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CENTURION HARRY KANE HITS A BRACE IN ENGLAND’S 2-0 WIN OVER FINLAND

England captain Harry Kane celebrated his 100th cap with a clinical brace as Lee Carsley’s interim reign continued with a comfortable Nations League win against Finland.

All eyes were on the man in the golden boots at Wembley, where the 31-year-old was presented with a golden cap before kick-off having become just the 10th man to reach a century of appearances for the national team.

Kane followed Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton in scoring in their 100th match for England, with the skipper rifling home both goals in a controlled 2-0 win over Finland.

Carsley’s first match managing at Wembley was as dominant as Saturday’s win by the same scoreline away to the Republic of Ireland, with fans entertaining themselves by sending paper planes sailing throughout a plain sailing night of Nations League football.

England enjoyed 74 per cent of first half possession but only managed two shots on target, albeit Kane saw a close-range header ruled out for a tight offside call.

Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky proved a tough last line of defence but Kane finally beat him when lashing off the underside of the bar in the 57th minute.

England’s all-time top scorer went onto add a 68th goal to his collection, firing home a pass from debutant Noni Madueke before being replaced to a standing ovation.

Tuesday evening was a special night for Kane and a chance to pay tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The popular former England manager died last month at the age of 76 and was remembered along with the late Kevin Campbell, Tommy Banks and Craig Shakespeare at Wembley.

England wore black armbands as they did at the weekend, but they were unable to replicate the sharp start seen across the Irish Sea.

Finland deserve credit for seeing off early threats, including stopping Bukayo Saka turning in a Kane header across goal before the skipper saw an effort blocked.

Hradecky stopped a snapshot from the 31-year-old and the visiting goalkeeper did well to stop a deflected Saka shot looping past him as England pressure mounted, with celebrations in the 23rd minute cut short.

Saka’s cross was nodded home by from six yards by centurion Kane, only for Carsley to punch the deck as he saw the flag raised for offside – a decision eventually ratified by the VAR.

Angel Gomes looked sharp in and out of possession on his first England start but fellow midfielder Declan Rice was breathing a sigh of relief after his error allowed Topi Keskinen, who missed an earlier chance, to lash over.

England patiently probed in search of an opener, with Saka proving a thorn in the side before Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a shot skipping just across the face of goal and then wasted a well-placed free-kick.

Kane stepped up to a set-piece early in the second half but Hradecky beat away his powerful 20-yard free-kick with a strong right hand.

Finland’s goalkeeper spread himself well to stop Anthony Gordon and then dealt with an overhead kick from Kane, who finally beat the Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper in the 57th minute.

Kane collected a pass from the impressive Alexander-Arnold, showed great awareness to cut away from Robert Ivanov and lasered home off the underside of the bar.

Carsley soon made changes, with Ezri Konsa withdrawn due to injury shortly before Madueke came on for his England debut.

The changes helped add new life to the team and England’s second arrived through a familiar source in the 76th minute.

Alexander-Arnold’s exceptional ball down the line to Madueke was followed by a clever pass into the path of Kane to send a first-time strike past Finland’s goalkeeper.

The skipper was soon replaced with his work done as fans headed towards the exit and play petered out.

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HARRY KANE STARS AS SPURS BEAT BRIGHTON

Harry Kane created a slice of Premier League history as he helped Tottenham to a 2-0 win at free-falling Brighton.

After Cristian Romero had put Spurs in front before the break, Kane entered the record books just before the hour by scoring his 95th goal away from home – more than any other player.

He also moved above Frank Lampard in the list of all-time scorers, going into fifth with 178 goals and more records are surely around the corner given the England’s captain devastating prowess.

It was his seventh strike in six Premier League games and helped keep Spurs in the race for the top four, though they remain big outsiders as they are still behind Arsenal, who have two games in hand.

Brighton played well in patches but their slide continued as this was a sixth successive defeat and the game against Norwich takes on extra significance ahead of a trio of away matches against Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City.

They have probably already amassed enough points to avoid getting dragged into a relegation fight, but their form will be a concern for Graham Potter.

Spurs had an early opportunity to take control of the match but Kane was uncharacteristically wasteful after creating his own chance.

He blocked Robert Sanchez’s attempted clearance after the goalkeeper was caught dawdling in possession and the ball ran free, but Kane could not convert into an open goal from an acute angle.

