How Spurs is intruding EPL title race

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said his team needs to “find a way to be consistent” if they want to be “contenders” in the Premier League after strolling to a comprehensive win at Cardiff City to climb back up to second place in the table.

Spurs suffered a shock 3-1 home defeat by Wolves on Saturday but ruthlessly exposed Cardiff’s flimsy defence with three goals before half-time to win in south Wales.

Harry Kane bundled in a fortuitous early opener in the third minute and Christian Eriksen nestled a fine strike into the bottom corner nine minutes later.

Son Heung-min added a third in the 26th minute and, from that point, the untroubled visitors seemed to ease off a little.

Cardiff at least registered their first efforts on target in a low-key second half but the damage had already been done and they remain 16th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

By contrast, a sixth victory from seven league matches closes the gap between Spurs and leaders Liverpool to six points, with the Reds away at third-placed Manchester City on Thursday.

And although the home side were barely in this contest, such a handsome margin of victory and convincing performance was timely for Tottenham after their defeat to Wolves.

“We were so relaxed and kept calm, it was so important. We showed Wolves was just an accident,” Pochettino said.

“It’s a crazy fixture (list) – it’s normal that in some games we can drop our mental energy.

“The most important thing is to find a way to be consistent if we want to be a contender. We need to believe more in us. We are in a process of doing fantastic things.”

Successive thrashings of Everton and Bournemouth had added weight to the notion Spurs are genuine contenders to win the Premier League, even if Mauricio Pochettino had described his side as “intruders” in the title race.

Their growing sense of optimism was punctured by that loss to Wolves – but this display suggested it was a mere aberration.

Whereas Wolves were disciplined and resolute, on this occasion Spurs were presented with a charitable Cardiff defence – which they punished clinically.

The opening goal arrived inside three minutes and in farcical fashion, Kane playing the ball wide to Kieran Trippier, whose cross fell to Sean Morrison but the Cardiff defender only succeeded in playing the ball on to Kane’s knee before it bobbled into the net.

It may have been a lucky strike for the England captain but it was also a significant one, as it meant he has now scored against all 28 of the Premier League teams he has faced.

Tottenham had countered swiftly and accurately to set up that opportunity, and it was a similar tale for their second goal as Son teed up Eriksen, who deftly shimmied into a shooting position before arrowing a low effort into the bottom corner.

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