Harry Kane continued his fantastic Boxing Day scoring record as Tottenham eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Goals from Kane and Lucas Moura in quick succession put Spurs in command, the England captain netting in his sixth consecutive Boxing Day fixture to match Robbie Fowler’s Premier League scoring record of nine goals the day after Christmas.
Wilfried Zaha was then dismissed before half-time for two bookable offences and Son Heung-min added a third goal after the interval as Spurs cruised to three points at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Victory means Spurs are unbeaten in six top-flight games since Antonio Conte’s arrival, moving further into contention for a Champions League place with games in hand on those around them in pursuit of the top four.
Son’s long-range strike forced a smart save from Jack Butland, while Lucas inexplicably headed off target in a dominant opening from Conte’s men.
Spurs deservedly took the lead when Kane fired into the bottom-left corner from Lucas’ pass to cap a swift attacking move, with the Brazilian forward heading in a second just two minutes later following Emerson Royal’s cross.
Zaha was then given his marching orders for two needless cautions, both for fouls on Davinson Sanchez, before the interval.
Kane deflected Son’s corner just over after the break before the South Korea forward capped an excellent London derby performance from Spurs by flicking Lucas’ delivery past Butland.
What does it mean? Conte’s top-four chasers on a roll
Spurs have been reinvigorated under Conte and they have now scored 12 goals in their last five Premier League games to sit in fifth place.
Conte’s side remain six points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, but have three games in hand on their fierce rivals.
Palace, in contrast, have only one win in seven top-fight games and are in 12th spot.
Magical Moura
Kane and Son usually take the plaudits for Spurs, but Lucas thrilled the home crowd with a classy display.
He created three chances, two of those assists for his fellow attackers, while also scoring a goal of his own in an influential display.
Zaha sees the red mist
Zaha has been sent off five times in all competitions for Palace, at least three more than any other player for the club since his debut in 2010.
Prior to his dismissal, the 29-year-old had won just two of his six duels and lost possession 10 times – a game-leading figure at the time of his sending off – though that does not excuse his needless over-aggression.
Key Opta Facts
– Conte is only the third Tottenham boss to avoid defeat in each of their first six league games at the club after Jacques Santini in 2004-05 and Tim Sherwood in 2013-14.
– Tottenham are unbeaten in 15 Premier League Boxing Day games, the outright longest such run in the competition’s history (W12 D3).
– Since their return to the Premier League in 2013-14, Crystal Palace have failed to score in 118 games in the competition, 18 more than any other side in that time.
– Lucas scored and assisted in the same Premier League game for the first time, with the Brazilian registering five goal involvements in his last five appearances in the competition (2 goals, 3 assists), as many as in his previous 23
What’s next?
Tottenham visit Southampton on Tuesday, while Palace host bottom side Norwich City on the same day.
