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Kane strikes as Spurs continue Champions League quest

Kane strikes as Spurs continue Champions League quest
Tottenham’s Harry Kane, right, in action at a match in London on Sunday. (AP)
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Updated 17 May 2021

Kane strikes as Spurs continue Champions League quest

Kane strikes as Spurs continue Champions League quest
  • The top four in the Premier League are assured of a place in the 2021/22 Champions League

LONDON: Harry Kane scored his 22nd Premier League goal of the season as Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolves 2-0 on Sunday to maintain their hopes of a top-four finish.

England captain Kane fired Spurs ahead on the stroke of half-time before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg doubled their lead in the 62nd minute.

Victory left Spurs in sixth place, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, with a maximum of six points available to them from their final two league games.

The top four in the Premier League are assured of a place in the 2021/22 Champions League.

Already crowned Premier League title-winners Manchester City and Chelsea will contest this season’s Champions League final in Porto on May 29.

But if the Blues — beaten in Saturday’s FA Cup final by Leicester — remain in the top four there won’t be an additional Champions League place given to the fifth-placed side in the Premier League.

Deposed English champions Liverpool, currently fifth, will move to within a point of Chelsea if they win away to already-relegated West Bromwich Albion later Sunday.

Eighth-placed Everton, Liverpool’s local rivals, are at home to bottom of the table Sheffield United in the day’s concluding Premier League match.

Kane gave Spurs the lead running onto Hojberg’s through ball behind center backs Conor Coady and Romain Saiss.

The Spurs star side-stepped Coady’s challenge and rounded goalkeeper Rui Patricio, before curling the ball into the corner of the net.

Hojberg made it 2-0 just after the hour when he followed up Gareth Bale’s shot and tapped the ball in after Patricio could only parry.

Earlier, Crystal Palace twice came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2, with Tyrick Mitchell’s first goal for the club sealing victory six minutes from time.

John McGinn’s third goal of the season put Villa ahead in the 17th minute at Selhurst Park before Christian Benteke equalized against his former club with a 32nd-minute header.

But Palace fell behind again two minutes later when Anwar El Ghazi scored from close range.

The Eagles equalized for a second time in the 76th minute when Wilfried Zaha grabbed his 11th goal of the season with low shot deflected in off Ahmed Elmohamady.

The comeback was complete in the 84th minute when the 21-year-old Mitchell followed up from close range after teammate Eberechi Eze had miscued.

Victory lifted south London club Palace to 13th.