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Premier League
Feb 2, 2016 at 7.45pm UK
 
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0-3

FT(HT: 0-2)
Alli (2'), Kane (30' pen., 90')

Live Commentary: Norwich City 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur - as it happened

Relive the Premier League match between Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur at Carrow Road with Sports Mole's live updates.
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Dele Alli and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet as Tottenham Hotspur sealed a 3-0 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road on Tuesday night.

Mauricio Pochettino's side went a goal up inside the first two minutes of the clash when Alli struck, and Kane contributed by slotting home from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark and scoring a second in the 90th minute.

Spurs remain five points off leaders Leicester City in the Premier League table, but have moved up to third place.

For Norwich, they remain in a dangerous position as they are just two points above the relegation zone.

Discover how the game unfolded in Sports Mole's text coverage below.


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Evening everyone! The games just keep on coming, don't they?! There is a jam-packed schedule in the Premier League tonight as eight fixtures will be played. All of the top four are in action, and we will be focusing on one of them as Tottenham travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich.

After losing four games on the trot, Norwich are probably not too thrilled to be facing in-form Tottenham. Alex Neil's men are hosting Spurs after suffering league defeats at the hands of Stoke City, Bournemouth and Liverpool. Prior to that miserable run, they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup. Surely things can only get better...?

As for Tottenham, well, they are flying high. They have won their last four games in all competitions and have a realistic chance of winning the Premier League title this season. Not bad for a manager who is in his second season in charge at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino's side have only lost three of their 23 league games and have stormed to victory on 11 occasions - the rest have ended in a share of the spoils. Spurs earned a 3-0 win over Norwich on Boxing Day and they will be hoping for a similar result this evening.

Right, before we go any further, let's bring you the starting lineups for this evening...

NORWICH XI: Rudd; Pinto, Klose, Bassong, Olsson; Howson, Mulumbu, Tettey, Jarvis; Naismith; Mbokani
Subs: Ruddy, Martin, Jerome, Hoolahan, Redmond, Bennett, Odjidja

SPURS XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Rose; Dembele, Dier; Alli, Eriksen, Son; Kane
Subs: Vorm, Davies, Trippier, Bentaleb, Carroll, Chadli, Lamela

Norwich fans, if you were hoping to see Patrick Bamford make his debut, you will be left disappointed. There is no place for the Chelsea loanee in the squad, but January signing Timm Klose has been handed his debut in defence. Ivo Pinto and Steven Naismith, both of whom arrived at Carrow Road in January, get starting spots.

Overall, Alex Neil has made five changes to the side that were beaten by Liverpool. Alexander Tettey comes back into the side after recovering from illness, while Martin Olsson, Youssouf Mulumbu and Matt Jarvis come into the side.

As for Tottenham, Pochettino has rung the chances from the side that defeated Colchester United 4-1 in the FA Cup at the weekend. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris comes back into the fold to captain the side, while Toby Alderweireld and Moussa Dembele have also returned to the lineup.

Dele Alli, who was rested at the weekend, comes back into the lineup, joining Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min in a three-man attack behind Harry Kane, who will lead the line for the visitors this evening. As expected, Kevin Wimmer has kept his place in the centre of defence due to Jan Vertonghen's injury.

We can't go much further without mentioning the transfer window. The deadline passed at 11pm last night, meaning that there will be no ins and outs for Premier League teams until the summer. So, how did Norwich get on? They brought in eight new faces, including Patrick Bamford, Steven Naismith, Timm Klose, Ivo Pinto, Matt Jarvis, Ebou Adams, Ben Godfrey and James Maddison. In total, they spent just under £22m and the £8.5m that they parted with for Naismith has already looked like a bargain as he scored on his debut against Liverpool almost a fortnight ago.

The interesting acquisition is that of Bamford, who has joined on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. The 22-year-old impressed on loan at Middlesbrough in the 2014-15 season by scoring 19 goals in the Championship, but he lost his momentum when he went to Crystal Palace at the start of this season. The forward was rarely used, making just six Premier League appearances for Alan Pardew's side, eventually resulting in him returning to Chelsea. Now, though, Bamford has a fresh chance at Norwich, where he will be hoping for more minutes on the pitch, but the forward misses out tonight.

Patrick Bamford of Crystal Palace in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal on August 16, 2015© Getty Images


What about Tottenham? Well, they only recruited one new face last month and that was Shilow Tracey from Ebbsfleet United for an undisclosed fee. As we know, they were by no means big spenders in the winter window, but in truth, they didn't really need to be. Pochettino's young team are having a great season and January is always a tricky window for business. The main objective for Spurs was to keep their best players, namely Harry Kane, and they were able to do just that. Manchester United and Real Madrid have been linked with moves for the prolific striker, but so far, Kane has not been swayed.

