Saturday 14 January 2017 20:09, UK
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Tottenham beat West Brom 4-0 at White Hart Lane on Saturday to go second in the Premier League.
Spurs dominated from the start and struck twice before half-time, first through Kane (12) and then thanks to a Gareth McAuley own goal (26).
Kane - who missed last weekend's FA Cup win over Aston Villa for the birth of his first child - added his second with a fine volley on 77 minutes and repeated the trick five minutes later, firing home from Dele Alli's scooped pass to cap a brilliant performance from the hosts.
The victory sends Tottenham, who also lost Jan Vertonghen to an ankle injury, into second in the table above Liverpool, who face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Nissan Super Sunday.
It is also their sixth consecutive Premier League win, matching a club record they can break with three points at Manchester City next weekend.
Mauricio Pochettino, taking charge of his 200th game in English football, made nine changes from Tottenham’s FA Cup win over Aston Villa, restoring Alli and Kane to the starting line-up.
The hosts controlled the opening half with West Brom uncharacteristically shaky in defence, and Tottenham swiftly took the lead.
Kane, who had already squandered one early chance, made no mistake with his second, firing in off the post from Christian Eriksen’s pass.
Tottenham added a deserved second when the Dane's drive from the edge of the box took a double deflection, first off Jonas Olsson and then McAuley, wrong-footing Ben Foster in the West Brom goal.
Alli saw a smart volley correctly ruled out for offside as Spurs threatened to run riot, and only Foster kept the score respectable in the first half, twice denying Kane from close range before tipping his low drive onto the post.
Tony Pulis’ side failed to register a shot of any description before the break but went close less than 60 seconds after the restart when Matt Phillips dragged an effort just wide.
The Baggies manager soon introduced James McClean and Hal Robson-Kanu and they improved, but Foster continued to be the much busier of the two goalkeepers.
His fine double stop kept out strikes from Toby Alderweireld and Vertonghen, and he also made impressive saves from Victor Wanyama and Kane again before the Spurs striker finally grabbed his side’s third.
Kyle Walker robbed McAuley on the flank and with Foster caught out of position, Kane expertly volleyed into an empty net.
And the new father capped a perfect week by sealing his hat-trick with another volley minutes later. Alongside Alli, the pair have now combined to score Tottenham's last 10 Premier League goals.
The only worry for Pochettino will be the injury suffered by Vertonghen, who appeared to badly tweak his ankle in the second half.
An injury to the same ankle caused the Belgium international to miss his country's quarter-final defeat to Wales at Euro 2016 and he left the field after pounding the ground in frustration.
Player ratings
Tottenham: Lloris (6), Walker (8), Dier (7), Alderweireld (7), Vertonghen (7), Rose (8), Wanyama (8), Dembele (8), Eriksen (9), Alli (8), Kane (9)
Subs used: Davies (6), Winks (6), Son (6)
West Brom: Foster (7), Dawson (5), McAuley (3), Olsson (4), Brunt (5), Fletcher (5), Yacob (5), Chadli (4), Morrison (4), Phillips (5), Rondon (5)
Subs used: Robson-Kanu (6), McClean (6)
Man of the match: Harry Kane
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