Harry Kane nets twice as Tottenham see off Baggies
West Brom 0 Tottenham 3
Hugo Lloris makes a save from West Brom's Saido Berahino
Harry Kane celebrates scoring Tottenham's third goal
Harry Kane scores Tottenham's third goal from the penalty spot
Tottenham's Christian Eriksen scores a free kick past West Brom's Ben Foster for the opening goal of the match
Mauricio Pochettino of Spurs and Tony Pulis the manager of West Brom greet each other prior to kickoff
Harry Kane is now Tottenham Hotspur's first player to score 20 goals in a season since Gareth Bale. His progress shows no signs of halting, and the leading scorer in the country is surely nailed on for a place in the England squad for next month's qualifier against Lithuania.
There were two more goals here, enabling him to reach the 20-goal target, and with him in this form anything is possible for Spurs.
The victory lifted Spurs above Arsenal into fifth place, and those dark days earlier in the season under Mauricio Pochettino now seem light years ago. "We do not talk about the top four, but it is possible if we are consistent," said the Spurs head coach. "Harry is getting better all the time, and I always think young players can improve. When strikers score goals, it is good for the team. He wants to stay at Tottenham and we want him to stay with us."
Spurs were ahead here after just six minutes. West Brom boss Pulis must have warned his players against conceding free-kicks 25 yards from goal, with Christian Eriksen proving deadly from distance this season, but Claudio Yacob's foul on Mousa Dembele presented the Dane with the opportunity to add another set piece to his collection. His effort was similar to the guided missile against Sheffield United in midweek as he arrowed a fierce shot into the top corner, despite the attempts of Ben Foster.
It was the first league goal scored against Pulis since his appointment, but a rampant Spurs doubled their lead after 15 minutes. Kane was given too much room to advance into the penalty area, escaping Andre Wisdom before driving his shot past Foster, who did not move.
Albion were shell-shocked, but they recovered and could have turned the game on its head, had it not been for Hugo Lloris, who tipped over James Morrison's curler before diving superbly to his right to prevent Yacob's close-range effort from crossing the line.
Craig Dawson then headed against the crossbar as Spurs' grip on the game loosened, with Pulis watching on mystified from the technical area.
Albion's failure to take any of those chances always looked costly, and so it proved in the 63rd minute when Kane put the game out of sight from the spot after Joleon Lescott was judged to have handled Kyle Walker's cross.
Pulis's team remain three points above the dreaded dotted line, and the manager will be burning the midnight oil before Monday's transfer deadline passes.
"We need to bring a few players in to help the group, and if we do I'll be happy," he said.
Telegraph
