Harry Kane equalled Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham’s joint record scorer as his 266th goal for the club sealed a vital 1-0 win against Fulham on Monday.
At Craven Cottage, Kane scored the only goal of the first half with a well-placed shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Greaves’ Tottenham record had stood since 1970, but Kane tied it with his first goal in his last three games.
“I was just trying to get myself into a position where I can get half a yard. I used the defender to bend it around him. It was a nice goal,” Kane said.
“I have been playing football long enough now to know where the goal is. It is just instinct.”
Kane could break Greaves’ record when Tottenham plays Preston on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
It’s only a matter of time before Kane owns Tottenham’s most important record by himself.
Before he became a star, he had a tough start to his career, with several failed loan spells. This amazing feat would have seemed impossible at the time.
Greaves, who died in 2021 at the age of 81, is known as one of the best goal scorers in football history.
Greaves scored 44 goals for England and was on the team that won the World Cup in 1966. He has scored the most goals (357) in the history of the English Premier League.
Kane’s ability to play with such a legendary player is a sign of how hungry and determined he is.
The 29-year-old needs one more goal to join Alan Shearer (260) and Wayne Rooney (200) as the only other players to score 200 goals in the Premier League (208).
When England lost to France in the World Cup quarterfinals in December, Kane scored his 53rd international goal. This tied him with Wayne Rooney for the most goals scored by an England player.
“We are talking about Harry Kane as a special player and special person. In this situation, you can see the human respect which is very important,” Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said.
“The important thing is to have a good man because in difficulty, Kane will help you to overcome a difficult situation.”
Kane’s 18th goal of the season in all competitions helped Tottenham get within three points of fourth-place Manchester United.
It was a result that Tottenham really needed after losing to Manchester City and Arsenal in a row. Those losses hurt their chances of getting into the Champions League next season by finishing in the top four.
In their last 10 league games, Conte’s team had given up 21 goals.
So, while Kane got all the attention, Conte was just as happy with the way his players held up on defense.
“It was a big win. I had a good answer from my players. I asked them for solidity of the last season and the will and desire to fight and to be resilient,” Conte said.
