Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were both in scintillating form as Tottenham produced an easy 5-0 win over Everton to deepen Frank Lampard’s side’s relegation fears.
A Michael Keane own goal and first-half strikes from Son and Kane put the hosts in full control before the game evolved into a thrashing. Substitute Sergio Reguilon struck just seconds after coming on 946) and Kane made matters worse for the Toffees with a sublime volley in the 56th minute.
Kane’s second strike saw him move ahead of Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League scoring table with 176 goals.
The result means Tottenham remain in seventh, but level on 46 points with sixth-placed West Ham with two games in hand.
For Everton, who failed to register a shot on target, they stay in 17th and just one point off the relegation zone as their goal difference takes a significant blow.
The visitors were way too open at the back and Tottenham made no mistake in capitalising on their defensive naivety.
In the 14th minute, Ryan Sessegnon surged down the left flank and his low drilled ball looking for Kane was turned in by Keane behind him.
Three minutes later and Tottenham extended their lead. Kane slipped in Son and his low shot squirmed underneath Jordan Pickford, who was making his 200th appearance on his 28th birthday, into the net.
Spurs almost extended their lead in the 28th minute when Son’s low shot in a one-on-one was denied by Pickford before Kane shot his rebound wide, but it mattered little as the hosts got their third in the 37th minute. Matt Doherty’s incisive pass found Kane in a one-on-one and drilled his low strike into the bottom corner.
Two minutes into the second half and Tottenham went four up. Son kickstarted a Tottenham counter-attack and laid the ball off to Dejan Kulusevski whose low cross was drilled into the net by Reguilon just 20 seconds after coming on the pitch.
And Everton’s misery was compounded even further in the 56th minute as Kane grabbed his second of the night with a stunning volley, meeting Doherty’s delicately lofted cross at a tight angle and fired into the bottom corner.
Everton could not muster up a consolation – or even a shot on goal – as Tottenham eased their way to a comfortable victory.
TALKING POINT – IS LAMPARD THE MAN TO SOLVE EVERTON’S PROBLEMS?
Everton are in a relegation scrap right now and have not picked up a point away from home since mid-December.
The fundamental issue is a lack of quality along Everton’s backline. Lampard’s insistence on playing a high line against one of the strongest counter-attacking sides in the league was never likely to work either and it proved to be the case again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Lampard insisted before the game he did not have a “magic wand” to fix Everton’s woeful away record but feels his ideas are being implemented by his players.
Unfortunately for the former Derby and Chelsea boss his ideas to rejuvenate a poor backline do not seem to be working and Everton are in a real battle for their Premier League status with a tough ten remaining fixtures.
MAN OF THE MATCH – HARRY KANE
Kane was clinical in front of goal with his two strikes and he was the main focal point for all of Tottenham’s counter-attacks.
Keane and Mason Holgate could not cope with his physicality or eye for a pass. The England striker’s second goal on the volley was one that will be replayed by Tottenham fans many times.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tottenham: Lloris (7), Doherty (7), Romero (6), Dier (6), Davies (6), Sessegnon (7), Hojbjerg (6), Bentancur (6), Kulusevski (8), Son (8), Kane (9)
Subs: Reguilon (7), Sanchez (7), Bergwijn (6)
Everton: Pickford (5), Kenny (5), Holgate (5), Keane (4), Coleman (5), Doucoure (5), Allan (6), Van de Beek (5), Gordon (5), Richarlison (5), Calvert-Lewin (4)
Subs: Branthwaite (6) Mykolenko (6), Alli (6)
KEY MOMENTS
14′ – GOAL! KEANE OWN GOAL FIRES TOTTENHAM IN FRONT! It’s superb work from Sessegnon who surges down the left flank and whips in a great cross to the near post. Kane looks like he is there to meet it but instead it comes off Keane behind him, as he attempts a clearance, and it is straight into the back of the net. Tottenham in front!
17′ – ANOTHER GOAL FOR SPURS! SON SCORES! Everton are way too open at the back and Tottenham make them pay! Kane slips in Son and he slots the ball under Pickford on his 200th appearance on his 28th birthday to extend the hosts’ lead! Pickford should have done better with that. It’s two goals in three minutes for Spurs!
37′ – GOAL!! KANE FIRES IN TOTTENHAM’S THIRD! This is way too easy for Tottenham. With Everton still playing a really high line, Doherty’s incisive pass finds Kane and he is straight into a one-on-one and he drills his strike into the bottom corner to put Spurs into an even more comfortable lead! Kane has now scored 175 goals in Premier League history to go level with Thierry Henry.
47′ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM ARE FOUR UP! This is too easy! Reguilon slots in the hosts’ fourth! On the counter-attack, Son lays it off to Kulusevski on the right who squares across for the Argentine to slot the ball first-time into the net for his second Premier League goal of the season and his first since November.
56′ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM ARE FIVE UP AND KANE GETS HIS SECOND! It’s a stunning goal from Kane! Doherty’s lofted ball into the box finds Kane at the far post and his volley at the far post is slotted perfectly into the bottom corner! It’s Kane’s tenth Premier League goal of the season and his 14th in 15 appearances against Everton.
