Tottenham finally strolled to a Premier League victory over Crystal Palace, scoring four goals in the second half, two of which were scored by Harry Kane.
For the first time since 15 October, Kane scored a spectacular close-range header off an Ivan Perisic cross to give Spurs a 1-0 lead. In each of the previous ten games, they had given up the opening goal.
Then, after receiving a feed from Bryan Gil, he fired a low second into the bottom corner.
With 264 goals for Spurs so far, the England captain is only two goals shy of Jimmy Greaves’ club record.
The next two goals they scored were assisted by Kane, who was playing in his 300th Premier League game. Son Heung-min, who chose Matt Doherty to slot home, was the first person he found.
Then, after a 12-game streak without a goal for club and country, he set Son away with a long pass forward, and the South Korean scored by deflecting the ball in.
After a rather messy first half, a satisfactory result was achieved.
Hugo Lloris’ excellent save on Jordan Ayew could have changed the outcome drastically had Palace capitalized on one of their opportunities prior to halftime.
Kane consistently provides Spurs with what they need
It is comforting to have something or someone to rely on in this crazy world. Kane is that consistent consolation for Spurs.
Before the game, headlines once more focused on manager Antonio Conte and his most recent comments about seeking more investment in his squad and raising concerns about his long-term future.
Kane and the Spurs team as a whole weren’t at their best in the first half. But he came to life in the second half.
Kane scored for Tottenham for the 11th straight year as he sprang over two players and blasted a header in at the far post.
In 300 appearances, his second goal was his 198th Premier League goal.
After that, it was other people’s time to score, with Doherty scoring his first of the year.
Son’s return to the scoreboard comes at the perfect time because Dejan Kulusevski is still sidelined and Conte is unsure of when he will return.
The South Korean, who shared the Golden Boot last season, has scored only twice all season in the Premier League.
By scoring, he joined Aaron Lennon, Kane, and Teddy Sheringham as Tottenham players to score on their 200th Premier League start.
Palace played a game of two halves
Palace should have been in the lead at halftime after their manager Patrick Vieira urged for more consistency before the game.
Ayew was stopped by Lloris, Michael Olise’s shot was deflected wide, and Joachim Andersen’s long-range shot went just wide.
Between Kane’s attempts in the 24th and 44th minutes, they made seven consecutive attempts.
Even though Palace, who drops to 12th, had more opportunities in the second half than the first, many of those came after the game was almost over.
