Premier League

TOTTENHAM 1 (Kane 15, Romero sent off 87)
MANCHESTER CITY 0

THE goal came in the 15th minute.

Harry Kane had the ball at his feet in the opponents box and – as always – there was only going to be one outcome.

He pulled the trigger for 267th time, beating Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson low to his right. As the ball crossed the line, Kane became Tottenham Hotspur’s greatest ever goalscorer.

It is unlikely any Spurs fan alive today will be around long enough to see another goalscorer of his talent and loyalty in Lilywhite with such extraordinary goal tallies.

It felt historic – a landmark that is his reward for such loyalty, for sticking by a club which seemingly is always one false step away from turmoil, for ignoring the cup-wielding sirens and for realising that by staying at Spurs, he has carved himself a totally unique place in the cub’s history.

Kane will be remembered as our best ever goalscorer. But as well as bagging the winner against City, the England captain put in his usual length-of-the-pitch performance.

Dropping deep to create, defending set-pieces and simply never losing possession – Kane may have an eye for goal, but his all round contribution should never be forgotten.

Speaking to the fans after the game, Kane said he had been desperate to break the record in N17. “I wanted to do it here, in this special place, in front of you – the amazing fans,” he said.

Unable to suppress his emotions, he added: “I was desperate to score today. I have been here since I was 11-years-old. I played my first ever game in the old White Hart Lane on a wet Monday night. I love being part of this. This is my family.”

Thanking teammates and coaches past and present, Kane continued: “It was quite overwhelming, the adrenaline – it is a dream come true to get here, to reach the goal tally of one of the greatest ever. But above all we had to think about taking three points.

“We are at an important moment in the season and we will take it from here and I look forward to the next one.”

It was a victory that puts Tottenham back in striking distance of the top four, with the gap between them, Manchester United and Newcastle now just three points.

City were their usual, possession-hogging, patient selves, but after starting brightly and pinning Spurs back, the visitors came unstuck via some sheer, naked aggression.

Tottenham have got wise to City’s dawdling at the back as they try to create pretty shapes. When a pass was played to feet centrally to Rico Lewis, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg lost patience and seized his chance. He attacked the ball, robbing Lewis. A little side-foot pass into Kane and the record-breaking striker wasn’t going to miss this one. His low shot skidded past Ederson and nestled in the net.

And didn’t the stadium know it was Kane’s 267th goal for Spurs, beating Jimmy Greaves’s record, and giving sense of immense collective joy. The outpouring of unbridled jubilance seemed to steel the players: this was a match Tottenham were now not going lose.

City flattered to deceive, finding it hard to translate their possession into clear cut chances. Jack Grealish curled one just over, while Rodri tested Hugo Lloris low but his shot lacked power.

As half-time approached, City’s poor luck at this ground – they had never even scored here – got worse when Riyad Mahrez hit the bar with Lloris well-beaten. It would have been a morale booster just before the break, but Spurs seemed blessed.

On 25 minutes, Cristian Romero lost his cool and slid in from distance on Erling Haaland, earning himself a yellow card. It was a pointless, late tackle and came at the end of a spell of some silly challenges on either side as things got ratty. Romero would later pay the ultimate price, earning a second booking in the final minutes for a stupid trip on Grealish and then being sent off.

Overall Spurs came out well in the second half, happy to play on the break, and soaked up what City had to offer. Emerson Royal, often criticised as a wing-back and whose time in the first-team seems numbered after the signing of Pedro Porro, had an immense tussle with Grealish throughout.

And with City committing more players forward, Tottenham found acres of space when they got hold of the ball and moved it quickly. Chances came and went: Kane went close twice from either side of the box, Royal nearly got in and Dejan Kulusevski was a constant source of excitement when he had the ball at his feet.

Up the other end, Lloris had few clear saves to make. A shot from Julian Alvarez was blocked by Eric Dier, who knew little about it, while Kevin De Bruyne, on as a substitute, drove a shot wide. It was never going to be enough to stop Spurs earning a deserved 1-0 win.

Kane’s first goal for Tottenham was in the Europa League in a 4–0 win away to Shamrock Rovers on December 15, 2011. He wore the number 36 in a quickly-forgotten purple away strip.

His control and finish that night was the first of 266 more. For those of us who have been fortunate to follow Spurs during his years at the club, we can only express a heart felt thanks for each and every one of them.

Tottenham: Lloris, Romero (sent off 87), Dier, Davies, Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic (Sessegnon, 78), Kulusevski (Sanchez, 88), Son (Bissouma, 84), Kane
Substitutes not used: Forster, Skipp, Richarlison, Danjuma, Porro, Lenglet

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Lewis, Mahrez (De Bruyne 58), Rodri. Silva (Gundogan, 84), Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland
Substitutes not used: Ortega, Dias, Phillips, Laporte, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer