Monday 6 March 2017 06:49, UK
Tottenham boosted their top-four hopes with a 3-2 win over Everton at White Hart Lane on Nissan Super Sunday.
After all the pre-match build-up, it was fitting that Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku shared centre stage. The Spurs man scored twice to move clear at the top of the Premier League scoring charts on 19 goals, while Lukaku was also on target for Everton.
From their finishing to their link-up play, we compare their all-round performances...
Kane's brilliant opener highlighted his ability to conjure a goal out of nothing. He was in an innocuous position 25 yards out when he collected Ben Davies' pass, held off Ashley Williams and span away from Idrissa Gueye before thumping a precise shot beyond Joel Robles.
It was his seventh goal from outside the box in the last three seasons - only a handful of players have netted more - and it earned him plenty of praise. "That's centre-forward play of the highest order," said Alan Smith in the Sky Sports commentary box. "He can score headers, tap-ins and he can also score from 30 yards," added Jamie Redknapp.
Kane's second goal was clinically taken after Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli dispossessed Morgan Schneiderlin, but there were also missed opportunities either side of it. He shot straight at Robles after combining brilliantly with Christian Eriksen in the first half, and he spurned a one-on-one in the closing stages. "I'll take the two but I'm slightly disappointed I didn't get the match ball," he conceded afterwards.
While Kane enjoyed plenty of service, Lukaku was a more isolated figure, touching the ball only three times in Tottenham's final third in the whole of the first half. When a chance did come his way, however, he outmuscled Jan Vertonghen and finished impeccably past Hugo Lloris. One shot, one goal. "He has fed on scraps all day but it's a sign of a class striker that when a chance does come he's lethal with it," said Smith.
Lukaku managed one other shot before the final whistle, a deflected effort which was collected by Lloris, but a single goal was all he needed to make him Everton's leading scorer in Premier League history. Kane's goals earned him the man-of-the-match award, but Lukaku's historic strike ensured he was not overshadowed.
Kane's off-the-ball movement was eye-catching at times. The Spurs man took up dangerous positions in and around Everton's box throughout the game, particularly in the right-hand channel, where he caused problems in the space between Leighton Baines and Ramiro Funes Mori.
He almost latched onto a low cross from Kyle Walker when he instinctively darted towards the near post shortly after his opener, and moments later he created space for Eriksen to burst through on goal with a selfless run to drag Funes Mori out of position. The Dane was only inches away from doubling Tottenham's lead.
According to Redknapp, Kane should also have had a penalty when he went to ground after escaping Williams from an Eriksen free-kick.
Lukaku, by contrast, was forced to drop deep in order to get the ball, giving him few chances to stretch Tottenham's backline until the closing stages. "Lukaku just can't find any space," said Smith in the first half. "Quite often they're doubling up on him, pushing him further away from the goal."
Lukaku's work-rate is one area of his game which needs attention, with Ronald Koeman imploring him to increase his off-the-ball intensity earlier in the season. Against Spurs, Kane was certainly the more dynamic of the pair, running over a kilometre further than his counterpart.
But while Kane covered more ground, Lukaku did show signs of meeting his manager's demands in other ways. Premier League tracking data showed he made more sprints than Kane, and he also registered a higher top speed. On a difficult afternoon for the Everton striker, his late goal showed he never stopped working to make things happen.
Both strikers dropped into midfield to link the play, but the stats suggest Lukaku was the more efficient. He was not helped by muted displays by team-mates who were "not at the races", in the words of Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness, but there was some tidy combination play with the likes of Tom Davies and Ross Barkley.
He made more passes than Kane at a higher success rate, and he also lost possession fewer times than the Spurs man. Kane made four unsuccessful touches, according to Opta, while Lukaku didn't register a single one.
So while Kane deservedly claimed the man-of-the-match award for his match-winning heroics, Lukaku's overall performance showed why he is pushing the Tottenham man so close this season. Their battle for superiority is set to continue for the final months of the season.
