Tottenham Hotspur yesterday proved they can cope without Harry Kane and retook third place in the English Premier League as Lucas Moura’s hat-trick inspired a 4-0 demolition of Huddersfield Town.
Despite the absence of injured stars Kane and Dele Alli, Mauricio Pochettino’s much-changed side made it three victories from their first three games at the impressive Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pochettino’s understudies filled in nicely as Kenya midfielder Victor Wanyama rolled in the opener before Brazilian forward Lucas took center stage with an eye-catching treble.
Photo: AFP
Tottenham have settled well in their new London home and already-relegated Huddersfield provided the ideal warm-up for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at Manchester City.
Bidding to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish, Tottenham are one point clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, who face leaders Liverpool today.
Bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield have lost 19 of their past 21 league matches as their two-season stay in the top flight grinds to a dispiriting conclusion.
It was a reassuring afternoon for Tottenham, whose 1-0 quarter-final first leg win against City on Tuesday came at a heavy cost.
Kane is likely to miss the rest of the season after suffering yet another ankle ligament injury, this time in a tackle on City’s Fabian Delph, while Alli sustained a fractured hand that left him unable to face Huddersfield.
Adding to Pochettino’s problems, England midfielder Harry Winks was ruled out of yesterday’s game with a groin injury.
However, for all the panic about Kane’s injury potentially ruining Tottenham’s hopes of a successful end to the season, they have won all five of their league games without the England striker this season.
Much sterner tests than Huddersfield lie ahead, so Pochettino made seven changes, leaving Son Heung-min, Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier on the bench.
It was a gamble to rest South Korea forward Son, who had scored two of Tottenham’s three goals at the new stadium, including the winner against City.
All eyes were on Fernando Llorente and Lucas to see if they could fill the gap left by Kane and Son up front.
Huddersfield were so limited in all areas that Tottenham’s makeshift lineup were able to play their way into rhythm.
NEWCASTLE 1, LEICESTER 0
Newcastle United on Friday took a huge step toward securing their survival as Ayoze Perez sealed a 1-0 win against Leicester City.
Rafael Benitez’s side moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone thanks to Perez’s first-half header at the King Power Stadium.
Newcastle’s first away league win since December last year ended a run of four games without a victory that had threatened to drag them into the relegation dogfight.
They should be assured of maintaining their top-flight status after a difficult season tarnished by Benitez’s discontent over a lack of backing in the transfer market from controversial owner Mike Ashley.
“It’s massive for the team. You have to give credit to the players who worked hard,” Benitez said.
Amid rumors he might not be in charge next season if Ashley will not promise more investment, Benitez added: “We have to have a team who can compete.”
“You can do everything right with your tactics, but the other team has one player that can make the difference,” he added.
Leicester remain seventh after a first home defeat for boss Brendan Rodgers since his move from Celtic in February.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two