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| Harry Kane celebrates after scoring Tottenham's third goal |
NEWS NEWS BLOG SPORT takes a look at six things we learnt from White Hart Lane after Harry Kane scored his first goal of the season to help Tottenham defeat Manchester City 4-1.
The title race isn't over yet
Just over a week ago, with Chelsea and Manchester United in turmoil and Manchester City enjoying a 100 per cent start to the season, it was hard to see the Premier League heading anywhere other than the Etihad. Suddenly, with back-to-back defeats and a growing injury list, nothing seems so certain any more. And when names like Patrick Roberts, Brandon Barker and George Evans appearing on the City team-sheet yesterday, for all the millions spent one cannot help but feel City are a little bit more vulnerable than they first appear.
Fortune favours a trier
“After 60 minutes and nine seconds, the PA announcer at White Hart Lane boomed out, “the goalscorer is Harry Kane.” Diplomatically, he left out the part about eight previous games. His drought has not stopped him having a go at goal though and, having ridden the luck with the assistant’s flag, he had the boldness to meet the rebound from Christian Erikssen’s free-kick off the bar first time and watched relieved as it curled just inside the top corner of the goal. An extra touch then would have lost him the chance.
It is easy to take Joe Hart for granted
Willy Caballero is undoubtedly a very good goalkeeper and nine times out of 10 can be relied upon to deputise for Joe Hart, who today Manuel Pellegrini decided not to risk due to a slight injury. Unfortunately, this was the 10th. You feel a world-class goalkeeper like Hart would have set himself better after the initial save just before the break and might just have got a finger to Eric Dier’s low drive. And what on earth was he up to for Tottenham’s second?
A happy Yaya Toure is completely unplayable
Yes, Kyle Walker should not have given the ball away so cheaply for the opening City goal, but he was just outside the Tottenham area, for goodness sake. Spurs are no slouches, however, nobody could keep pace with Toure’s 50-yard drive and with their captain enjoying his football once again, City can punish teams from anywhere. Losing him after 55 minutes with a hamstring injury was a huge blow.
Delle Alli is not quite ready yet
Roy Hodgson was understood to be at White Hart Lane watching his third Tottenham game of the week with a particular eye on Dele Alli. The 19-year-old has been impressive so far this season but misplaced a few passes and was late on a couple of tackles in this, only his third Premier Leaguestart ever. Early England call-ups have done former Spurs stars Steven Caulker, Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore few favours and Alli has plenty of time on his side. He looks the real deal, but leave it a while, please, Roy.
We don't need video referees in football
So, three of the five goals were offside. Vital decisions could have sent upstairs more often than a naughty Victorian child throughout the 90 minutes, but to what benefit. A huge pause in the momentum of a pulsating end-to-end game. A good deal of debate over the Kevin De Bruyne decision in particular would still have split opinions after endless replays. And at the end of it all, Tottenham would still have won, albeit by 2-0 instead of 4-1.
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