Kane, Son goals hand Tottenham critical win in bid for Champions League

Updated: May 17, 2023, 04:57 am

Tottenham claimed a critical win in their bid for a top four finish with a 3-1 win over Leicester on Sunday.

Harry Kane headed Tottenham into the lead mid-way through the first half and Son-Heung Min doubled the lead on the hour. Son saved the best until last, curling a wonderful third with 11 minutes to go to put the gloss on the win.

The result was enough for Spurs to move into fourth, on 61 points, ahead of Arsenal's match at West Ham later in the day. But Mikel Arteta's men returned to the top four with a hard fought 2-1 win, which put them two points ahead of Spurs in the battle for the final remaining Champions League place.

Leicester started the brighter of the two teams and almost took the league early on when Patson Daka shot towards goal but Hugo Lloris pushed his effort on to the post.

Moments later, Tottenham were ahead. Son floated over a corner and Kane headed in to give his side a 1-0 lead.

Tottenham secured a vital win thanks to their dynamic duo.
Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Spurs still looked vulnerable at times in the first half, though, with Daka proving lively and Kelechi Iheanacho also threatening for an away side that impressed with their attacking impetus.

Brendan Rodgers' side continued to look for the equaliser in the second half but suffered a sucker punch when Son made it two. Cristian Romero made two crunching tackles in the lead-up and Son made no mistake to put Tottenham in control after good work from Dejan Kulusevski.

There was still time for a sumptuous third when Son received the ball outside the area and curled a stunning effort past Kasper Schmeichel

Iheancho grabbed a consolation in injury time but Antonio Conte's side negotiated the remaining minutes to bag three big points, with a trip to title challengers Liverpool next week a major obstacle in their bid to beat Arsenal to fourth place.

Son dismissed talk of him winning the Golden Boot but had clearly enjoyed his second goal.

"I was happy to score that really beautiful goal. When I hit it I could see the way the ball flied and I was happy to score that. But I'm more happy to play well and get the three points," he said.

"If I get the chances then I will try to score. The Golden Boot is always a dream but the team is most important. We want to finish in the Champions League and I want to play in the Champions League."