Harry Kane goals give Tottenham first leg advantage and afford Jose Mourinho ideal derby preparation

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP11 March 2021

Tottenham have one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals after Harry Kane scored twice in a professional 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

While the margin of victory could have been greater, Spurs took the sting out of next Thursday’s last-16 second leg in Croatia while keeping a host of players fresh for Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho was able to make seven changes from the win over Crystal Palace at the weekend, and replace Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele before the end.

True to Mourinho’s prediction, Dinamo looked a level above Spurs’ previous opponents in this competition – well-organised and technically sound – but the Spurs manager should be able to rest Kane, Son and others from the start in the second leg next Thursday.

Gareth Bale also maintained his momentum with a lively cameo from the bench, while there were more minutes for Dele Alli, who looked rusty but played his part in Kane’s opening goal.

The victory made it five wins on the bounce and Mourinho must feel his side are gaining momentum just in time for the business end of this competition and the season.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

Kane runs the show but fitness a minor worry

Kane was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch before he was withdrawn with a knock to his right knee and this level of performance, while not unusual, shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The England captain was no certainty to start, having been benched for the first leg of the last-32 against Wolfsberger and with Sunday’s north London derby to come.

But Mourinho clearly wanted to give his side the best possible chance of establishing a good first-lead by pairing Kane and Heung-min Son in attack, supported by Erik Lamela and Alli.

Sure enough, Kane opened the scoring with his 25th goal of the season after great work from Lamela and gave Spurs a cushion with another close range finish in the second half, capitalising on a defensive error from Kévin Théophile-Catherine.

Goals aside, his all-round game was superb. Against a disciplined Dinamo side, the hosts’ openings invariable came through Kane, whose passing was excellent. He ran the show and ultimately ensured Spurs are in a strong position going into next week’s second leg.

Kane’s fitness will be a minor concern, though, after he had an ice pack strapped to his knee after being replaced by Carlos Vinicius for the final few minutes.

However, he soon took it off and was walking with no signs of discomfort at the final whistle.

Lamela looks the part

Kane opened the scoring with a simple finish but the goal was all about Lamela, who managed to incorporate almost every one of his characteristic traits into one move.

Collecting Ben Davies’s pass, Lamela turned and clattered his marker before embarking on a dribble into the box and leaving Théophile-Catherine for a dead with a trademark ball-roll.

With the goal at his mercy, Lamela refused to use his right foot, instead shooting with the outside of his favoured left and clattering the post, before Kane tapped in.

It was Lamela’s best moment in another useful performance in which he was sharp in the final third but industrious all over the pitch, at one point earning a standing ovation from the Spurs bench for racing back and winning the ball with a sliding tackle in the right-back position.

Lamela loves facing Arsenal and his intensity is often an important factor in north London derbies, so you wondered if he has put himself in contention for Sunday as the fourth forward.

Lucas Moura is also vying for that spot, while Alli came through another hour here, but looked a little short of sharpness.

Mourinho has superb competition in attack, with a string of in-form players vying for four places.

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