Mourinho sympathises with West Ham injustice after Tottenham victory

Mourinho.Getty_

Jose Mourinho revealed he does not think the fact West Ham had 24 hours less to prepare for the clash is fair, while Harry Kane spoke about his return to form after recent media criticism.

Tottenham came into the encounter needing three points to give their Champions League qualification hopes a shot in the arm.

Despite manful resistance, West Ham’s resolve was broken via a Tomas Soucek own goal, followed by a late Kane strike to secure the victory for Tottenham.

Expressing his joy at seeing Kane’s name on the scoresheet once more, Jose Mourinho said in his post-match interview: “I am happy for him [Harry Kane], he worked a lot and now there will be better headlines and a better feeling for him.

“He has been phenomenal in lockdown, did amazing work at home and he is in the condition to help the team.

“I am happy with the result, the clean sheet, it means the team is more solid, the players have less doubts.

“We played against a team with a coach with a lot of experience that organises teams in a very difficult way. I could predict that but they made it difficult for us.

“Our bench was rich, that helped me. To be honest, I don’t think it’s fair for West Ham to come here with 24 hours less to prepare than us. At the moment it is not nice.”

FULL MATCH REPORT: Kane scores as Tottenham heap more misery on beleaguered West Ham

Harry Kane notched his first goal in 2020 amid calls from the media that he’ll struggle under Mourinho.

Regarding his goal and performance, Kane said: “As a striker you want to score goals and help win the game. It was a tough game, we had a few chances and it was nice to finish it off at the end.

Kane Tottenham TEAMtalk

“When you’ve been out for over six months it’s about getting that feeling back on the pitch. I should’ve scored one other but it’s nice to put that one away.

“I’m in good shape. I’ve been working very hard. I feel as good as I’ve ever done.”

On going a long time without a goal: “I’m someone, whether I score or not, I’m ready for the next one, it doesn’t bother me too much. Scoring is the best feeling in the world.”

The match was Kane’s 200th for Spurs in the league, and the England forward marked the occasion with his 137th league goal.

“It’s good but it can always be better,” he added. “200 games it goes so quick. The years fly by and you have to make the most of it. I’m still only 26 so hopefully I can get to that 200 mark sooner rather than later and go from there.”

See how all the action unfolded via the TEAMtalk score centre here.