Tottenham Hotspur closed the gap at the top of the Premier League table to four points after cruising to a 4-0 victory Saturday over West Brom at White Hart Lane.
Harry Kane left the pitch clutching the match-ball after scoring a hat-trick, to take his total for the season to 12 in 19 appearances for club and country. A Gareth McAuley own-goal finished the scoring for the hosts. Here, Newsweek looks at what was learnt from Mauricio Pochettino's team's resounding win on Saturday:
Pochettino's men keep up pace with leading pack
Victory for Tottenham meant cutting Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points, before Antonio Conte's men face Leicester in the evening kick-off.
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, was right when he spoke of the frustration Conte must be feeling. Chelsea's 13 consecutive wins—ended by Spurs 10 days ago—should have seen Conte's team well out of sight. And, yet, the cushion is not quite so plump now.
When Christian Eriksen's effort 24 minutes in deflected off McAuley and past a helpless Ben Foster, Pochettino's name rang out across north London. The Argentine has equalled the club record of six consecutive Premier League wins and keeps Spurs on the animated coattails of Conte's team.
But there was more to come. After Kane wrapped up the points with his third and Spurs' fourth, the home fans directed their chants to west London. "We're coming for you, Chelsea," they sang.
Spurs tear ahead in lunchtime kick-off
The 12.30 p.m. games on a Saturday are notorious for slow starts, with teams struggling to get up to normal pace; that was not a problem for the hosts at White Hart Lane.
In the opening 45 minutes, Pochettino's team dominated in every area of the field, going into the interval with 78 percent possession and 10 shots. West Brom was unable to register a single effort.
Spurs purred from the kick-off, Kane closing down from the very first pass. Moussa Dembele took charge in midfield, continuing to prove what an important figure he is in Pochettino's team. In defence Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were untroubled, while Danny Rose and Kyle Walker tore back and forth down the wings.
West Brom stretched out of comfort zone
Tony Pulis has guided West Brom to heavy heights halfway through the Premier League season, so much so that Darren Fletcher has spoken of qualifying for Europa League football. That would, for Fletcher, feel as successful as winning the league with Manchester United.
Pulis demands complete discipline from his side, especially in its shape. He likes West Brom to be compact, frustrating teams, preventing players with the quality of Eriksen, Dele Alli and Dembele to get in between defence and midfield.
For that reason, Pulis will have been furious at Spurs' opening goal. Victor Wanyama picked up the ball in space, after 12 minutes, and fed Eriksen, whose first-time pass picked out Kane just inside the penalty area, unmarked. One touch and bang, in off the post. It was his first goal since becoming a father for the first time on January 8. He would end up leaving the pitch cradling the match-ball.
Unhappy return to the Lane for Chadli
A polite round of applause sounded little after an hour, as the number 22 lit up on fourth official Kevin Friend's board. Nacer Chadli was quick to exit the pitch after his return to his former club ended in misery.
Chadli, who was signed by Spurs in 2013 but left last summer, was a bystander for much of the match. He did, however, create West Brom's best chance of the game. While still only 1-0 down, the Belgian picked up the ball wide on the left, cut inside and delivered for Fletcher at the far post. The Scot's pull-back to Salomon Rondon was smart but the striker's effort was saved by Hugo Lloris.
Vertonghen injury only blot on Pochettino's afternoon
Everything was going so well for the Argentine until Vertonghen came came crashing down at his feet midway through the second half. Vertonghen, the impressive center-back, yelped as he landed inside the technical area awkwardly on his ankle.
The Belgian punched the ground and required help as he limped down the tunnel in tears. It looked ominous for Tottenham. A similar injury little under a year ago saw Vertonghen sidelined for 12 weeks.
With Tottenham heading into another title run-in, Pochettino will be sweating over the fitness of the defender who has helped Spurs to the best defense in the league.
Uncommon Knowledge
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