Tottenham No 1 Hugo Lloris embraces Kane after the striker reversed his side’s fortunes in the dying minutes. PHOTO/DAILY MAIL
LONDON, United Kingdom, Nov 19- Harry Kane had been very quiet, West Ham were within minutes of a famous derby victory and Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the season was all but over.
Gloom was descending upon White Hart Lane when Kane stirred, tucking away a simple finish from a cross by Heung-min Son.
Only he was not content with the equaliser. Seconds later, he scored again, this time converting a penalty won by Son.
Harry Kane nets a last minute penalty to seal a memorable late comeback 3-2 victory over London rivals
Harry Winks impressed on his first Premier League start -CLICK HERE for more stats from our brilliant Match Zone service
Emotions were chucked into the blender. Spurs were jubilant as they ended a winless run of seven games in all competitions. West Ham were distraught, finishing the game with 10 men when Winston Reid was sent off in stoppage time.
Michail Antonio had put the visitors ahead in the first half with his sixth headed goal of the season and his 11th headed goal of the calendar year.
Spurs dominated possession but did not manage a shot at goal until five minutes into the second half, when 20-year-old Harry Winks marked his first Premier League start by scoring his first goal for the club.
And referee Mike Dean soon stepped in with the first of his two penalty decisions. He noticed Vincent Janssen pulling back Reid as he attempted to reach a corner and Manuel Lanzini put the Hammers back in front.
There were 22 minutes to survive for Slaven Bilic and his team and they almost made it. Then Kane arrived and, when he is scoring, Tottenham are a totally different proposition.
Spurs went into the game without a goal other than penalties for more than a month. It has been a long wait, contributing to their winless run and Christian Eriksen thought he had lifted the pressure when he found the net in the sixth minute.
Eriksen burst clear and finished neatly in the opening minutes but a flag was up for offside and his wait for a first Premier League goal of the season went on.
Kane also whipped an effort narrowly wide from distance but Bilic had selected an ambitious team and West Ham came out with a sense of purpose.
Janssen stretches to reach the ball in a 50/50 challenge with West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate. PHOTO/DAILY MAIL
Diafra Sakho was making his first appearance of the season. His days at West Ham seemed over but a £15million move to West Brom collapsed in August due to the back injury which then kept him out for the first three months of the season.
Fit again, Bilic thrust him back into the team, one of three changes to side which drew with Stoke on their last outing.
The fluent front three of Sakho, Dimitri Payet and Andre Ayew disturbed the meanest defence in the top-flight.
Darren Randolph was preferred to Adrian in goal. Captain Mark Noble was suspended but Reid returned after a hamstring injury to take the armband and played a key role in the opening goal.
A corner taken from the right by Payet was thumped against the bar by a header from Cheikhou Kouyate. The rebound skidded to Reid, who adjusted his feet quickly to hook a volley towards goal, where Antonio pounced to nod it past Hugo Lloris from close range.
Nerves were exposed at White Hart Lane. Those groans of despair have been rare in the last 12 months, with Pochettino making strong progress. This campaign, however, has delivered new challenges and the anxiety bled on to the pitch.
Mousa Dembele was booked for disputing referee Dean’s decision to award a foul for a gentle nudge on Sakho which produced an over-reaction from the West Ham striker and a free-kick in Payet territory. Tottenham’s defensive wall stood firm and the Frenchman’s effort was deflected over.
A well-timed sliding tackle by Jan Vertonghen denied Payet soon after the interval, before Spurs levelled through Winks.
Randolph’s first save of the same was a fine one, parrying from Eriksen at his near-post but he could do nothing as the ball fell to the young midfielder, who forced it into the net before making a euphoric sprint into the arms of his manager.
It was a wonderful explosion of emotion from Winks, who was born in Hemel Hempstead and has graduated from the club’s academy and his goal changed the nature of the game.
The goal drought broken, Spurs were in the hunt for more and the home crowd came to life. Having looked so comfortable, West Ham were suddenly on the defensive. A fierce drive from Danny Rose was blocked and Randolph produced a terrific save with his left foot to save a downward header from Eric Dier.
Bilic’s team were fading but his changes made an impact and Lanzini kept his cool from the penalty spot when it mattered. Tottenham, however, refused to give in. Their spirit is strong — and no one’s is stronger than Kane’s.
-By Daily Mail-
