Harry Kane equals Spurs’ all-time scoring record in win at Fulham

Touch, turn, shoot. This turned into Harry Kane making the artwork of purpose-scoring look like the perfect thing inside the world. Fulham did no longer know what had hit them. One minute that they had the most important hazard on the pitch under manage; the subsequent Kane changed into swivelling into area and pulling lower back his right foot before wheeling away to celebrate the purpose that finally drew him stage with the late Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham’s file scorer.

It become the 266th strike of the ahead’s Spurs career and, as the ball nestled within the back of the Fulham internet, it became tempting to surprise in which this group might be with out him. As ever, it was now not precisely a flowing overall performance from Antonio Conte’s team. They were outplayed by using Fulham at instances and, although they have been professional enough to peer out a win that lifts them three points under fourth-positioned Manchester United, their general display rarely cautioned that they’re approximately to shake off the inconsistency blunting their hopes of Champions League qualification.Yet if whatever gives this plodding aspect a threat it’s miles Kane. Much like Greaves, he does now not loaf around when there may be a risk to shoot. The method is typically ideal and it’s miles no marvel that United wish to convince Kane to depart Spurs this summer season. It is a captivating scenario, the biggest decision of Kane’s career, and one with a view to truely have a touching on whether or not Conte comes to a decision to extend his live in north London.

The temper far from the pitch remains unsure at Spurs. The snippy tone starts with Conte, who keeps to present no indication that he wants to enlarge his deal when it runs out on the cease of the season, but a sulky supervisor isn’t the only problem. There is also a experience of glide inside the boardroom, with pressure growing on Daniel Levy. Nothing heightened that impression more than one of the subplots around this sport being the alleged fake accounting at Juventus by hook or by crook impacting Spurs, who do now not understand if their director of soccer, Fabio Paratici, might be banned from working on transfers because of the situation at his former club.

This isn’t always a satisfied deliver in the intervening time and it changed into no longer a surprise to look Conte’s team make the standard gradual begin. It changed into all too passive from the site visitors. All the early organization came from Fulham. They snapped into Spurs, Aleksandar Mitrovic pressuring Eric Dier into conceding an early corner, and they almost led while a move reached Harrison Reed, who volleyed instantly at Hugo Lloris.Spurs, who had angered Conte by way of conceding 21 dreams of their previous 10 league video games, had to awaken. They had already visible Lloris store from Kenny Tete after sloppy distribution from Cristian Romero, however signs and symptoms of an improvement took a while to materialise. Fulham have been urgent and did no longer merely need to play quite football. The fashion turned into accompanied with the aid of occasional snarl – take the instant whilst João Palhinha took out Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – and the starvation changed into epitomised by Willian’s enterprise on the left wing.Fulham’s passing grew ragged and Spurs punished them. There was a long spell of stress just before 1/2-time, with Dejan Kulusevski causing problems, and the opener arrived whilst Højbjerg located Son Heung-min, who dribbled forward and slipped a pass to Kane.

It become over to the England captain at that level. So what if Kane had his lower back to aim and turned into surrounded via white shirts? It all happened in a flash: Kane spinning away from a bewildered Tim Ream after which, earlier than every person should near him down, using the internal of his right foot to form a lovely effort round the our bodies, leaving Leno rooted to the spot because the ball whizzed beyond him.

Here turned into the master goalscorer at work, the depth of Kane’s creativeness, the flexibility of his ahead play, and the speed and efficiency of his completing lifting him above all people else on the pitch. But Fulham had to respond. They made a robust start to the second half, Bobby Decordova-Reid complete of eager going for walks at the proper, and most effective brave defending from Dier denied Palhinha an equaliser.