Kane spot on as Spurs edge past Boro

Reuters: Harry Kane struck from the penalty spot to give Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 victory over struggling Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane on Saturday and reduce the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to nine points.

Spurs outclassed Middlesbrough throughout, but took almost an hour to transfer their dominance to the scoreboard, England striker Kane firing home a 57th-minute penalty after Son Heung-Min was felled in the box by Bernardo.

Middlesbrough had their chances to equalise with Alvaro Negredo firing an acrobatic scissors kick wide with five minutes to go and Marten De Roon’s injury-time shot also going close.

The win left Spurs, who travel to Liverpool next weekend, in second on 50 points, nine behind Chelsea and three ahead of North London rivals Arsenal, while Middlesbrough remained 15th on 21 points. 

Tottenham’s Harry Kane scores their first goal from the penalty spot – Reuters

Chelsea overpower Arsenal to stretch lead

Reuters - A firm header from Marcos Alonso, a dazzling individual effort from Eden Hazard and a lob from Cesc Fabregas earned Premier League leaders Chelsea an emphatic 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday.

Chelsea moved 12 points clear of their London rivals and the chasing pack with a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge that featured one of the solo goals of the season from Hazard.

Liverpool freefall continues with shock 2-0 defeat at Hull

Reuters: Liverpool’s calamitous freefall in 2017 continued with a shocking 2-0 defeat at Hull City which may have put a fatal dent in their Premier League title hopes on Saturday.

Alfred N’Diaye, Hull’s new loan signing from Villarreal, proved Hull’s hero, scoring just before halftime thanks to another questionable piece of goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet, who flapped at a cross and allowed the Senegal international to tap in.

Liverpool began to completely dominate after the break but Philippe Coutinho was among those guilty of a shocking miss from close range as a clearly frustrated Juergen Klopp pondered a dismal run that has seen the Reds win just once in 10 matches, and even then only against lowly Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.

For Hull, looking rejuvenated and well organised under new manager Marco Silva, the win was sealed by a breakaway goal from another Senegalese forward, Everton loanee Oumar Niasse – a victory that drags them from penultimate spot into 18th place.

It meant Liverpool remained winless in their opening five top-flight matches of a calendar year for the first time since 1954, when they did not win any of their first 10.

Hull City’s Oumar Niasse (left) scores their second goal against Liverpool – Reuters