Harry Kane became Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer, overtaking the great Jimmy Graves, as his 267th goal for the club ended Manchester City’s title ambitions at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The England captain reached the milestone with a composed finish from 10 yards after Pierre-Emile Hodgeberg did exceptionally well to find Kane inside the box.
Fans jumped out of their seats to applaud the 29-year-old striker, whose first Spurs goal came on 15 December 2011, while a message flashed on the scoreboard inside the ground reading ‘Congratulations Harry Kane’.
The 15th-minute finish was also Kane’s 200th at the Premier League stage – only Alan Shearer (260 goals) and Wayne Rooney (208) have scored more.
It came against the run of play and Spurs boss Antonio Conte is recovering at home after surgery to remove his gall bladder.
Tottenham, who finished with 10 men after defender Cristian Romero was sent off in the 87th minute for two bookable offences, dug deep in the absence of their Italian manager to frustrate City.
Pep Guardiola’s side missed the chance to cut Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top of the table after the Gunners’ defeat at Everton on Saturday.
Riyad Mahrez went closest to equalizing with an effort that cannoned off the underside of the bar, but City are without a point – and a goal – in five visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While they are five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, Tottenham’s victory moves them a point behind fourth-placed Newcastle.
A fitting setting for a memorable moment
Kane celebrated his historic strike with all the exuberance of an 18-year-old – the age he was when he scored his first goal for Spurs against Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League 12 years ago.
It was fitting in front of his club’s fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, who let out a thunderous roar as the ball flew past City keeper Ederson.
Kane has scored 267 goals in 416 matches, while Graves has scored 266 goals in 379 matches.
The only disappointment was that his manager Conte was not inside the ground to watch the goal.
The Italian was absent following his operation, with his assistant Cristian Stellini taking charge against City.
Kane’s team-mates and Tottenham’s coaching staff stayed off the pitch after the final whistle as the forward was interviewed on the pitch and enjoyed the moment.
Kane then heard a message on the big screen from Greaves’ son Danny congratulating the player on his amazing feat.
Impressive Royal helps keep Spurs in top four battle.
It was the second Premier League meeting between the two sides in 17 days after Manchester City came from behind 2-0 down to win 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on 19 January.
This time Spurs went strong with Emerson Royale putting up some brilliant challenges as City tried to find a way back in a very competitive match.
Keeper Hugo Lloris blocked an effort from Rodri and Julian Alvarez saw his effort deflected off Eric Dier.
In an absorbing game, the hosts had chances to extend the lead as Ben Davies briefly headed in and Ederson denied Kane a second.
The final whistle was greeted with another roar as Spurs marked their best performance of the season with a crucial win that keeps them very much in the race for a top-four finish.
A day to forget Haaland and Man City
It was a day to forget for City, who have now lost their last three league and cup games away from home.
Guardiola opted to start with both Kevin De Bruyne and Alke Gundogan on the substitutes’ bench, while Phil Foden was absent after feeling unwell overnight.
While Kane made headlines, Erling Haaland had very few days off.
The striker, who has lit up the Premier League with 25 goals in his debut season in England, did not register a single shot and managed just 27 touches.
City will look to bounce back next Sunday at home to Aston Villa before a mouth-watering top-of-the-table game at Arsenal on February 15 (19:30 GMT).
“Arsenal have dropped a few points so far and certainly had a chance [against Tottenham],” said Guardiola, who said the title race still has a long way to go.
“It was important to come close and leave fifth in the table – which Tottenham are now – so far away, to qualify for the Champions League next season. This is important for many reasons.
“Now we are sad. Tomorrow we will think and watch the game.
“It’s going to be a long, long season for everybody and for us and for all the teams so we’ll try to keep going.”