Harry Kane watches on during the game between Spurs and Sunderland on January 16, 2016© Getty Images


Right, back to matters at hand. Tottenham are only five points off the top spot, so a title charge must be at the forefront of the team's mind no matter how unlikely that feat may have seemed at the start of the season. Leicester City are currently leading the way (yes, really!) but with Tottenham's next two games being against Norwich and Watford, they could be right in the hunt. In fact, depending on results tonight, the North London outfit could be two points within the title if they beat Norwich.

Pochettino's squad have the youngest average age in the Premier League and it is a very attacking one as Spurs have had the most shots on target from outside of the box in the top flight this season - 53. They're not afraid to go for goal as they have actually attempted the most shots on target overall (153). At the moment, Tottenham have the joint-best goal difference in the league and considering how topsy-turvy this campaign has been, it could end up being tight at the top, therefore making goal difference all the more important.

When speaking of individual players, Harry Kane must be mentioned. The striker has found the back of the net 32 times in his last 46 league fixtures, which is only 10 fewer than Norwich as an entire team in that many games!

Another player who we must discuss is Dele Alli. Twelve months ago, the 19-year-old was playing for MK Dons and now, the teenager is arguably the most in-form player of England's elite league. The midfielder has scored six goals and made five assists so far this season and he has provided a new attacking element for Pochettino. The most recent Premier League goal was in Spurs' 3-1 triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Kane and Nacer Chadli also scored, but Alli stole the show with this strike...


Ahead of tonight's game, Pochettino told said: "Our mentality is good. We are ready to compete Tuesday and Saturday [against Watford], again. The spirit in the squad is fantastic. We need to keep the momentum and try to win the next game.

"I believe in my players and the squad we have to fight in every game. We know Norwich is a team that had 10 days to prepare for our game, but our mentality is good, we are strong and we need to compete."

Mauricio Pochettino, manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane on December 13, 2015 in London, England.© Getty Images



It's not all good news for Spurs, though, as they will be without defender Jan Vertonghen for a lengthy spell because of knee ligament damage. At this stage of the season, if you're in the title race, you need all of your best players available, particularly ones who can keep out opponents! Kevin Wimmer has been deputising for Vertonghen and he will be tested tonight and in the coming weeks as he helps to keep Tottenham in the hunt for the elusive Premier League crown.

Right, let's turn our attention to tonight's host's. Norwich looked relatively comfortable towards the end of 2015 as they won three in five league matches, suffering just the one defeat. However, after suffering three league defeats on the bounce, the Canaries are staring at the exit door once again.

It is always a scrap at the bottom and at the moment Norwich are just two points from the bottom three, which is currently occupied by Newcastle United, Sunderland and Aston Villa. Unfortunately for Villa, their doomed fate looks sealed, but bitter rivals Sunderland and Newcastle are four and two points off safety respectively.

The positive aspect for Norwich is that they have had over a week to get ready for this game as they were not in FA Cup action at the weekend - a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City made sure of that. The negative aspect is that their last game was riddled with defensive errors. The match ended in a 5-4 win for Liverpool and was arguably one of the most baffling games of the season so far.

Norwich went 3-1 in front, with new boy Steven Naismith among the scorers, after coming from behind, but they were pegged back 4-3 until Sebastien Bassong struck what he and the rest of the Canaries thought was a crucial equaliser in the 92nd minute. It was not to be though, as Adam Lallana scored in the dying second of the match to give Liverpool all three points. To drop a lead like that is something that Neil will certainly not want to happen again, and given the calibre of opposition this evening, they will need to be a lot tighter at the back.

Defence has been a big problem for Norwich this season has they have the second-worst defence in the Premier League having conceded 43 goals and only keeping three clean sheets in 23 games. The upside is that there has only been one occasions this season when Norwich have failed to score a league goal on home turf.

Ahead of tonight's game, Neil told reporters: "I don't see any reason, looking at the way the season has gone so far, why you wouldn't see Spurs as championship contenders.

"They certainly have a squad that is good enough to win it and they are easily one of the best teams we have played this season.

"They pretty much have international players in every position and if they can avoid injuries, I think they are certainly genuine contenders."

Alex Neil barks from the sidelines during the game between Spurs and Norwich on December 26, 2015© Getty Images


Neil certainly thinks that Spurs are contenders for the title and this may actually be their best chance of taking the much-coveted crown this season due to the poor form of Manchester United and Chelsea. Added to that, Pep Guardiola will be arriving at Manchester City next season and given that the Spanish coach has won 19 trophies in eight years, you have to think that only something special will be capable of beating his side to the title.