Brighton came into the game and Alexis Mac Allister had a shot blocked as Spurs were penned back.

But the visitors forged ahead in the 37th minute, though needed a large slice of luck.

Son Heung-min fed Dejan Kulusevski on the edge of the area and the Swede’s shot took a heavy deflection off team-mate Romero, wrongfooting Sanchez and heading into the bottom corner.

It should have been 2-0 moments later as Shane Duffy messed up a header, allowing Kulusevski to race through on goal, but he shot straight at the legs of Sanchez and Brighton survived.

Brighton started the second half searching for a response, but Spurs killed the game just before the hour with a devastating counter attack.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won the ball on the edge of his own area, fed Rodrigo Bentancur, who drove forward before playing a superb ball for Kane to finish in typical style.

Kane’s creativity is just as big a part as his goalscoring and he should have had an assist in the 72nd minute as his inch-perfect pass set Sergio Reguilon clear, but the Spanish wing-back shot straight at Sanchez.

A Brighton goal could have made the last 15 minutes nervy for Spurs and they went close as Marc Cucurella fizzed an effort just wide of the post, while Ben Davies produced a fine last-ditch tackle.

Kane could have put the icing on the cake at the death but Sanchez was equal to his shot from the edge of the area as Antonio Conte’s men eased to the three points.

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KANE HITS BRACE AS SPURS PUT FIVE PAST EVERTON

Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur moved three points outside the top four with their biggest win of the season, beating struggling Everton 5-0.

Spurs took the lead after 14 minutes when Ryan Sessegnon’s low cross was turned in to his own net by Michael Keane.

Son Heung-min made it 2-0 less than three minutes later, collecting Dejan Kulusevski’s slipped pass and firing past Jordan Pickford.

Kane ran clean through on goal to score from Matt Doherty’s pass on 37 minutes, and half-time substitute Sergio Reguilon swept home Spurs’ fourth less than a minute after his introduction.

Kane made it 5-0 in the 55th minute with a brilliant angled volley from Doherty’s long pass, and Pickford had to make a smart save to stop substitute Steven Bergwijn adding a sixth.

Spurs stay seventh but now have 45 points. A third straight defeat means Everton stay 17th on 22 points, one point above the relegation zone.

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LATE HEADER FROM HARRY KANE SEALS DRAMATIC WIN FOR TOTTENHAM AT MANCITY

Harry Kane reminded Manchester City just what they missed out on as he scored two goals to earn Tottenham a dramatic 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium.

The England captain was desperate to join the champions in the summer but City never came up with an offer that even got close to Spurs’ valuation, and how he made them pay as their 15-game unbeaten streak was ended.

After playing his part in Dejan Kulusevski’s opener, he put Spurs back in front following Ilkay Gundogan’s equaliser with a sublime finish before delivering late drama.

Riyad Mahrez’s stoppage-time penalty had looked like stealing City a point but Kane, who also had a goal ruled out by VAR, had other ideas, heading home an even later winner in the fifth minute of time added on.

Kane’s performance could easily tempt City back into the market for him in the summer, but Spurs will be hoping this result can reignite their Champions League hopes.

The result will also have been welcomed at Liverpool as they cut the gap to six points at the top and they have a game in hand as the Premier League title race hots up.

It was a win and performance that was at odds with what has happened at the north London club following three successive defeats.

While Antonio Conte had been fighting fires after appearing to question Spurs’ transfer policy in an Italian TV interview, City boss Pep Guardiola was complimentary about them in the build-up.

It is easy to see why as he has been stung by Spurs enough in recent seasons, as the north London team have had the knack of being able to exploit them with Son Heung-min running in behind.

And they needed just four minutes to execute that plan again as they took the lead.

Kane dropped deep and set Son racing through with a delightful pass and the South Korean unselfishly played in Kulusevski who converted into an empty net.

It was a classic Spurs goal against City, but the home response was typically strong.

Joao Cancelo drifted an effort just wide after cutting inside and then Gundogan rattled the post with an effort from just inside the area.

On an evening when Spurs needed their goalkeeper to be at his very best if they were to stand a chance, Hugo Lloris produced a costly error that allowed City to equalise just after the half-hour.

The Frenchman, who cost Spurs two goals in last week’s 2-0 defeat to Wolves, spilled Raheem Sterling’s cross and Gundogan was on hand to convert into an empty net.

