Harry Kane went down with what appears to be a season-ending ankle injury in Tottenham’s win over Manchester City on Tuesday. Losing such a vital figure for the end of a season that still has so much to play for is a massive loss for Spurs — but based on the evidence of Saturday’s Lucas Moura hat trick, they might actually be better off.
Lucas Moura scored three goals in Tottenham’s 4-0 rout of Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The Brazilian netted in the 27th minute, a couple minutes after Victor Wanyama’s sparkling opener, and added two more in the final minutes to cushion Spurs’ goal differential for what will be a tight race for the final two Champions League qualification spots.
Lucas Moura Hat Trick
2 goals in just over 2 minutes for Spurs! pic.twitter.com/bU6Ap9R8xz
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 13, 2019
Come for the goal, stay for the celebration pic.twitter.com/mLI5nJgrNJ
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 13, 2019
Hat trick for Lucas Moura! pic.twitter.com/4QGq43TO1R
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 13, 2019
Lucas now has 10 goals in 27 Premier League appearances.
More importantly, Tottenham seems to be just fine playing without its talisman.
Kane has missed five Premier League matches this season — four in January and February with another ankle injury and then the fifth on Saturday. Spurs have won each match.
Now, to be fair, these matches weren’t exactly against heavyweights. Four of the five were at home and Leicester City was the only opponent solidly in the top half of the league table. But they were all wins. Plus, Kane missed one Champions League match, the Round of 16 first leg against Borussia Dortmund, which Spurs won resoundingly 3-0, all but assuring qualification to the next round.
We should mention that Kane was out injured for Tottenham’s defeats in the FA Cup (fourth round to Crystal Palace) and EFL Cup (semifinal second leg to Chelsea on penalties).
Is Tottenham better off without Harry Kane? In the long run, probably not. But in the short term, the Lucas Moura hat trick showed the Brazilian might be a better fit. His son certainly thinks he’s the greatest thing in the world.
#PL #COYS pic.twitter.com/bwvO45wZdn
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 13, 2019
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