HEAD TO HEAD: As we mentioned earlier, Spurs earned a 3-0 win over Norwich at White Hart Lane on Boxing Day, with Kane netting twice. Tottenham have a better record in past meetings between the two sides as they have won eight and lost there of their 15 Premier League matches against the Canaries. In addition, Norwich have scored just five goals in their last 11 top-flight games against Tottenham.

PREDICTION: Right, how do you see this one turning out? Spurs are the overwhelming favourites to get a result and you can't really dispute that. They have already picked off the Canaries this season and considering that Norwich have conceded more goals from opposition counter attacks than any other team in the Premier League, this could end up being a routine win for Pochettino's men.

Right, both sets of teams are out on the pitch at Carrow Road. We're are only a few minutes away from kickoff. Fingers crossed for a decent game!

KICKOFF! Tottenham get us underway, kicking from right to left...

Dembele plays in Rose, who links up with Eriksen before looping a cross into the box. Norwich try to clear, but it's not convincing and the visitors get an early corner.

GOAL! NORWICH 0-1 TOTTENHAM (ALLI)

What a start for Tottenham! Dele Alli scores his seventh goal of the season! The move began from a corner which Norwich struggled to clear. The ball eventually fell to Walker, whose shot is blocked and deflected into Eriksen's feet. The Dane tries to shoot the ball into the far corner, but the keeper stops. The ball only falls as far to Alli, who stabs it home.

Great defending from Walker! Norwich try to respond by sending the ball over the top looking for Naismith, who would have been through on goal had it not been for Walker. The defender manages to get in front of the forward to knock the ball out for a corner, which comes to nothing.

Oh dear, not ideal signs for Norwich as Pinto goes to ground clutching his leg following a clash with Rose. The January signing is able to eventually get to his feet, though.

Norwich have shown their defensive frailties early in this game and they quickly need to recover. The Canaries cannot afford to be caught napping against this calibre of opposition, particularly against a goal-hungry Alli!

Spurs get their second corner of the game and it's swung in to find the head of Alderweireld, who is unmarked, but his header just misses the target by dipping past the post.

Tottenham have a spell of pressure as Norwich struggle to get the ball out of their own half, but the only shot comes from Dier, who hammers the ball straight into a Norwich man.

The home side get some time on the ball, but it breaks down when Olsson knocks it forward, but it's easily collected by Walker.

At the other end, Eriksen drives to the byline and pulls the ball back across goal, but none of his teammates can get on the end of it and it falls to a Norwich player.

SAVE! Norwich get their first sniff at goal as Mbokani picks up a pass on the corner of the box. He drilled a low shot through the legs of Rose, but Lloris drops down to make a comfortable save.

Son shows quick feet on the right-hand side after collecting the ball from walker. He creates half a yard of space for himself before launching a shot from outside of the box, but it soars over the crossbar and into the stands.

CHANCE! Kane takes on Pinto before driving to the byline. The striker manages to pull the ball back for Son, who tries to flick it past the goalkeeper but it slams into the side netting.

At the other end, Norwich get a half chance as the ball is cut back to Jarvis, who unleashes a shot from the edge of the box, but he misses the target.

Boos ring around the stadium as Tottenham get a free kick in the middle of the park following a foul from Tettey. Referee Kevin Friend has a word with the Norwich player as opposed to reaching for a card. The home side's frustrations are showing.

Tottenham are completely in control at this stage, and despite Norwich managing to find their feet, they have not caused much of a threat to Lloris.

Mbokani does well to leap in the air to head the ball over for Naismith, who gets on to it, but before he can do anything with it, he's rightfully flagged offside.

The diagonal ball comes in searching for Alli, who gets a nudge in the back from Pinto and goes to ground as a result. The referee doesn't blow for a foul and in fairness to Pinto, it would have been harsh to penalise him.

Jarvis tries to make things happen by storming down the left and he eventually lofts the ball into the box. It gets deflected out for a corner, which is cleared by Spurs.

Alli leads the counter attack for the visitors, but Olsson does well to track the youngster and win the ball back.

PENALTY TO SPURS!

A huge call from the referee! Spurs are given a penalty after Bassong clips Alli when the midfielder goes for the rebound off Kane's shot. There aren't many calls for it from Spurs, but not many complaints from Bassong either.

GOAL! NORWICH 0-2 TOTTENHAM (KANE)

There wasn't any doubt that Kane would slot home from the spot kick! The striker does just that as he sends Rudd the wrong way and the ball nestles into the bottom right corner of the net.

Pinto thinks he's scored! The new arrival manages to get the ball in the back of the net with a looping header, but he's flagged offside when the ball is played over the top.

