After two disappointments at their temporary Wembley home, Tottenham were back on the road this past weekend desperate to kick-start their Premier League title challenge.
And Harry Kane was equally desperate to get his own season off and running. The England international’s much-discussed August hoodoo had once again reared its ugly head, with Kane still yet to find the net in the opening month of an EPL season.
Champions League-hopefuls Everton were supposed to provide stiff opposition at Goodison Park. Spurs had won their last six Premier League games in September, but had only won one of their last 10 top-flight visits to the Toffees.
And, after failing to hit the net with 25 shots so far this season, all eye were on Kane as he attempted to break his duck and write his name into history by hitting his 100th goal for the club.
"It was unbelievable,” said coach Mauricio Pochettino of Kane’s double for England last week. “It was the first of September and he scored… we hope that he can start scoring for us as soon as possible.”
He wouldn’t have to wait much longer. Kane led a completely dominant Spurs performance, his bad luck a thing of the past as he fortuitously opened the scoring on 28 minutes when he overhit a cross and sent it sailing over Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
"I said that in August, you just need a break to go your way and luckily I got that today,” admitted Kane, who later added a second to make it 101 goals in all competitions for Tottenham Hotspur in just 169 appearances – 12 fewer than it took Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to reach that milestone for the Gunners.
And Kane is already focusing on his next century. "It's been a crazy four or five years so to get that 100th goal is amazing,” he said, “but hopefully now I can get the next 100 even quicker."
And he will rely on an impressive supporting cast to do so. Christian Eriksen scored the other in Tottenham’s 3-0 win, making him the joint-highest scoring Dane in Premier League history, with 32 goals (level with Nicklas Bendtner).
Eriksen scored an impressive 91 in the Goal Pressure Index for his showing, joining Kane and Ben Davies in a top 20 that included three Spurs players this week.
Tottenham have now won four successive away games in the Premier League for the first time since January 2014, but their fortunes look set to depend on turning Wembley into the fortress that White Hart Lane provided last season – where they went the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten.
They will hope to end their Wembley woes against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday before hosting Swansea City next week, when the pressure will be on Kane to correct the home form that remains the biggest threat to their title aspirations.
The pressure will be on.
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