ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:Hull City 1 Tottenham 5
PERHAPS MISCHIEVOUSLY, Harry Redknapp has already pronounced the Premier League to be a more “open” competition this season. It certainly looked that way at times last night.
With Jozy Altidore, the young striker Hull have signed on loan from Villarreal, due to arrive today, City’s threat appeared more probable to come from midfield, in particular Stephen Hunt, who made an impressive goal-scoring start against Chelsea on Saturday.
It was immediately apparent Spurs were fully capable of exploiting failings that must have looked familiar to the KC Stadium regulars. Whenever City lost possession, or more usually gave it away, the gap between midfield and defence yawned so wide that Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane could hardly fail to find space.
The result was that Spurs looked like scoring every time they came forward. After 10 minutes, Tom Huddlestone picked out Defoe and he fired a shot beyond Boaz Myhill. Four minutes later, and from the same position, Wilson Palacios made it two.
Redknapp took off Heurelho Gomes after he fell badly. His replacement Carlo Cudicini had not been on the field 10 minutes when Hull pulled a goal back. Several players flung themselves at Hunt’s free-kick, none got a touch but their presence distracted Cudicini, and the ball bounced inside the far post.
Just when the visitors were wobbling, however, Defoe settled their nerves. Huddlestone’s touch was a good one, but the aplomb with which Defoe beat Michael Turner before hammering the ball beyond a hapless Myhill emphasised the gulf in class.
The second half was relatively staid. Keane headed home a cross 12 minutes from time, and Defoe made it five deep into injury-time.
Defoe 10 Palacios 14 Defoe 45, 90 Keane 78 Attendance: 24,735
GuardianService
HULL:Myhill, Mouyokolo (Barmby 46), Turner, Gardner, Dawson, Mendy, Boateng (Ghilas 69), Olofinjana, Hunt, Folan, Cousin (Geovanni 22). Subs not used: Duke, Halmosi, Kilbane, Zayatte. Booked: Hunt, Turner, Folan.
TOTTENHAM:Gomes (Cudicini 16), Hutton, Corluka, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric (Bentley 85), Keane (Crouch 81), Defoe. Subs not used: Pavlyuchenko, Naughton, Chimbonda, O'Hara. Booked: Keane, Hutton.
Referee:Chris Foy (Merseyside).
