ST JAMES’ PARK – If football is simply about points and prizes, then this was a big day for Tottenham and Harry Kane. Kane scored his 20th and 21st Spurs goals of the season – the first being the 200th of his club career – and it secured a second victory in four days for the Londoners. They could yet make the Europa League, a competition Jose Mourinho values.
But if football is also about life, then this day was more about Serge Aurier. The Spurs full-back lost his brother Christopher on Monday morning, reportedly shot dead in Toulouse.
The incident had obviously shocked all at the club, so there was a degree of shock to see Aurier’s name not just on the teamsheet but in the starting XI.
But Aurier played the entire 90 minutes, plus five of injury-time and although it was his error which led to Matt Ritchie’s equaliser ten minutes into the second half, Aurier got much else right.
On the final whistle he stayed on the far side of the pitch alone, took off his boots, then offered a silent prayer. He was the last man off.
Before kick-off Mourinho explained that the player had made the decision to travel north, calling Aurier “strong”. Mourinho also said: “Tomorrow he goes to France to see his Mum. Every person has different ways to face tragedies.”
Afterwards, Kane dedicated the win to Aurier. It is not known if Aurier will return to face Leicester on Sunday, a match with increased meaning after Spurs taking 10 points from the four matches since the defeat at Sheffield United.
Kane, 27 soon, also mentioned his goals of course – “on to the next 200.”
“He’s a young guy, 200 goals at his age?” Mourinho added, “it’s normal that he speaks about 200 more.”
The scoreline was slightly harsh on Newcastle, even if Steve Bruce called some of Newcastle’s defending “naïve”. Kane’s second goal, Tottenham’s third, came in the 90th minute as Bruce’s side attacked and Spurs countered. Substitute Erik Lamela broke away and Kane was left with a tap-in header.
It was his second headed goal, the first coming half an hour earlier – a cool, directed finish from a Steven Bergwijn cross.
It is now three consecutive defeats for Newcastle, or one win in seven, and Allan Saint-Maximin pulled up in injury-time with an apparent hamstring concern. Bruce said Jamaal Lascelles had an ankle operation yesterday.
Bruce sounded deflated, mainly because Newcastle began the brighter with Saint-Maximin stationed behind Dwight Gayle. Miguel Almiron had two useful early efforts and Jonjo Shelvey should have scored with a 17th minute header.
Spurs were passive. It took them almost 20 minutes to put together a sequence of dangerous forward passes. Gradually, though, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko started to show.
Territorially, play shifted into the Newcastle half. Lucas Moura robbed Fabian Schar and Spurs moved the ball swiftly through Kane and Giovani Lo Celso to Heung-Min Son. The angle looked unpromising and Son had DeAndre Yedlin seemingly blocking his route to goal. Son shot anyway and the ball went through Yedlin and beat Martin Dubravka at his near post.
The goalkeeper might have been disappointed with that, as they say, but Dubravka made amends soon after, tipping over a 25-yard effort from Son that had taken a deflection off Emil Krafth.
Before half-time they were an inch from an equaliser, Gayle’s header clipping a post.
Bruce changed Yedlin for Valentino Lazaro early in the second half and the substitute immediately charged into the centre of the Spurs defence. Panicked, Aurier cleared the ball anywhere he could. Unfortunately for him it was straight to Ritchie who dispatched a fierce left-foot shot into the far corner.
But then came Kane with two headers and a sixth Spurs season with 20-plus goals. “He’s one of the best strikers in the world,” smiled Mourinho.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2B1pDNs
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