2017 is here and Spurs will be hoping that their 4-1 battering of Watford sets the tone for the rest of the year.
The Lilywhites were utterly dominant against the Hornets, who are looking like one of the division’s worst teams on form and are in danger of being dragged towards the relegation scrap amid a spate of injuries to key players.
Harry Kane, on his 100th Premier League appearance, opened the scoring with a neat finish, after 27 minutes and doubled his tally with an athletic volley soon after. Dele Alli then made it 4-0 with goals either side of the half-time interval, before the game slowed down to walking pace as both teams appeared to conserve energy ahead of games later in the week.
Younes Kaboul got a late consolation goal with a scrappy finish in stoppage time, but the lack of celebration really summed up what was a dismal afternoon for them.
Here are SIX amazing pictures from Watford 1-4 Spurs….
Kane makes it 100
Harry Kane’s rise over the past few seasons has really been special. Not so long ago the now England international looked to be on the verge of having to take a step away from Spurs, and perhaps down to the Championship, to get his career on track, but 21 league goals in 2014/15 saw him become the main man at the Lane, and since then he’s not looked back.
Yesterday’s game vs. Watford was his 100th in the Premier League (three came in a loan spell at Norwich), and he certainly played up to the occasion…
Happy Harry
Spurs were utterly dominant in the opening stages of the game at Vicarage Road and when Dele Alli’s stinging drive from distance rattled the Hornets’ crossbar, it seemed that the writing was on the wall. With the bar still shaking, Kane marked his 100th Premier League game with a goal, as he latched onto a smart through ball from Kieran Trippier before slotting the ball past Heurelho Gomes.
Kane doubles up
Just six minutes after his first, Kane doubled his, and Spurs’, tally with a superbly taken volley. Again he combined with Trippier, whose whipped cross from the right he knocked past Gomes in acrobatic fashion.
Kane showed superb athleticism to connect with the ball and left the Watford stopper with no chance.
Alli woop
Watford really were appalling in the first-half, and Dele Alli’s first of the game truly summed up their performance. The attacking midfielder benefitted from a horrendous clearance from Younes Kaboul in his own 18-yard box, which allowed him to stroll towards Gomes and put the ball into the bottom corner.
As the picture above shows, the young midfielder enjoyed getting on the scoresheet!
Alli woop… again
Walter Mazzarri’s half-time team-talk was sure to have centred around keeping it tight as soon as the second 45 kicked off ahead of growing back into the game, but Watford were 4-0 down just a minute after the restart as Alli netted his second.
The midfielder was on the end of a lovely ball from Kane, which he controlled and slid past Gomes.
Kaboul consolation
It certainly wasn’t a pretty goal, but at least Watford got one back in stoppage time and Kaboul made up for his error that led to Alli’s effort. The big defender bundled the ball over the line, beating Hugo Lloris (attempting to save the defender’s shot above) in the process to score his team’s first goal of 2017.