Wednesday 27 December 2017 00:00, UK
Harry Kane smashed Alan Shearer's Premier League record for goals scored in a calendar year by hitting a hat-trick in Tottenham's 5-2 win over Southampton.
Kane needed only one goal to pass the 36 scored by Shearer in 1995 but the Spurs striker banged in three at Wembley to finish 2017 on an astonishing 39 goals in 36 league matches.
Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son helped put Southampton out of sight in the second half despite Sofiane Boufal pulling one back at 4-0 and substitute Dusan Tadic reducing the deficit late on.
But while five different scorers made for a frenetic, if undoubtedly one-sided contest, Kane was the star of the show from the moment he headed past Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster in the 22nd minute.
Shearer was quick to send his congratulations on Twitter, hailing his successor's "magnificent 2017", and it is noteworthy Kane has needed six fewer games to complete his tally than Shearer enjoyed 22 years ago. This was also Kane's eighth hat-trick of the year, and sixth in the Premier League.
