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A point was all that was required after Arsenal’s recent capitulation, but Tottenham secured Champions League qualification with a swagger as they swept aside hapless Norwich.
Tottenham were in disarray when Antonio Conte was appointed in November but he has plotted a big revival to take the team back into the top four. Finishing eighth in February, a streak of nine wins in the last 11 games sealed north London swagger and her place at the top of European football next season.
Spurs were in no mood to sit back at Carrow Road and their early pressure was rewarded with Dejan Kulusevski’s opener. Harry Kane benefited from a terrible defensive error before half-time as Tottenham fans basked in the sunshine after their late-season surge at the expense of rivals Arsenal.
The excellent Kulusevski scored a superb third goal before Son Heung-Min’s persistence paid off with two quick shots to share the golden boot with Mohamed Salah after scoring his 23rd goal of the season.
Kane was fit to lead Spurs attack after recovering from illness in the build-up to the game. Conte’s only change in the team was the return of Kulusevski in place of Lucas Moura. Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul replaced Angus Gunn for the relegated team’s final game in the Premier League.
The first warning for Norwich should have resulted in the opening goal after Kulusevski hit the right wing, but his pass was wasted when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg smacked the ball over the bar. Kane got his first look at goal but the England striker’s low shot floated straight into Krul’s arms.
Spurs’ early dominance continued when Norwich failed to clear the ball and Kane’s powerful drive from a tight angle was blocked by Krul.
The breakthrough finally came when Hojbjerg threw a ball over the static defense and Rodrigo Bentancur Kulusevski hit the net for a low shot. It was a statement of intent from Spurs and the start of a very long afternoon for Norwich.
A loose pass from Eric Dier created a rare opportunity for the hosts mid-half, but Milot Rashica was unable to capitalize after his low shot shot past the near post of Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham received a second goal when Krul failed to handle Jacob Sorensen’s back pass and passed the ball to Bentancur. The midfielder provided his second assist of the game with his cross, which Kane headed home for his 17th league goal.
Ben Davies tested Krul from long range before the break but his shot was safely parried.
Son had his first goal in sight in the second half after being set up by Kane, but the striker’s low shot was blocked by Krul. The pair combined again with Kane crossing for the South Korean striker, but his close-range shot was expertly saved by Krul.
This developed into a crusade to get Son the goal he needed, but Kulusevski uncharacteristically shook up his lines as he rounded the keeper and unselfishly attempted to play his top scorer, but his wrong pass was cleared.
Kulusevski went for the more direct approach shortly after and it paid off well as he sliced in from the right and circled a confident shot past Krul’s dive.
Norwich, who were booed by their fans in the post-match round, were desperately lacking in inspiration and Mathias Normann was unable to deflect his fierce volley on target.
Son was denied again by the busy Krul but he wasn’t denied and delivered the finish after Lucas Moura’s delicious flick from a Kane pass.
The relentless striker knew this was a huge chance against a downed team and Son fired in a 25-yard shot into the far corner to spark euphoric scenes in front of Spurs fans after he ended his East Anglia defeat.