Full Time: Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Stoke City
Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur netted 4 second-half goals against Stoke City at Wembley to climb above rivals Arsenal into 5th place in the Premier League table. Tottenham went ahead when Stoke skipper Ryan Shawcross accidentally put the ball into his own net but the goal galore started after the interval.
Son Heung-min doubled the lead after Dele Alli’s pass had unlocked the Stoke defence before Kane’ header made it 3-0.
Kane then made it 4-0, Christian Eriksen got in on the act too. Travelling Stoke fans had something to cheer about as Shawcross headed into the net 10 minutes from the end, offering mere consolation.
Let’s take a look at how the Tottenham players fared in their thumping 5-1 win over Stoke.
Spurs Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris- 6/10
Was not troubled too much but produced a brilliant save to deny Xherdan Shaqiri in the second-half. Excellent when needed but should have done better with the corner kick that created Shawcross’s header.
Kieran Trippier- 7/10
Crossed in plenty of good balls into the box and made some good tackles down the right.
Eric Dier- 7/10
A solid showing at the back. Looked comfortable playing alongside Jan Vertonghen in a back four.
Jan Vertonghen- 7/10
Very commendable performance from the towering Belgian. His highlight of the game was when he denied substitute Peter Crouch late on with a fantastic tackle.
Ben Davies- 7/10
His cross from the left for Kane’s header was pin-point. Marauded up and down the left flank to good effect. An adventurous display from the Welshman.
Mousa Dembele- 6/10
He was miles better than what he was on Wednesday. That rustiness is still there but should be able to overcome it with a couple of back to back games. Bossed the midfield but committed some fouls and was eventually booked.
Harry Winks- 8/10
Exerted calmness in the midfield when it was needed. Kept winning the ball and sprayed passes around the midfield. He worked hard throughout the game and went off to a rapturous applause. Excellent!
Heung-Min Son- 9/10
Destructive on the counter-attack. His cross was deflected home by Shawcross and he missed a golden chance to score in the first-half. Made amends for it with a grand finish early in the second half before setting up Eriksen’s goal with a through ball. Another fabulous display by the South Korean.
Christian Eriksen- 7.5/10
Finally a good game for the Danish playmaker after some barren displays. Eriksen tested Jack Butland with a curling free-kick. He was involved in Kane’s second goal and got himself on the score-sheet with a left-footed drive in the second-half past the sprawling Butland.
Dele Alli- 6/10
Industrious from the first view of his game, but was certainly not impactful except the assist for Son. Alli needs to get his mojo back as soon as possible. He was replaced by Erik Lamela.
Harry Kane- 8/10
The Stoke defenders were petrified and utterly outclassed by Kane. The striker was guilty of missing a couple of chances in the first-half. However, he made it up with a header and a low shot. Was denied a hat-trick late on by Butland. It could have been five for Kane had he been at his clinical best.
Moussa Sissoko- 5/10
Brought a bundle of energy with his entrance.
Erik Lamela- 6.5/10
Lamela replaced Alli for his first Tottenham home game on the other side of his 13-month injury lay-off. Almost set up Kane and was then denied by Butland.
Fernando Llorente- N/A
Came on in the 86th minute and had very little time to do anything extraordinary.
