October 01, (THEWILL) – Tottenham Hotspur won 5-1 at home against NS Mura in the Europa Conference League after Harry Kane came off the bench to score a 20-minute hat-trick.
Nuno Espirito Santo made 10 changes to the lineup that lost to Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday, starting 17-year-old forward Dane Scarlett ahead of Kane.
Dele Alli converted a penalty in the fourth monute after he was fouled in the box by the Mura goalkeeper, Matko Obradovic. It was 2-0 three minutes later when a well-taken left-footed strike by Giovani Lo Celso left the keeper with no chance.
Mura had an unexpected lifeline at the starrt of the second half when Ziga Kous scored a beautiful volley past the goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollina as Spurs took their foot off the pedal.
With the game in a precarious balance, Nuno introduced Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, and Lucas Moura for the final 30 minutes, and was immediately rewarded.
Moura assisted Kane for Tottenham’s third goal of the night. Then the fourth goal came. After being released in behind by Lo Celso, Son raced clear of the Mura defence to square for Kane, who converted from close range, before the England captain sealed his hat-trick with another beautiful finish minutes from time.
It was well and good for manager and squad that they won because a Tottenham defeat tonight would have been unimaginable given the calibre of opposition they faced. Indeed, it would have been extremely inexcusable after losing the north London derby in such uninspiring fashion.
The win eases the pressure on Nuno until Sunday’s Premier League match against Aston Villa.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
