Heung-Min Son broke his goal drought and Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham won their first game since the Premier League’s return, beating Crystal Palace 4-0 at Selhurst Park.
To use a sporting cliché, it was a game of two halves for Spurs. Antonio Conte was looking for a reaction from his side after a draw against Brentford and defeat to Aston Villa since the league restarted after the World Cup.
They were run ragged by an impressive Palace in the opening 45 minutes, who themselves were looking to atone for an abysmal 3-0 defeat to Fulham in their last home outing.
But as has often been the story for the Eagles, they failed to take their chances as Tottenham’s quality began to shine through in the second half. Kane, on his 300th Premier League appearance, nodded Spurs ahead three minutes after the break.
He swept home his second five minutes later, taking him to within two goals of Jimmy Greaves’ all-time scoring record for Tottenham (266).
The pressure had been on Son too as he continued to struggle in front of goal. He thought he had nabbed an assist for Matt Doherty’s goal, but his cross took a deflection off Nathaniel Clyne on the way through.
The South Korea international soon broke his barren run in the 72nd minute, linking up with his strike partner Kane for yet another Spurs goal. It was a fine volley from too, rounding off an excellent evening for Spurs. The result takes them to within two points of the Champions League places, although they have played a game more than Manchester United in fourth.