Spurs match-winner Llorente 'ready' to fill Kane's boots

Harry Kane's injury came as a blow to Tottenham Hotspur, but Fernando Llorente thinks he is ready to stand in after scoring against Watford.

Published : Jan 31, 2019 11:46 IST

Tottenham's Fernando Llorente celebrates with Mauricio Pochettino after scoring the winner against Watford on Wednesday.
Tottenham's Fernando Llorente celebrates with Mauricio Pochettino after scoring the winner against Watford on Wednesday.
lightbox-info

Tottenham's Fernando Llorente celebrates with Mauricio Pochettino after scoring the winner against Watford on Wednesday.

Fernando Llorente believes he is ready to step into injured Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane's role having scored the winner in Wednesday's 2-1 comeback at home to Watford.

Spurs were heading for a third successive home Premier League defeat until Son Heung-min, back from Asian Cup duty, levelled in the 80th minute.

Llorente, who had missed several presentable chances earlier in the game, then completed the turnaround three minutes from the end, heading Danny Rose's cross past Ben Foster.

RELATED| Tottenham 2 Watford 1: Returning Son and Llorente spark late turnaround

With Kane out until March, Llorente finding some goal-scoring form could prove vital, and he feels he will only get stronger.

"It's a big responsibility," he told Sky Sports , when asked about taking Kane's place. "I'm ready to help the team and will be stronger every game.

"I am really happy because today was a tough game. To help the team with a massive goal today is very important, more so after the past two games in cups that we lost. We needed to come back to winning ways."

Watford coach Javi Gracia was ultimately left annoyed by his team's inability to hold on to what would have been a commendable victory. However, he feels that frustration is a good indicator of the players' confidence and the expectations they have from themselves.

"We are disappointed because we have missed a very good chance to get points," Gracia told BBC Sport . "It's a good sign of our demands with ourselves that we are disappointed.

"They had more possession, but we defended well, created some chances and scored and we worked very well.

"Then at the end of the game we conceded two goals. They changed their shape and put on more offensive players, but we had good chances."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment