LONDON-Tottenham Hotspur edged closer to a third consecutive season in the Champions League despite a laboured performance as goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane saw off Watford 2-0 at Wembley.

A first win in four games re-establishes Spurs' five-point lead over fifth-placed Chelsea with just three games of the Premier League season to go. An 11th defeat in their last 12 away games leaves Watford still in need of a point to mathematically secure survival.

But the visitors were left to rue a host of missed chances after matching the under-par hosts for long spells. A bright start from Watford was undermined on 16 minutes when goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis spilled a simple cross from the right.

The loose ball fell kindly to Christian Eriksen and he teed up Alli to tap home his fourth goal in five games. Watford had more than enough chances to be at least level at the break, but were denied by a return to form by Hugo Lloris. The French number one had cost his side with a series of errors in recent weeks, but Lloris stood up well to block from Andre Grey with Watford's first opportunity.

A purposeful run and deflected shot from Abdoulaye Doucoure then stung Lloris's palms. And the Spurs captain got down well low to his left to deny Jose Holebas before rushing from his line to tackle Doucoure as Tottenham lost control of midfield for the latter part of the opening half.

However, having escaped unscathed, Mauricio Pochettino's men doubled their lead within three minutes of the second period. An inopportune slip prevented Kane turning home Son Heung-min's initial cross, but the England international quickly picked himself up to slot home when Kieran Trippier flashed the loose ball back across goal for his 38th goal of the season.

Watford have now not scored in eight straight away games, and it was easy to see why as more chances came and went for the visitors, most notably when Richarlison blasted well over with the goal at his mercy. And even when Watford did finally put the ball in the net through substitute Gerard Deulofeu, the on-loan Barcelona winger was flagged for offside.

Kane was also denied a second by the offside flag, but it made little difference to the outcome as Spurs bounced back from their FA Cup semi-final disappointment at the hands of Manchester United last weekend. That defeat ensured Pochettino will still be without a trophy as Spurs boss after four seasons in charge. However, sustained progress in terms of Champions League qualification ahead of a move to the club's new 62,000 capacity stadium could be confirmed as early as this weekend should Chelsea fail to beat Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Kane admitted it has taken him time to recover top form after an ankle ligament injury, but believes he still has time to rediscover his best ahead of shouldering England's World Cup hopes.

Kane was far from his best and believes he should have scored more in a laboured Spurs performance that was characteristic of the dip in form from Mauricio Pochettino's men in recent weeks. "Obviously, I would have liked to play better over the last few games or so but I think the whole team feel like that," said Kane. "I feel good, I feel sharp, I probably could have scored a couple more out there today. I'm looking forward to the last three games. Hopefully I can finish strong like I did last year going into a big summer."

Kane was sidelined for just three weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage at Bournemouth last month. But on top of trying to get back into top physical shape, he has also had to cope with public ridicule for claiming a goal in a 2-1 win at Stoke to aid his chances of beating Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to the Golden Boot award for the league's top scorer.

"Of course it is a mix about different things. It wasn't a great period for him the past few weeks, he is human like everyone else, and was a little bit affected," said Pochettino.

However, the Argentine has no concerns over Kane's mental toughness to lead England in Russia. "He scored. He needs to improve his performance still, but 150 games in the Premier League, 105 goals, what we can say more? He is a fantastic striker. "He's a strong guy, physically and mentally. I am sure he is going to perform for us in a very good way and arrive in a good condition for the World Cup."

 

 

 

Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Moussa Sissoko misses a shot at goal during the English Premier League football match against Watford.–AFP