West Brom 0-1 Tottenham: Harry Kane scores 150th Premier League goal late on to send Spurs top

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George Flood8 November 2020

Tottenham have moved to the top of the Premier League after Harry Kane scored a late winner to break West Brom hearts on Sunday.

The England captain - who netted his 200th Spurs goal in the Europa League win over Ludogorets on Thursday night - headed home Matt Doherty’s cross with just two minutes remaining in a competitive affair at The Hawthorns.

It was the 150th Premier League strike of Kane’s career and he is the first Tottenham player to reach that milestone.

Jose Mourinho's side have now gone seven top-flight matches unbeaten and they take a slender one-point lead at the summit, though could be quickly knocked off top spot by either Leicester or Liverpool later on Sunday afternoon.

It is the first time Tottenham have led the Premier League since August 2014, while West Brom remain winless in the bottom three with just three points from their opening eight matches since promotion amid speculation over the future of manager Slaven Bilic.

Harry Kane celebrates a late winner for Tottenham against West Brom - his 150th Premier League goal
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Mourinho handed Gareth Bale the first League start of his second spell at the club alongside Kane and Heung-min Son as Tottenham’s ‘big three’ were finally unleashed all together in the Midlands, though the latter was guilty of a uncharacteristically glaring miss early on as he was picked out wonderfully by Tanguy Ndombele but hesitated to let fly and allowed Semi Ajayi to get back and make a crucial block.

West Brom - without two key players in Branislav Ivanovic and Matheus Pereira after it was revealed before kick-off that the duo had tested positive for Covid-19 - then also wasted a strong opportunity as Karlan Grant was unable to guide his header from a superb Darnell Furlong delivery on target.

Eric Dier made a crucial headed intervention underneath his own crossbar with Grant lurking to try and tap home Callum Robinson’s chipped cross as the Baggies withstood some early Spurs dominance before applying much of the first-half pressure themselves.

Gareth Bale made the first Premier League start of his second Spurs spell at The Hawthorns
Getty Images

Kyle Bartley and former Spurs midfielder Jake Livermore both fired over and muted appeals for a penalty from the Tottenham bench were waved away as Kane - who didn’t appeal himself - went to ground under pressure from Livermore while trying to meet a probing Ndombele cross from the right.

Tottenham occasonally looked threatening on the counter-attack, but a notably below-par first-half display led to Mourinho cutting a very animated figure on the touchline.

The visitors were improved after the break, though Dara O’Shea and Robinson both had efforts for West Brom before Kane saw a shot blocked and his cross for the otherwise quiet Bale missed the sliding Welshman’s foot by inches.

Kane and Sergio Reguilon - back in the starting XI after missing Europa League duty through illness - had further half-chances and Tottenham suffered a blow as Ndombele limped off following a collision with Bartley and was replaced by Giovani Lo Celso, who quickly shot wide after Reguilon’s shot had been deflected into his path.

Heung-min Son missed a great early chance for Tottenham, but it didn’t matter in the end thanks to Kane
Getty Images

West Brom provided a warning shot of their own as Tottenham took firm control of proceedings, with Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher grazing the outside of the post from 25 yards after getting the better of Moussa Sissoko.

Lloris was then called into action to keep out Furlong’s glancing header from a corner and Grant blasted wide at the back post.

Kane wasted a free-kick in a glorious position as Mourinho sent on Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius and Lucas Moura in search of a winner, with the former almost marking his Premier League debut with a goal as he forced West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone into a smart low save.

The Baggies’ inability to retain possession led to plenty of Tottenham pressure late on and they got their reward with two minutes remaining when Kane watched the flight of Doherty’s right-wing cross perfectly before coolly heading over Johnstone, who was caught in no man’s land.

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