Harry Kane came to Tottenham’s rescue with a second-half hat-trick against Slovenian side NS Mura in the Europa Conference League and responded in style to the growing questions about his form.
Having failed to find the back of the net in five below-par Premier League outings, Kane came off the bench to rediscover his scoring touch – just when Spurs were starting to look nervy against the minnows.
Leading 2-0, they started the second half slowly and the visitors – who were only formed in 2012 – looked capable of producing a huge upset when they pulled a goal back.
It was Kane’s introduction on 60 minutes, along with Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura, that turned the game around against the lowest-ranked team in the competition.
Kane, who wanted to move to Manchester City in the summer, told BT Sport: “Every striker wants to score goals. I probably wasn’t expecting to come on today, but it’s nice to get the minutes.”
In his 30-minute stint, Kane’s treble showed “why he is one of the best finishers, if not the best finisher in the world”, according to BT Sport summariser Clive Allen.
The display followed the 3-1 humbling by rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch added on BT Sport: “It was just perfect, that Arsenal game is gone. It is poor opposition, it doesn’t matter.
“He still has to score and he is ruthless. Harry Kane is back and scoring goals.”
Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle said: “He will feel great. It has worked out perfectly for him. He has scored a hat-trick and, in his mind, that Arsenal performance, which was poor, is out of the window.”
‘Are Spurs moving in the right direction? I’m not sure’
But, with Thursday’s scoreline flattering the hosts, does the result just paper over the cracks for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side?
After winning their opening three league games and not conceding a goal, Spurs have lost their last three, including the north London derby.
So far this season, they have managed fewer shots on target and fewer chances created from open play than any other Premier League side.
But, despite picking up only nine league points, it’s too soon to talk of a crisis, according to Crouch.
He said: “Crisis is a bit strong at the moment, but it has not been good.
“The last three games before this, the performances and results have been poor. Tonight, it took the three up front to kick-start the game.
“It has not been vintage Tottenham since the opening day of the season. Are they moving in the right direction? I’m not sure.”
But, despite another unconvincing performance, Hoddle says manager Santo needs time.
He added: “The second 11 should have taken that team to the cleaners and they didn’t – and that is the disappointment.
“Nuno has to be given time. There is a helluva lot of work on the training ground to be done though. There really is.”
