Five things learned as Kane causes outrage in comfortable Spurs win

Harry Kane fully focused on Tottenham amid Bayern Munich speculation

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Tottenham produced a battling performance to overcome a resilient Everton side 2-0 to move within a point of leaders Arsenal. Spurs were not at their devastating best but Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck in the second half to hand Antonio Conte a morale-boosting victory as they put pressure on the teams at the summit.

Conte’s side dominated proceedings as many would have expected in the first half, but Everton were happy to let them as they remained resilient in their new-look defensive shape.

After a goalless first half, the hosts were dealt a blow when Richarlison’s game was brought to a premature end through injury. But they were handed a gift after an error from Jordan Pickford, who brought down Kane inside the penalty area and the striker confidently fired home from the spot.

Hojbjerg than found the top corner on 85 minutes to make sure of the three points after a sublime assist from Bentancur to make it eight straight home wins for the north London outfit. Express Sport looks at five things learned from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

Kane shrugs off diving claims to shine again

After combining for their 50th direct goal combination in the 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, it would have been natural for Tottenham to expect another double act from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. But playing against a more compact defence proved to be a tough challenge for the star duo.

Still, all it took was a moment of sharp thinking from Kane to make the difference, although some may question the motive. Pickford spilt a low effort from Matt Doherty and Kane was quick to the rebound before being brought down by the goalkeeper, although the contact looked minimal amid suggestions he may have died.

But once the penalty was awarded, there was little doubt the 28-year-old would find the back of the net, even if he had missed in midweek. The problem for Spurs is that Kane and Son have scored 12 of their 21 goals this season and it often does feel like a waiting game for them to produce a moment of individual — or combined — brilliance.

On this occasion Kane delivered, but with Richarlison’s injury concern, one has to wonder where else the goals might come from.

Gritty Spurs are contenders

They showed it against Chelsea despite an overall below-par display to earn a point. A loss at Arsenal showed where they had to improve and they have since then. But with every game, it seems like Tottenham are learning how to get over the line, regardless of their performance.

Conte has turned this side who were accused of being boring and defensive into a tireless pressing unit, reflected by Rodrigo Bentancur’s lung-bursting runs to close down Pickford and Eric Dier’s leadership at the back. Those small details will come into play when the going gets tough before and after the World Cup break, when Spurs just need to get those three points.

There will be more difficult tests to come for Tottenham than Everton, who came with a gameplan and saw it unravel after the penalty. But they stood up and produced a battling display to earn a deserved victory which puts them within a point of the league leaders. If that is still the case in another 10 games’ time, expect Conte’s men to fight down to the wire.

Richarlison’s disappointing return

The Brazilian striker had done a fair amount of talking off the pitch about Tottenham showing more ambition than Everton — and now was the time to prove he had made the correct decision to move to north London after his £60m move this summer, with no goals in eight Premier League appearances.

The tone was set when Vitaliy Mykolenko dug his studs into the back of Richarlison’s boot, causing the Brazilian to clutch his foot in pain. Of course, he would have been expecting such a welcome from his old team-mates and would have been just as motivated to put his former team to the sword, making runs in behind but not quite receiving the service he would have wanted.

His involvement was limited in the first half as Everton were aggressive in the tackle and he lasted just six minutes into the second half before being taken off with a suspected calf injury. And with Dejan Kulusevski soon to return from injury, he may have missed his chance to make the final spot in the front three his own.

Lampard tightens up Toffees

Chelsea had one of their worst defensive records in the Premier League era when Lampard was their manager in the 2019-20 season. And even when he arrived at Goodison Park, Everton could not stop leaking goals, with 13 out of 19 defeats in away games last season.

But with some work on the training ground and some shrewd recruitment, the 44-year-old has assembled a backline that works cohesively together. The free transfer of James Tarkowski and loan capture of Conor Coady were no-brainers, while Jordan Pickford is in the form of his life.

Last season, Lampard inherited a squad in crisis that looked out of sorts and survived by the skin of their teeth. But in spite of Pickford’s rare error, this performance that was full of commitment and valiance showed improvements are being made to bring Everton back as a difficult Premier League side to beat.

Coady can pack his bags

What kind of leverage did Everton hold over Wolves to convince them to loan them Conor Coady with a buyout price of £4.5m? Whatever convinced the Midlands side to approve the deal, there will be regrets on their side.

The 29-year-old has been nothing short of imperious at the back for Everton since his return to Merseyside, the area where he grew up. The centre-back has slotted seamlessly into Lampard’s backline and become a regular in no time at all. Even if he ended up on the losing side, his work to contain Kane was first-rate.

Gareth Southgate would have been watching in some capacity ahead of next month’s World Cup, with the Three Lions boss set to name his 26-man squad next week. And after another solid display, it is inconceivable to think Coady won’t be among the names listed.

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