Harry Kane answers critics after Jose Mourinho rant as Tottenham build momentum vs West Ham

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In a London derby that neither side could afford to lose, Tottenham earned a vital 2-0 win in their pursuit of European football, which was doubly satisfying as they plunged West Ham into further relegation trouble.

After letting a 1–0 lead slip to draw with Manchester United on Friday, Spurs needed to improve against the Hammers to justify suggestions that they are among the biggest beneficiaries of the lockdown.

A fortuitous own goal by Tomas Soucek and Harry Kane’s late strike ensured Spurs kept the pressure on United in the race for fifth. For Mourinho, the victory and a solid performance was justification of his persistent claims that his side would only improve once he had a full roster of attackers at his disposal.

Having been without Kane, Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko before lockdown, Mourinho surprisingly blamed the draw with United on the absence of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura. Both returned to the XI against the Hammers, leaving the manager without any excuses if his team failed to deliver in the final third.

To the Portuguese’s credit, Spurs plugged away and eventually exploited the gaps in West Ham’s defence, with Son unlucky to see a 43rd-minute goal ruled out by the VAR for a fractional offside before Soucek's turned into his own net from Giovani Lo Celso's corner to break the deadlock.

West Ham, meanwhile, now have one win in nine and are increasing threatened by a financially devastating drop after consecutive defeats in Project Restart.

Kane answers critics after Mourinho rant

(Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Jose Mourinho’s defence of Harry Kane took the form of a vintage pre-match rant, rejecting suggestions that the striker would struggle to be prolific in his team and backing the England captain to put an end to the criticism prompted by a subdued display against Manchester United.

Kane was anonymous in the first 25 minutes but gradually grew in threat and influence until he was troubling the West Ham defence with almost every attack. After missing a string of chances which showed his rust, Kane raced onto Son’s pass in the 82nd-minute and finished cooly, to send Mourinho wild.

Kane himself celebrated by sprawling on his front, expressive of pure relief after a frustrating 112 minutes of the Premier League restart.

While his performance was not vintage, it was a significant improvement on United and will silence his latest doubters. As Mourinho said, Kane only needed time and minutes to find his feet after such a long layoff

Lo Celso the star again

Lo Celso was comfortably Tottenham’s standout player before pre-shutdown but Mourinho cast doubt on his chances of maintaining that form last week by revealing he was struggling with a persistent groin problem, having struggled to get treatment during lockdown.

It was therefore a relief for the manager that Lo Celso completed 90 minutes in a typically assured performance. His display was not quite dazzling but, as usual, he was the standout player in white and kept Spurs ticking over alongside Moussa Sissoko in the midfield two, while looking to drive them forward on the counter whenever possible.

A fortuitous assist when his corner was turned in by Soucek was no less than Lo Celso deserved and, groin permitting, Spurs can look forward to him growing in sharpness after they missed him from the start against United.

Ndombele conspicuous by his absence

Tanguy Ndombele 
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Tottenham’s record-signing Tanguy Ndombele was again conspicuous by his absence. Mourinho talked-up the Frenchman on the eve of the restart but, in two matches, he is yet to play a single minute, despite Mourinho using just two of his substitutes against United and three here.

It is unclear if Ndombele’s fitness – frequently criticised by Mourinho before the lockdown – remains a problem or whether the manager simply does not see a place for the mercurial 23-year-old in his team at present.

Either way, hopes that the three-month break would prove a fresh start for Ndombele have so far proved unfounded.

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