period as he missed some chances he’d expect to take, but you sensed the goal was always coming and he was the one who would get it.
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Spurs have some huge games ahead, but are a completely different proposition with him in the side. It's a big 'if' but, if, they can knock Everton out of the FA Cup and earn a positive result at City, the season will take another turn in a positive direction. It went off course quite rapidly for Spurs after being top of the league on November 21, but with a fit and firing Kane, the belief it generates makes them a very dangerous side to face.
As for West Brom, it’s looking unlikely that Sam Allardyce will be able to mastermind another great escape. The effort and application was there, but the quality was lacking. Sam Johnstone made a series of saves to avoid it being a heavier loss and with so much ground to make up, it’ll take something remarkable from here for the Baggies to avoid the drop.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Harry Kane (Tottenham)
The striker simply inspires those around him. Tottenham have much more cutting edge when he’s in the line-up. He wasted some early chances, but was always the man getting in the right positions. Scored the crucial opener and also had a hand in the second.
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Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Image credit: Getty Images
PLAYER RATINGS
Tottenham: Lloris 7, Aurier 8, Alderweireld 7, Sanchez 7, Davies 7, Hojbjerg 8, Lamela 8, Moura 8, Ndombele 8, Son 7, Kane 8. Subs: Doherty 6, Bergwijn 6, Scarlett n/a.
West Brom: Johnstone 8, Peltier 6, Ajayi 7, Bartley 7, Townsend 7, Maitland-Niles 6, Sawyers 6, Gallagher 6, Snodgrass 7, Grant 6, Diagne 7. Subs: Phillips 6, Pereira 6, Yokuslu 6.
Matchcast: Full match stats and commentary
West Brom: Johnstone 8, Peltier 6, Ajayi 7, Bartley 7, Townsend 7, Maitland-Niles 6, Sawyers 6, Gallagher 6, Snodgrass 7, Grant 6, Diagne 7. Subs: Phillips 6, Pereira 6, Yokuslu 6.
Matchcast: Full match stats and commentary
KEY MOMENTS
15’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Lamela and Aurier do well down the right and feed the ball across to Kane. The striker takes aim from 20 yards but sees his firm strike clip the bar and fly wide.
18’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Ndombele's purposeful ball forward misses Son but falls perfectly for Kane. The Spurs talisman looks to be in but drags wide of the far post from a good position on the left side of the box.
41’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Johnstone makes another fine stop. This time he keeps out Aurier at the far post after a left-wing corner was flicked on.
45’ – WEST BROM CHANCE! Snodgrass leads a counter down the right. He cuts inside and crosses for Diagne, but his firm header is superbly saved by Lloris.
47’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Johnstone is immediately called into action as he denies Son with his left boot after Kane had sent his strike partner charging clear.
54’ - GOAL! – Tottenham 1-0 West Brom (Kane): Kane is left in too much space on the left of the WBA box. Højbjerg threads it through for him and the striker makes no mistake this time with a low shot into the far corner.
58’ - GOAL! – Tottenham 2-0 West Brom(Son): It's two! Spurs tear through the visitors on the break. Kane touches it to Lucas Moura, who rampages from inside his own half to the edge of the WBA box, before teeing up Son to fire home.
KEY STATS
- Kane has now scored 208 goals in 317 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, making him the joint-second highest scorer in the club’s history alongside Bobby Smith (also 208 goals in 317 apps).
- Only in 2016-17 (14) has Son Heung-Min scored more goals in a single Premier League campaign than the 13 he has netted already this season.
- Only Callum Wilson (40%) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (38%) have scored a higher portion of their team’s Premier League goals this season than Spurs duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min (13/36 each – 36%).
- West Brom have now conceded 28 goals in 10 games under Sam Allardyce, the joint-most a team has conceded after a manager's first 10 Premier League games alongside Danny Wilson (Barnsley 1997), Nigel Adkins (Southampton 2012) and Slavisa Jokanovic (Fulham 2018).
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