Record-breaker Kane saves Spurs

LONDON • Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said his players had to "suffer to win" during their 1-0 Premier League triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday, as star striker Harry Kane set a league record for the most goals scored with a single club.

Spurs were outplayed in the first half but were a different proposition after the interval, with Kane pouncing in the 64th minute for his 185th Premier League goal.

It took him above the retired Sergio Aguero's total of 184 during his time at Manchester City.

It was also his 250th goal in all competitions for Spurs, moving him 16 goals behind Jimmy Greaves as he bids to become the club's all-time top scorer.

"The performance at the end was good," Conte said on BT Sport.

"In the first half we struggled a bit against players with good quality but in the second half we had to suffer to win and not give them any chance to score.

"In the second half I can't remember any great chances for Wolverhampton or any great save from Hugo (Lloris) but we created many chances...

"If you see their starting XI today I think you have to be a bit scared because Wolverhampton with (Matheus) Nunes and (Ruben) Neves and (Joao) Moutinho has one of the best midfields in this league. It's a really good team."

Kane's landmark moment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came after the break when he headed in from close range.

The 29-year-old had scored his first goal of the season in last weekend's 2-2 stalemate at Chelsea when his headed goal in stoppage time drew him level with Aguero.

"It's been a fantastic nine or 10 years in the Premier League. Hopefully many more years to go. I always love scoring," said the England captain.

Although Tottenham were well below their best, especially in the first half in which Wolves had 12 goal attempts to Spurs' one, Conte's men hung on to remain unbeaten after winning two of their first three matches.

The Italian has revived a team who were floundering when he took over last November, leading them into the Champions League and providing hope of a sustained spell as a top-four force.

He escaped with a fine for his role in the touchline clashes with Thomas Tuchel last Sunday that saw the Chelsea manager fined and given a one-match.

The 53-year-old's ire was directed at his own players this time and his anger eventually produced the desired response.

When his team finally found some extra gears to seize control, their sudden burst of pressure was rewarded when Ivan Perisic flicked on a header from a corner and Kane was perfectly placed to nod in Tottenham's 1,000th Premier League home goal.

Despite the loss, Wolves' £38 million (S$62.5 million) club-record signing Nunes made an impressive debut following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon last week.

"It was good to play my first game but the result wasn't the best," he said on the BBC.

"In the first half, we had good chances to score and even in the second half it was balanced. They had more chances but that's because we were more up the field trying to take a risk to score."

Goncalo Guedes also made his first Wolves start to take the number of Portuguese players in Bruno Lage's starting line-up to seven.

Yet, for all their possession, Wolves lacked a cutting edge and are now winless in their last 10 league games.

"I think first half it was a good performance for our side, the way we controlled Tottenham, the chances we created," said Lage. "But unfortunately we didn't score and they scored."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS