Hull 1 - 7 SpursHarry Kane hat-trick secures Golden Boot as Tottenham hit Hull for seven
Home team scorersSam Clucas 66
Away team scorersHarry Kane 11
Harry Kane 13
Dele Alli 45 +1:26
Victor Wanyama 69
Harry Kane 72
Ben Davies 84
Toby Alderweireld 87
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick, Hull City fans implored Marco Silva to stay on as their manager and the fluency of Tottenham Hotspur’s play offered tantalising hints of what might have been.
With Kane securing the Golden Boot by taking his tally to 29 in the Premier League for the season and Dele Alli shining brightly in the hazy East Yorkshire sunshine, Hull were thoroughly outclassed by visitors who had once entertained hopes of securing the title here.
It was not to be but, come next season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will surely be parking their tanks on Chelsea’s front lawn. This time last year Spurs surrendered 5-1 to already relegated Newcastle United at St James’ Park where the action was played out against a repetitive soundtrack of “Rafa Benítez, we want you to stay.”
Twelve months on and 150 miles to the south there was a distinct sense of deja vu in the humid East Yorkshire air. “Marco Silva, we want you to stay,” chorused the KCom Stadium as the Portuguese coach who very nearly rescued Hull from relegation paced his technical area.
That though was where the similarities ended. Unlike Benítez, Silva seems unlikely to listen to those pleas, with the much admired young manager courted by assorted suitors including Watford and expected to announce his departure by Wednesday at the latest.
And unlike last year, Spurs had most definitely not switched off. Anxious to guarantee his receipt of the Golden Boot awarded to the Premier League’s leading scorer for a second season in succession, Harry Kane swiftly registered his 27th goal of the campaign. When Eric Dier won possession and Christian Eriksen’s pass confounded the new look home back four, Kane found himself in space on the edge of the area and, making the most of it, drove a low, left foot shot beyond David Marshall.
Goal number 28 was not far behind. This time, Kane tapped in from close range after connecting with Kieran Trippier’s volleyed cross at the conclusion of a move instigated by Dier’s high calibre diagonally chipped pass.
Proving he can assist as well as score, Kane helped create his side’s third goal. With half time fast approaching he played in Heung-Min Son whose cut-back found Dele Alli. All that remained was for Alli to take a steadying touch before directing a shot past Marshall who might have been beginning to regret Silva’s decision to offer him in a rare start ahead of Eldin Jakupovic.
Recognising that his players could not cope with the sharpness, rapidity and sheer imagination of Ali’s movement Hull’s manager had some thinking to do at the interval. His team emerged reconfigured with a back four for the second half, introducing Kamil Grosicki at Curtis Davies’s expense. It prompted a slight improvement, manifested by the home side creating a handful of half chances.
They even scored a goal when Oumar Niasse’s shot was blocked and Sam Clucas’s deflected left foot shot beat but any joy was quickly cancelled out as Victor Vanyama responded by heading Eriksen’s free kick home. It was the Dane’s 14th assist of a stellar season.
Alli then set up Kane to complete his treble courtesy of another left foot shot and Ben Davies extended his own left boot to make it six by lashing the afternoon’s most eye catching goal past poor Marshall from outside the area. “We want seven,” demanded the visiting fans and Toby Alderweireld duly obliged by turning Kieran Trippier’s cross in
“Are you watching Arsenal,” roared those approving Spurs supporters before six Hull players braved the traditional end of season ‘lap of appreciation.’ Hats off to Michael Dawson, Sam Clucas, Tom Huddlestone, Andrew Robertson, Jarrod Bowen and Josh Tymon.
