EPL: Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Liverpool
Harry Kane grabbed a brace
Harry Kane grabbed a brace as Tottenham thrashed Liverpool 4-1 at Wembley to strengthen their grip on third spot in the Premier League.
The England international scored his first goal for Spurs at the national stadium early on and Heung-Min Son increased the lead eight minutes later.
Liverpool pulled a goal back through Mohamed Salah, but it was 3-1 just before half-time with Dele Alli on the scoresheet.
Kane’s second of the match sealed the three points which moves Spurs level on 20 points with second-placed Manchester United, while Liverpool drop down to ninth on 13 points.
Spurs had a dream start in the fourth minute when Kieran Trippier chipped the ball into the path of Kane who went past the advancing Simon Mignolet in the area and held off two defenders before hitting a left-foot strike into the empty net.
It was 2-0 on 12 minutes when Kane burst clear down the right channel and picked out Son in the middle with a low cross and the South Korean hit a first-time left-foot strike past Mignolet.
It was almost 3-0 in the 16th minute when Christian Eriksen played in Son down the right of the area and his angled strike bounced down off the crossbar before Liverpool cleared their lines.
Liverpool got a foothold in the game on 24 minutes when Kane was robbed of possession on halfway and Jordan Henderson then picked out the run of Salah with a lovely pass down the right of the area and his scuffed effort beat Hugo Lloris before going in off the far post.
Son almost restored the two-goal cushion as he got in behind the Liverpool defence on 29 minutes but he couldn’t get a clean connection on his shot and Mignolet saved with his feet.
Spurs did go in at the break with their two-goal cushion restored when Joel Matip could only head a free-kick into the Liverpool area as far as Alli on the edge of the area and he fired in a first-time volley past Mignolet.
Spurs killed the game on 56 minutes with a fourth goal when Mignolet flapped a Trippier free-kick from the right down to Jan Vertonghen. And, while his effort was blocked on the line by Roberto Firmino, Kane was on hand to fire in the loose ball from close range.
Lloris produced a stunning save to prevent Philippe Countinho from pulling a goal back on 67 minutes as he somehow managed to get a hand to the Brazilian’s curling effort which was heading towards the top corner and diverted it onto the crossbar.
On 78 minutes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain robbed the ball off Serge Aurier down the right byline and teed up Salah but again Lloris denied Liverpool a second goal with his foot.
There was a slight worry for Spurs in the closing stages when Kane was replaced by Fernando Llorente and appeared to be holding his hamstring.