OFF THE POST! A brilliant first touch from Kane as he collects the ball before charging into the box on the left side. He unleashes a shot with his left foot at a tight angle, but it clatters off the frame of the goal.

It seems to be too easy for Spurs to get through Norwich's defence. Olsson and Pinto need more help from their teammates as they have been left one-on-one numerous times in this half.

CHANCE! Alli is left with his head in his hands after missing a free header. The ball is whipped in and the midfielder has plenty of time to trouble the keeper, but his attempt bounces out for a goal kick.

Tettey sums up Norwich's half by going for glory 30 yards out, but his attempt is poor and the ball skies into the stands. It's gone very flat from Norwich's point of view.

Norwich win a free kick after Mbokani is fouled. It's a good chance for the home side to make something happen, but Howson's ball into the box is headed away.

HALF-TIME: NORWICH 0-2 TOTTENHAM

It's plain sailing for Tottenham as they enter the half-time break two goals to the good at Carrow Road. Dele Alli gave the visitors a perfect start when he slotted home inside the first two minutes of the game. Norwich struggled to respond and their defensive frailties showed. Spurs punished their opponents further when Harry Kane scored from the spot kick after Alli was awarded a penalty after being brought down by Sebastien Bassong in the box. Norwich have plenty to do! We'll return for the second half shortly.

Harry Kane and Ivo Pinto in action during the Premier League game between Norwich and Spurs on February 2, 2016© Getty Images


RESTART! Norwich get the second half underway. Can Neil's side get themselves back into the game or will Spurs run away with it?

SPURS SUB: The visitors have made a change as at half-time as goalscorer Dele Alli is replaced with Nacer Chadli.

Dembele spots Kane with a through ball, but Norwich's defence stay awake and manage to clear the danger before the striker can latch on.

With Chadli entering the game at this stage, it means that Eriksen will move into the number 10 role behind Kane, with Chadli sitting on the left wing.

The home side have found some fight from somewhere as they are closing down the Spurs players much more than they were in the first half. There is plenty more aggression in their game in these early stages, but they will need to turn that into goals if they want to get anything out of this game.

WIDE! So close for Norwich! Naismith comes inches within giving the Canaries a goal as he flicks a header towards the net, but it falls to the wrong side of the post.

CHANCE! Spurs show that they're not sitting back on their lead just yet. Kane latches onto the ball after Klose fails to control a throw-in from Pinto. The striker darts down the left before unleashes a shot, but it drags wide.

Norwich get the ball in the net for the second time of the game, but it's disallowed once again! Bassong is the man who gets a touch on the ball after Naismith latched on in the penalty area, but Bassong is offside.

BOOKING! Alderweireld is the first Spurs player to get cautioned for bringing down Jarvis.

Norwich are definitely the team on top at the moment, but they will be kicking themselves for not starting like this in the first half! Jarvis has been getting more involved as the game has gone on, sending some decent crosses into the box.

CHANCE! Oh Naismith, you should have done much better there! The striker gets the ball off Mbokani before going for glory. He had plenty of options either side, but he chose to ignore them and his attempt flew wide.

SPURS, NORWICH SUBS: The visitors make their second change of the game as Son makes way for Tom Carroll, and Cameron Jerome comes on for Jarvis

NORWICH SUB: It's the end of Naismith's night as he is taken off and replaced with Odjidja-Ofoe.

In all honesty, not much is happening! Norwich are trying to find a way through, but they're running out of time and Spurs look relatively comfortable now having weathered the storm.

Tottenham are seeing plenty of the ball at the moment as they seem happy to retain possession and run down the clock.

OFF THE POST! Suddenly the game sparks into life as Kane hammers the ball from the edge of the box, but it smashes against the left post. What a goal that would have been!

Norwich go on the attack as Mulumbu goes for a strike on the edge of the area. The midfielder is leaning back as he takes it, though, and his effort flies over the bar.

BOOKING! Danny Rose goes in the book for time wasting. Spurs are trying to run down the clock.

GOAL! NORWICH 0-3 TOTTENHAM (KANE)

Kane gets his second and Spurs' third! Some horror defending from Norwich as they lose the ball, allowing Kane to latch on and curl the ball into the net. Game over!

FULL-TIME: NORWICH 0-3 TOTTENHAM

There we have it! It was a comprehensive win for Tottenham as they rarely looked troubled at Carrow Road. Dele Alli opened the scoring in the second minute and Harry Kane punished Norwich further by scoring from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark. The Canaries came to life in the second half, but their surge failed to make an impact as Kane wrapped up the win with a goal in the 90th minute.

Spurs remain in the hunt for the title as they are still five points off leaders Leicester and they have moved up to third in the table. For Norwich, they still have some work to do as they are just two points above relegation. Thank you for joining us and until next time, goodbye!

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