Spurs survived to half-time and were also able to snuff out City after the restart with some strong defending.

They continued to look dangerous on the break and Son tested Ederson from distance after being played in by Kane.

There was nothing Ederson could do about Kane’s brilliant goal that saw Spurs regain their lead just before the hour.

After Ryan Sessegnon picked up a loose ball, he fed Son and the South Korean took his time to pick out his mate Kane, who was arriving late in the box to produce a sublime finish into the top corner.

The 28-year-old was the man of the moment and should have made it 3-1 moments later after being played in again by Son, but Ederson produced a fine save with his feet.

Lloris went some way to redeeming himself soon after with a spectacular save, tipping Gundogan’s goalbound shot around the post.

Kane did have the ball in the net in the 73rd minute with another clinical finish, sparking mad scenes of celebration, but they were ruined by VAR as Kulusevski was offside in the build-up.

City had not really threatened a leveller but were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute when Cristian Romero handled at close range, with referee Anthony Taylor changing his decision after seeing the replay on the pitchside monitor.

But Kane was not done and there was one more twist in stoppage time.

Kulusevski got the ball out on the right, cut inside and delivered a perfect cross for Kane to power a header home.

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KANE NOT SPURS’ ONLY PROBLEM – NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO

Nuno Espirito Santo insists Harry Kane’s struggles in front of goal so far this season is not the only problem Tottenham have to solve.

Despite a robust first-half display against Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend, Tottenham put in a lacklustre display after the interval as Thomas Tuchel’s side eventually ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Much was made of Kane’s performance, playing much deeper on the left side of Spurs’ attack with the forward now without a goal from his first four league games for the first time since 2015/16.

But asked whether the striker was suffering a summer hangover from England’s Euro 2020 final defeat and an aborted move to Premier League champions Manchester City, Nuno was adamant Spurs problems were more a collective issue.

“There are so many problems we have to solve,” Nuno said.”Harry (Kane) is part of the team, like all of us. It’s all about the partnerships and the way we do things – everyone has to be involved.”

And when asked whether Kane was frustrated following the summer, Nuno added: “Nothing we can say or do now can change the past.

“What we have to do now is put it behind us and focus on the present.”

“The momentum we had before the international break has gone, there is an absence of players, we have to improve our levels of performance, we concede too many goals from set-pieces and we cannot sustain our play for long periods of the game.

“We are all trying to improve our performance in terms of goals, consistency and all the other aspects in the game and have to work to find the best solutions inside the team, in all the players.

Nuno takes his side to former club Wolves in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday looking for a first win in three games since the international break.

Prior to that period, Tottenham were top of the table with a 100 per cent record from their opening three Premier League games, and the Spurs boss is urging supporters to stick with his process.

Nuno said: “We started the season very consistent and solid with clean sheets, despite the situation that a lot of players were away.

“We did not score too much but winning- now we are not able to score and we are conceding.

“We have to look at what has happened, the results and performances have disappeared and the momentum and positive feeling has also gone.

“This is what we have to realise and find a way to get it back- our fans deserve much, much better than what we did on Sunday (against Chelsea).

“I was really pleased with the first half but the second half was not good.

“But what I can say is we are working very hard and the players are committed to playing better and things will improve.

“Our reaction to our problems is hard work and helping each other and that is how I work, with everyone involved.”

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STERLING, KANE LEAD ENGLAND OVER HUNGARY IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

England eased to a comfortable 4-0 win over Hungary at the Puskas Arena on Thursday to move five points clear at the top of World Cup qualifying Group I.

It was a miserable night for Hungary on the field and the country’s Football Federation is likely to face a FIFA investigation after crowd misbehaviour and reports of racial abuse of two of England’s Black players.England showed no signs of a hangover from their Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy with an excellent second-half display from Gareth Southgate’s side.

“It is a real tough place to come, we knew it was going to be a difficult game and such a big game in the group as well, we knew if we won here it puts us into a great position and almost one foot into the World Cup,” captain Harry Kane said.

“It couldn’t have been better than 4-0 away from home, a great night for us,” he added.

Raheem Sterling put England ahead in the 55th minute, after a frustrating first half, slotting home a low pull-back from Mason Mount who had been found by Jack Grealish.

Sterling was the provider for England’s second eight minutes later, when his deflected cross was headed in by a stooping Kane.

