Stoke vs. Tottenham: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match
Tottenham Hotspur kept their 2015-16 Premier League title bid alive with a lopsided 4-0 win at Britannia Stadium over Stoke City on Monday, thanks to doubles from star youngsters Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
Kane, 22, gave the visitors an early lead, and a quick double from Alli and Kane in the second half ended the match as a contest. The 20-year-old Alli later added a fourth with a sublime volley, making up for a horror miss earlier in the half.
The win takes Spurs to within five points of Leicester City in the standings with four matches left on the schedule.
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Per Spurs’ official Twitter account, there were few surprises in the starting XI, with Kane and Alli both making the team:
The visitors took control of proceedings early and pushed Stoke back inside their own half, and goalkeeper Shay Given had to be alert to deny Kane after just a couple of minutes.
Erik Lamela had several opportunities to launch balls into the box from free-kicks, as the Potters couldn’t deal with Spurs’ speed out wide and resorted to fouling their opponents. None of the crosses amounted to anything, but it was clear Stoke struggled to contain the visitors.
Just nine minutes into the contest, Kane handed his team the lead with a fantastic goal, cutting inside before curling a shot out of Given's reach. ESPN FC’s Miguel Delaney pointed out the youngster has played a big role in Tottenham’s push for the title:
Arsenal fan and TV personality Piers Morgan almost lost it:
Alli came close to doubling Spurs’ lead almost immediately after, as Geoff Cameron intervened with a key block, and Tottenham appeared to be in full control of proceedings.
But Stoke had their moments, and when Alli went down with a knock, every Spurs fan in the stands held their breath. Fortunately for the north Londoners—and England fans looking ahead at the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 tournament—the youngster was able to continue after a short break.
Alli tried his luck with an ambitious volley after 22 minutes, but his attempt flew well over the crossbar. On the other side of the pitch, Hugo Lloris had to get down quickly to deny Marko Arnautovic.
Tottenham were by far the better team, and Lamela stole the show in the role of main playmaker. ESPN FC’s Janusz Michallik couldn’t help but crack a joke:
Mousa Dembele just missed the target with a left-footed strike after a swift counter-attack before Kyle Walker failed to pick up Kane in the box after a smart run, instead sending a tame ball into the waiting arms of Given.
Spurs continued to push and came agonisingly close to a second goal just before half-time, as Christian Eriksen fired a shot off the crossbar after a lovely pass from Alli. Per BBC 5 Live Sport, Robbie Savage thought it should have been a goal:
Kane scuffed the final chance of the half wide of the post, as the visitors went into the dressing room with a deserved lead.
Spurs started the second half the same way they finished the first, prodding and looking for a second goal. The visitors had a penalty shout turned down after 49 minutes, as Kane lost his footing with Cameron putting pressure on him, before Alli and Lamela both saw strikes blocked by Stoke players.
Bleacher Report U.K. thought the lack of a second Spurs goal was dumbfounding:
Stoke offered little in terms of attacking threat, with Arnautovic wasting a free-kick from a good position and Joselu, who had replaced Xherdan Shaqiri, comically shooting over the goal from an angle.
Spurs finally grabbed their deserved second goal through Alli, who found himself on the end of a sublime pass from Eriksen and calmly lifted the ball over Given to score.
John Cross of the Daily Mirror loved the entire sequence:
The youngster wasted a fantastic chance to make it 3-0 almost immediately after, rounding Given before missing a wide-open net. Fortunately for Alli, Kane bagged his second goal of the match just two minutes later, tapping home from close range to put the match to bed. Lamela provided the perfect assist.
Some Stoke fans started leaving the Britannia Stadium, as their team had all but given up at this point, and Tottenham were happy to take their foot off the gas slightly.
Spurs kept looking for goals, however, and Alli made it 4-0 with a superb volley after yet another assist from Eriksen.
With the win, Spurs now lead Arsenal and Manchester City by eight points in the standings, although the two still have a match in hand. A top-two finish seems all but certain, but Spurs will have their eyes on Leicester City and pray the Foxes slip up in the final weeks of the campaign.
Stoke will play host to Manchester City on Saturday, while Spurs will take on West Bromwich Albion next Monday.
Post-Match Reaction
Per the Premier League's official Twitter account, Kane was ecstatic with the way his team won on Monday:
Spurs are playing better football than arguably any other club in England right now, but the five-point gap with Leicester City still looks daunting. The Foxes could be without star forward Jamie Vardy for the foreseeable future following his red card against West Ham United on Sunday, however, which could open the door for some late drama.
