Kane and Lamela vindicated by Spurs' big win over Manchester City

Saturday's throttling 4-1 victory over league leaders Manchester City is in the books and it looks like it's impact extends further than the three points gained. Tottenham's comprehensive performance was glorious for supporters, but maybe even more gratifying for its players. Harry Kane, lambasted in the English media for his dearth of goals this season, was happy to nip the "sophomore slump" plotline in the bud.

"Maybe I shut up a few people who have been talking over the last few weeks," he said.

"Only seven games and a few people said 'one-season wonder'. People can judge me at the end of the season and we will go from there. I have to stay focused but it is great to score.

"When you score like last season it becomes a drug, and when someone takes it away from you, you want to get it back. You want to score again and it was a good feeling to score again.

"It is frustrating [to be criticized]. I kind of use it to get my juices flowing and to prove these people wrong. I have had to prove people wrong throughout my career to get where I am.

"It is not easy coming through as a youngster but it makes me want to get better and the more people say it, the more I want to prove them wrong."

Kane's lack of goal production might have worried some, but it never seemed a real danger that he wouldn't regain form at some point. His work-rate, passing, and clever runs were prevalent in every match he played and, save the odd miss or two (see Everton), he has been very effective for Spurs this season. Yet while patches of thick cumulus clouds may have hovered over Harry Kane, billowy black masses of darkness and gloom, sent from Hades himself, seemed to have taken residence over Erik Lamela's head the past two years. If his performances against Sunderland, Qarabag, and Palace were a retracement of this shadow, then Saturday's MOTM performance and clinching goal brought glimmers of light to the sky above. A palpable relief spread across North London's better half when he scored, and Kane commented on Lamela's positive performance too.

"I'm very pleased for him," said Kane.

"He's taken some criticism over the last year or so but since he's come in he's shown, especially this season, what a player he can be.

"He's done very well, he worked hard for the team [against City] up and down the pitch and I'm delighted for him to get his goal - but everyone was top notch.

"We had the higher press, we were relentless in our running and that's what we've been doing to teams this season. We've got a very young, fit squad and I feel that's going to be what we try to do throughout the course of the whole season.

"[Lamela] is a top lad, he's a very hard worker on the training field. He's never let [the criticism] affect him, he's carried on practicing, working hard on his own after training and stuff. He deserves what he gets. Football's a funny game and you've just got to work hard and keep trying to improve and you'll get your rewards.

"He probably knows he's playing well and that's what it's like. You're looking forward to your next game, you want to be out there playing.

Optimism is high at White Hart Lane, as it should be. Spurs are in a great run of form and have looked solid throughout the term. Consider that Tottenham consistently throw out the Premier League's youngest starting eleven, and the excitement around this team is justified. If Kane can build on his first goal of the season, and Lamela can sustain his recent high levels of play, then Tottenham's 2015-16 campaign promises to be a captivating one to watch.