Tottenham sink Nottingham Forest to tighten grip on fourth place

At least Tottenham can always count on Harry Kane. Two goals from the England captain – including his first penalty since missing from the spot in the World Cup quarter-final against France – and another from Son Heung-min ended a dismal week for Antonio Conte with a comprehensive victory over Nottingham Forest despite a late consolation from Joe Worrall.

The Italian had made his thoughts clear after the abject performance in the Champions League against Milan that ended any hopes of silverware for a 15th successive season, accusing supporters of lacking patience. But while question marks remain over Conte and Kane’s future beyond the end of this season, the Tottenham captain and an inspired performance from £50m record signing Richarlison after his own midweek tantrum ensured that they went home with smiles on their faces this time having substantially strengthened his side’s grip on fourth place.

Kane admitted in January that he will always be haunted by his miss against France in Qatar yet the result was never in doubt from the moment he fired past Keylor Navas in the 35th minute after Richarlison was fouled. He had already opened the scoring with a deft header by then and the successful penalty means Kane has now surpassed 20 Premier League goals in a single campaign for the sixth time. Not bad for a one-season wonder.

Conte’s angry outburst in the buildup to this game made it intriguing to see how players and supporters would react as Tottenham attempted to avoid not scoring for a fourth successive game for the first time since 2011. That unwanted statistic was almost banished within four minutes of the start when Richarlison – back in the team despite questioning his absence from the starting lineup against Milan