Harry Maguire made it 3-0 in the 69th minute with a header from a Luke Shaw corner that Hungary keeper Peter Gulacsi got a hand to but which crept over the line.

Declan Rice added the fourth, three minutes from the end, with a shot from outside the box which got through the body of Gulacsi who should have kept the effort out.

Gulacsi had made a series of saves from Kane with the England striker lacking his usual clinical touch.

Hungary, already facing two games behind closed doors in UEFA competition after incidents at their national stadium during Euro 2020, could face sanctions from FIFA after fans threw objects, mostly beer cups, at England players on two occasions. A flare was also thrown on to the pitch.

British broadcaster ITV said racist “monkey noises” were aimed at Sterling and England substitute Jude Bellingham from the hardcore “ultras” behind the goal.

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Harry Kane wants release clause in any new Tottenham Hotspur deal

Harry Kane reportedly wants a release clause to be inserted in any new deal he signs at Tottenham Hotspur.

The England captain announced on Wednesday that he would be staying in North London this summer, in spite of strong interest from Premier League champions Manchester City.

Following the news that the 28-year-old is set to remain at the club for the time being, Spurs supposedly want to tie him down to a new deal worth £330k per week, even with his existing deal not due to expire until 2024.

Now, The Telegraph claims that Kane is open to discussing a new deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but he would want a release clause to be included after a supposed gentleman’s agreement with Daniel Levy was not honoured.

Levy was thought to be demanding a fee of £150m to part ways with Kane and supposedly stopped taking calls from Man City earlier this month, which could lead Pep Guardiola’s men to turn their attention to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kane made his first appearance for Tottenham this season off the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers and boasts 221 goals from 337 games in white.

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Daniel Levy refusing to lower Harry Kane’s £150m asking price

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly refusing to lower his £150m valuation of Manchester City target Harry Kane.

The Premier League champions are believed to have had a £100m bid – with only £75m guaranteed up front – rejected for the England captain earlier in the transfer window.

City are now preparing a fresh offer worth around £120m, however the Daily Telegraph reports that Levy could continue to reject bids for Kane even if they get close to £150m, as he is determined to keep hold of the striker.

Levy is also unwilling to let the 28-year-old leave as he does not feel that the club would be able to find a replacement in the final seven days of the transfer window.

Kane, who has spent his entire career with Spurs but has yet to win a major trophy, has expressed his desire to leave the club this summer with Pep Guardiola’s side believed to be his preferred destination.

The striker was not named in Tottenham’s squad for their opening day victory against Man City, but he did come off the bench in their 1-0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

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Result: Harry Kane makes first appearance of season as Tottenham edge Wolves win

Harry Kane made his first appearance of the season for Tottenham as they claimed a 1-0 Premier League win on Nuno Espirito Santo’s return to Wolves.

The England captain was not involved in the opening two games of the season following his late return from holiday amid his desire to join Manchester City.

But with Spurs holding firm, he came on in the 72nd minute of a match that was decided by Dele Alli’s 10th-minute penalty.

Alli struck home from 12 yards after he was fouled by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa as Nuno’s side made it two 1-0 wins from two Premier League matches.

It is two 1-0 defeats for Wolves as Bruno Lage waits for his first points since becoming Nuno’s replacement, but there were positive signs as they dominated large parts of the game.

Adama Traore was their biggest threat, but he missed the biggest chance as he was denied by Hugo Lloris when through on goal.

Even though he is keen to leave, Kane would have loved to have been on the pitch as Spurs were awarded an early penalty.

Sergio Reguilon’s incisive throughball found Alli and as he tried rounding Sa, the Wolves goalkeeper wiped him out with Stuart Attwell pointing straight to the spot.

With Kane on the bench, Alli assumed responsibility from the spot and confidently sent Sa the wrong way to give his side the lead, with his first Premier League goal since March 2020.

That was Tottenham’s only shot on goal in the first half as Wolves completely dominated, with Traore causing mayhem down the left.

The winger has been linked with a move to Spurs and he showcased his strengths in style with a marauding display.

He had the pace and power to beat Japhet Tanganga and as he surged into the area, he picked out Joao Moutinho, whose first-time flick teed up Jimenez but the Mexico striker curled the ball just over from the edge of the area.

