Harry Kane scored twice to put Tottenham Hotspur within two points of Leicester City in a 2-0 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.
Harry Kane put Tottenham in front on the stroke of half-time after Villa fought valiantly to keep the game level. Dele Alli took a quick free kick, punting the ball into the path of Kane who loyally finished’ taking his tally up to 22 goals for the season.
Kane also had two earlier chances, one of which hit the cross bar very early on, and a good save from Brad Guzan denied the Englishman coming in on the left.
Spurs dominated most of the game, but it took them until the 45th minute to get past Aston Villa, who were battling hard.
Kane’s second goal was also assisted by Alli, who was coming down the left wing before drilling a low cross into the box for Kane to slot home for the away side.
Erik Lamela also hit the post later on in the game, with Tottenham still winning convincingly but they could have easily won by a lot more.
Villa almost caused an upset for Hugo Lloris in the final ten minutes, after Jordan Ayew originally hit the post after a strong battle with Moussa Dembele. Rudy Gestede then hit the follow-up against the crossbar, when he really should have scored.
Joleon Lescott almost scored in the final minutes of the game, but eventually headed the ball wide. The captain was flagged offside, but the decision was made into a goal kick.
Tottenham Hotspur and Mauricio Pochettino are now just two points behind Leicester, who have a game in hand over the North London team.
Aston Villa is almost certain to go down, as Remi Garde has just too much to do to keep the Birmingham club up.
Empty Seats at Villa Park
There were a lot of claret and blue seats on show at Villa Park in Birmingham, displaying the misery of the Aston Villa fans. With only four more games at their stadium this season, will it be the last four games at the ground in the Premier League for the next couple of years? The Villa fans have a right to be angry, as at some points this season their side have seemed to give up and accept the inevitable. A loss to Tottenham today further decreases their chances of staying up with eight games to go; the team is nine points adrift of Sunderland, who are in 17th place.
Tottenham’s four wingers
Danny Rose and Kyle Walker run forward so often and effectively, that it is hard to believe that they both play at the back. Walker had several shots against Villa’s American goalkeeper, Guzan, and Danny Rose is often involved in delivering key crosses.
Ben Davies and Keiran Trippier were picked for the mid-week clash against Borussia Dortmund, resting Walker and Rose for the league, which is seemingly more important to Mauricio Pochettino and his men. Danny Rose stayed down after a challenge, and had to be brought off for safety, which will be a sad sight for Spurs fans and the coaching staff, especially as he has been such a key man.
The importance of goal difference
Spurs are currently on +29 and Leicester are on +21 goals, with the two goals gained today against Aston Villa. Some sceptical fans will be angry that their side didn’t put more away, especially with Kane and Erik Lamela hitting the crossbar and post. If the title decider comes down to the final day, having those eight goals extra can essentially give Tottenham an extra point in the title race.
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