Spurs deliver warning as they put Leicester to the sword

Leicester 1 Spurs 6

After missing out on the title last season, Spurs fell apart and ended the season with an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at relegated Newcastle.

They came close once more to lifting the trophy this year, but this time they show no signs of feeling sorry for themselves and instead took out their frustrations on last season's champions Leicester City.

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The 6-1 rout proved Tottenham have genuine class and that manager Mauricio Pochettino will not allow standards to slip having committed to the club.

"This was a statement by Spurs. They tore into the outgoing champions with sustained intensity, Harry Kane leading the charge, scoring four times and moving two goals clear of Romelu Lukaku in the race for the golden boot," says Henry Winter of The Times.

Leicester " were swept aside by a visiting team who seemed to have a point to prove as they passed and moved", he adds.

"Spurs were not on the beach, not letting up, not moping about failing to catch Chelsea. If they can keep this exciting side together... then they will be even more of a threat next season, assuming they can settle in at Wembley."

You can't blame Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare, says Paul Doyle in The Guardian. The score was down to Spurs' "exceptional slickness" and "bloodlust" rather than any failing on his part.

"A team does not necessarily need a title to show their class… Spurs cannot catch Chelsea but they have no intention of stopping their glory hunt."

Kane was destroyer-in-chief at the King Power stadium, ably assisted by Heung-min Son, and his four goals move him two ahead of Romelu Lukaku in the race for the golden boot.

With 26 goals in 29 games, he could become only the fourth player to win back-to-back top scorer awards in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie.

That is "impressive company" says Tom Collomosse of the London Evening Standard. "Considering he has had two spells out with an ankle injury this term, it is an incredible effort."