Tottenham boosted their top-four hopes as Harry Kane’s double helped them to a 5-0 rout of relegation-threatened Everton.
Strikes from Kane and Heung-Min Son followed up Michael Keane’s own goal to give Spurs, who crashed out of the FA Cup last week, a commanding half-time lead.
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Kane then surpassed Thierry Henry’s tally of 175 Premier League goals with a fine volley after substitute Sergio Reguilon had added a fourth with his first touch, as Antonio Conte’s side made up ground on their top-four rivals.
The only positive for Frank Lampard was that Kane fell short of matching his own tally in the competition, but matters look bleak for 17th-placed Everton after a 14th loss from their last 18 league matches.
Everton’s press seemed to have Spurs on the back foot early on, yet the visitors were behind in the 14th minute when Keane sliced Ryan Sessegnon’s cross into his own net.
Making his 200th Premier League appearance, birthday boy Jordan Pickford allowed Son’s low shot to slip through his grasp three minutes later.
Pickford responded with a fine save from Son, with Kane rolling the rebound wide. Yet the England captain made no mistake when he slotted in after beating a hapless offside trap.
Lampard replaced the woeful Keane at half-time, yet it was Spurs’ substitute Reguilon who made an instant impact as he tapped home Dejan Kulusevski’s cross 41 seconds after coming on.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin went close to a consolation for beleaguered Everton, before Eric Dier rattled the bar with a close-range header.
Kane nudged himself above Arsenal great Henry in the all-time scoring list soon after, arrowing Matt Doherty’s ball across Pickford from a tight angle to add further gloss to a resounding win.
PL All-Time Scorers:
Alan Shearer260
Wayne Rooney 208
Andrew Cole187
Sergio Agüero 184
Frank Lampard 177
Harry Kane 176
Thierry Henry 175
Robbie Fowler 163
Jermain Defoe 162
Michael Owen 150 pic.twitter.com/urRUDJBaYv— The Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 7, 2022
What does it mean? Spurs maintain Toffees hoodoo
Spurs moved to within three points of fourth-placed Arsenal as they chase Champions League qualification, and also maintained their strong record against Everton.
Tottenham have now lost just one of their last 19 Premier League games against the Toffees, winning nine and drawing nine, while Conte is unbeaten in all six of his Premier League games against Everton, recording four wins and two draws, without conceding a single goal.
Kane toys with the Toffees yet again
Kane’s 175th and 176th Premier League goals mean he has recorded 11 goal involvements in his last 12 league games (nine goals and two assists).
The 28-year-old has also scored 13 career Premier League goals against Everton, only netting more goals in the competition against Leicester City (16).
Relegation looms?
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Everton have conceded five or more goals on eight occasions in all competitions, more than any other Premier League side has managed in that time, overtaking Burnley (seven).
The crushing defeat also represented Lampard’s fourth loss in just five league games at the helm, as Everton remain just one point clear of the Premier League’s bottom three. They have games in hand on those around them but have recorded just two top-flight wins since the end of September.
What’s next?
Spurs will face a huge test of their Champions League credentials when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, while Everton host Wolves at Goodison Park a day later.
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