Frank Lampard has told Tuesday’s press conference – as per the Everton YouTube channel – that Harry Kane was “smart” to win a penalty against the Toffees on Saturday, stating it is “not a criticism” and he was waiting for contact.
Kane, 29, went down after Jordan Pickford had spilled a shot. Pickford made contact with Kane and although soft, it is hard to argue against a penalty. Rio Ferdinand gave his verdict this week, stating it is definitely a penalty for Spurs.
Kane got up, dusted himself down, and slammed home his ninth Premier League goal of the season. It gave Spurs the lead, before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made it 2-0 – with Everton pushing for a second. Everton has their chances to score.
But Demarai Gray and Amadou Onana missed those chances. Asked about the incident on Tuesday in his latest press conference, Lampard branded Kane “smart” before saying it is not a “criticism”, but praised him for predicting contact.
“It was smart play from Harry. It was a mistake. Jordan has saved us many times. He is a high-level goalkeeper. Harry was smart. It is not a criticism. Good players know when contact is coming. It was just about a penalty, in neutral eyes.”
Lampard: Tottenham star Kane was smart to win penalty against Everton
He was smart, but as stated, it is hard to argue against anything other than a penalty. A clever run and play from Kane, who instead of shooting, pushed the ball to the side of Pickford with the England goalkeeper trying to block a shot.
In actual fact, it was Pickford’s head that made contact with Kane. But it is clever play from Kane and ultimately, it was the difference between a point and three. Everton pushed for a leveller, and that saw Hojbjerg make it 2-0.
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