Kane plunders hat-trick, as fringe Tottenham star makes major statement in Europa romp
Tottenham talisman Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick against NS Mura, but it was Giovani Lo Celso who caught the eye with a mesmeric display in their 5-1 romp.
In a much-changed Tottenham eleven, 17-year-old Dane Scarlett was chosen to lead the line with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min on the bench. Dele Alli retained his place after being hooked at half-time versus Arsenal on Sunday and it was he who made an early impact.
The under-fire midfielder was alert when latching onto a ricochet in Mura’s penalty area before being felled by the goalkeeper in full flow. Alli stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty with a low strike into the bottom corner.
One soon became two as Spurs showed no mercy on their Slovenian counterparts. Giovani Lo Celso reacted quickly to pounce on to a hopeful lob forward. The Argentine raced toward goal before rifling into the top corner from an acute angle.
Lo Celso making it look way too easy for Spurs pic.twitter.com/8PgSpRXf2f
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
After recent dismal showings, Alli was producing a performance Spurs fans know he is capable of, but have seen with frustrating infrequency.
A dazzling run down the left got the fans on their feet before the midfielder came close to doubling his tally after the half0hour mark.
Tottenham never looked in danger of conceding at the other end with their opponents noticeably of a standard below. Though as half-time approached, Spurs had not added to their early two-goal advantage.
The home fans were stunned after the break when Žiga Kous produced a moment of pure magic. A half-cleared corner looped out to the edge of the area before Kous slotted a first-time volley beyond Pierluigi Gollini to halve the deficit.
That sparked a triple substitution from Nuno Espirito Santo with the heavy-hitters introduced. Kane, Son and Lucas Moura replaced Scarlett, Alli and Bryan Gil.
WOW. JUST WOW.
Žiga Kous has scored the goal of his life #UECL pic.twitter.com/gscG1VEg1y
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 30, 2021
The jump in quality was immediately evident and Kane wasted little time in getting back on the scoresheet. Moura’s incisive through ball found Kane living on the shoulder of the last defender. In trademark fashion, Kane took the shot quickly when stabbing the ball beyond the goalkeeper with an instinctive finish.
He soon bagged a brace when teed up by Son, though the move owed a lot to a sublime first-time flick round the corner from Lo Celso. At 4-1, smiles were back on the Spurs players’ faces.
Lo Celso had looked lively throughout the contest, but the introduction of the front-line forwards had him in his element. In the final five minutes, the Argentine again turned provider when carving Mura’s defence open to allow Kane to complete his hat-trick.
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