Lage’s side continued to pin Spurs back and they had plenty of dangerous moments but lacked any clear-cut chances that tested Lloris.

The France goalkeeper was forced into a low save from a Ruben Neves drive from distance as Tottenham survived until half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern as Wolves pinned the visitors back and the chances began to rack up.

Lloris had to make a smart low save to keep out Francisco Trincao’s effort from Nelson Semedo’s cut-back before the keeper proved why he has managed 300 Premier League appearances for Spurs.

Eric Dier got caught in possession on the halfway line, Neves sent Traore clean through but Lloris stayed big and saved the one-on-one chance.

The away side were on the rack but had the chance to kill the game with a rare foray forward.

Lloris’ goal-kick sent Steven Bergwijn through on goal and the Dutchman forced Sa into a fine low save with a low curling shot and then got up quickly to block Son’s rebound before another Son shot was blocked.

With Spurs up against it, Kane was introduced in the 72nd minute for his first appearance of the campaign.

Visiting supporters greeted his arrival with a chant of ‘Harry Kane, he’s one of our own’ and he immediately improved his side

He could have had a fairytale return to the side eight minutes after his arrival as he was played in after a brilliant piece of skill by Bergwijn, but his shot was saved by Sa from a narrow angle.

As Wolves pressed for an equaliser, chances opened at the other end for Tottenham as Dier had a header from a corner well saved and then Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had a shot blocked.

Kane went over to the Spurs fans at full-time to celebrate the win and was well received as his future remains up in the air

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HARRY KANE WILL JOIN THE SQUAD WHEN HE IS READY – NUNO SANTO

Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo says Harry Kane will join the squad when he is ready after missing the 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.

Kane was not involved as Spurs beat the reigning champions 1-0 thanks to Son Heung-min’s second-half goal, putting on a show to suggest they may be okay even if their star striker gets his wish to leave.

The future of Kane, who is keen on a move to City, has been the major talking point of the summer and his late return to training meant that he was not included in the matchday squad for Spurs’ Premier League opener.

It is understood Kane was in the stadium to watch the game and he will have been left in no doubt how the fans feel about the situation following a loud rendition of “are you watching Harry Kane?”.

Kane trained on Sunday morning and Nuno said: “Harry, like (new signings) Bryan (Gil), Cristian Romero, they joined us later.

“For Cristian and Bryan it was very important to be here today. To feel the atmosphere and be in the stadium and be in the hotel, attending the meeting, but knowing they don’t have too many sessions with us.

“Harry worked this morning, he is preparing himself and when he is ready he will join the group and help the team.”

Nuno added on Sky Sports when asked about the fans’ chants: “Look, Harry Kane is one of the best players in the world, honestly.

“We are very lucky to have him. He has to get ready and help the team. We still have to go to Portugal (to play Pacos de Ferreira in the Europa Conference League play-offs) then we think about Wolves.”

While Kane was late in reporting back for pre-season training, his fellow forward Son was busy signing a new contract and endeared himself to the Tottenham fans yet further by scoring a 55th-minute winner.

The South Korean loves playing against City – this was the seventh time he has scored against them and the fourth in four games in north London.

Son earned the plaudits, but it was the performance of Japhet Tanganga that was most impressive as he kept Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish largely quiet.

Nuno added: “All the team did very well, but Japhet was huge today. He faced too many one-v-ones today against fantastic players and he dealt fantastic with the situation.

“There’s no perfection, we still have a long way to go to be perfect and probably we will never achieve it, but I’m really proud of the way the players worked and really thankful for the support of the fans.

“It was huge the way they helped the team until the final minute, helping the boys, and we are very thankful for it.”

With this game out of the way, City may well now intensify their pursuit of Kane, which has so far amounted to an opening £100million bid – some way off what Spurs want to even get to the negotiating table.

Their need for a striker was obvious in north London as they missed several chances, but Pep Guardiola, who last week revealed he wants to sign Kane, was not prepared to bite this time when asked if this performance showed why they need the Spurs man.

“We are the same people as last season, Sergio (Aguero) has gone unfortunately but we only had him for seven games,” he said.

“We are the same people. We won the Premier League and we made very good things. It is a tough rival, we did everything to win.

“It is the same people as last season and we scored loads of goals. It has happened, we were there, we arrived many times and today we could not score and it is the same mystery. We are good enough to score a goal.”