Harry Kane shakes Tottenham from attacking slumber as Jose Mourinho front-four offers blueprint for recovery

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Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP7 February 2021

Harry Kane returned from injury to inspire Tottenham to a much-needed win over West Brom to ease the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.

After two-and-a-half games on the sidelines, during which Spurs have been utterly abject, Kane recovered from ankle injuries to start against the Baggies and opened the scoring in a 2-0 win.

With the England captain leading the line again, Spurs were unrecognisable from the reactive, clueless side that laboured to a third consecutive defeat against Chelsea on Thursday.

Before kick-off, you had to wonder if Mourinho was taking a gamble with his talisman's fitness after only two days of training but Kane looked confident, sharp and menacing – albeit initially rusty in front of goal.

He missed three sighters in the first half before opening the scoring with a cool finish ten minutes after the interval. That strike leaves him tied with Bobby Smith as the joint-second highest scorer in the club’s history on 208 goals.

He also played a major part in the crucial second goal, starting the counter-attack from which Lucas Moura brilliantly assisted Heung-min Son's strike.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Kane was not the only Spurs player who made a positive a difference, as Mourinho's set-up and selections offered an encouraging blueprint for his side's potential recovery going forward.

Kane returned to a new-look front four, with Erik Lamela and Moura coming in and Tanguy Ndombele dropping back to the double pivot – a role which suits the Frenchman's skillset.

Ndombele's presence in a deeper midfield role enabled Spurs to progress possession into the final third with far more regularity than against Chelsea and Lamela was impressive at inside right. Lucas fully justified his inclusion with a 60-yard run for the second goal.

Mourinho's formation worked well and paves the way for the return of Dele Alli or Giovani Lo Celso as a No.10 ahead of Ndombele, suggesting there are reasons for optimism after the abject defeats to Liverpool, Brighton and the Blues.

Ultimately, more important than formations or personnel was Tottenham's attacking intent and the evidence of clear and coherent patterns of play in the final third.

The obvious caveat was West Brom's lack of ambition and quality but with this more positive set-up there are reasons to think Spurs can be more effective and easier on the eye, starting against Everton on Wednesday.

Conversely, the dramatic impact of Kane's return will inevitably raise questions about Spurs' over-reliance on the striker – frankly, they have never felt more like 'the Harry Kane team' – which feels unsustainable with the FA Cup and Europa League restarting in the next fortnight. But in the short-term, Mourinho will not care.

Mourinho shows he still has the dressing room

Mourinho hit back at suggestions he was under pressure after the defeat to Chelsea but that result left Spurs with just three wins from 12 league matches – the same record as Mauricio Pochettino before he was sacked and replaced by the Portuguese.

Mourinho had admitted that not beating the Baggies was unthinkable and he will have been relieved at not only the result but the manner of his side's performance.

A high-energy, battling win was far from perfect – Spurs had two near misses when Mbaye Diagne had the ball in the net only to be correctly flagged offside – but it suggested the players are still fighting for Mourinho. This was not the response of a group who have lost faith in their manager.

West Brom admittedly look a poor outfit but Sam Allardyce's side offer, at a minimum, a physical examination, which Spurs more than stood up to, as well as showing more creativity and ruthlessness in attack. 

Aurier injury a worry

The only downside from the afternoon for Spurs was a second half injury to Serge Aurier.

The right-back was one of the few positives from Thursday's defeat and he was impressive again against the Baggies, linking up well with Lamela down the right and testing goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with a close-range header.

He was forced off with around 20 minutes remaining with what looked like a calf problem. It might have been cramp but any kind of absence for Aurier would be bad news for Spurs, while Sergio Reguilon is already missing on the left and still a few weeks from fitness.

Matt Doherty, who replaced Aurier, has looked desperately short of confidence of late but he will likely have to step up in Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round at Everton and next Saturday's trip to Man City if the Ivorian is sidelined.

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