Kane: Tottenham 'ready to put the pressure' on Leicester
Tottenham traveled to the Britannia Stadium Monday night to face Stoke City in a characteristically difficult setting, and absolutely embarrassed a Potters side short on ideas and skill, 4-0.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli traded goals, shredding a Stoke back-line that bore resemblance to a Sunday League squad in arguably the most comprehensive road victory of the season.
Related: Kane brace gives Spurs star more goals than Aston Villa
Kane opened the scoring in the ninth minute before he and Alli scored a trio of goals in a 15-minute second-half window to bludgeon a Stoke side that was outclassed in every area.
Tottenham's two young English stars were pressed for their reactions in the tunnel post-match, and they did not disappoint.
"It doesn't get much better than that. We hardly put a foot wrong and could have scored more. I wanted the assist for Dele Alli's miss, he took it around the keeper and I don't know what he did wrong! He has been brilliant again though," two-goal scorer Harry Kane said in the tunnel after the battering at the Britannia.
The young English duo laughed, as Alli attempted to mask a sheepish grin with one more befitting of a footballer who blew a straightforward chance to score his first senior-team hat-trick when he missed a gaping net with an off-the-post effort.
Regardless, Alli's brace set a record, meaning he's the youngest midfielder in Premier League history to score ten or more goals.
Kane continued, "Every single one of us put in a good performance and we have done for a while now. We are ready to put the pressure on Leicester. We think we can do it. Leicester is five points ahead but we have closed the gap, that's all we could do."
The league's leading scorer was not short on confidence, and rightly so, adding, "We scored four but could have had six or seven. It is one of our best performances all season but that's what we can do. Leicester dropped points and I have been itching to play. I had to wait a whole day and a half."
If Leicester's squad and its supporters aren't feeling the pressure, they need to check for a pulse, as Mauricio Pochettino's side is firing on all cylinders. With Jamie Vardy likely to miss two of the final four fixtures for his red card and subsequent on-pitch meltdown Sunday against West Ham, the five-point gap between the two sides resembles a far smaller margin.
"We have had the same mentality all season, it is important to keep going all season. I don't know how I missed that chance! Finishing training for me I think," brace-scoring Alli said, smiling from ear to ear as he and his colleague Kane were ebullient in victory.
"I am just enjoying playing, there is nothing to be scared of. Leicester know we are going to keep fighting."
Leicester City will have one eye on its remaining four fixtures, and one on a surging Spurs side looking to capture its first top-flight title since 1960-61.
The Foxes are on the cusp of being outfoxed, and there's not much that can be done about it.