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Harry Kane praises 'ruthless' Tottenham as Spurs hit Belgrade for five

Harry Kane hailed his Tottenham side as they swept aside Red Star Belgrade 5-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Kane’s early header and Son Heung-min’s first-half brace helped Mauricio Pochettino’s men into cruise control as Spurs aimed for their first win in Group B.

Erik Lamela, who assisted the opening two goals, added a fourth before Kane completed the rout and gave the hosts their biggest ever Champions League win.

Tottenham entered the match without a win in Group B, having drawn with Olympiacos and been battered 7-2 at home to Bayern Munich last time out.

And Kane was delighted with the ‘perfect’ response after a poor run of form.

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“It’s great, it’s exactly what we needed to do,” the England striker told BT Sport. “We know we’ve been in a tough run of results and it was the perfect way to respond.

“Of course we needed to score early, it gives you that momentum to carry on.

“We were ruthless in front of goal today, which we need to do more often.”

Tottenham have also endured a poor start to the Premier League season with just three wins from nine - including a 3-0 defeat to Brighton before the international break and a 1-1 draw at home to Watford on Saturday.

Dauntingly, they face a trip to unbeaten Liverpool on Sunday - opponents who defeated them in last season’s Champions League final.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, right, celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game with Harry Kane and Erik Lamela during the Champions League Group B match against Red Star at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Tuesday Oct. 22, 2019. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Erik Lamela were all catalysts for a romping Spurs victory. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game during the Champions League Group B match against Red Star at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Tuesday Oct. 22, 2019. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Son bagged a first-half brace which set Spurs on their way for a comfortable win. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Son, the other main hero as Spurs ran riot, hailed the team’s ‘togetherness’ as they look to turn their fortunes around in the longer term.

The South Korean star added: "We as a team stuck together from the start. We wanted to win. It was an amazing job and amazing performance.

"The ball (for my first goal) was great and the timing perfect, then I finished well. Not important only the goal, the way we played was the most important thing.

"We have got a long way to go, some big away games coming in the Champions League. But we take it step by step, think about Sunday and Liverpool and then think about the Champions League again after that."

Pochettino was not getting carried away by the performance, but did say he had given his players the day off on Wednesday following their five goals.

Tottenham's manager Mauricio Pochettino grimaces before the Champions League, group B, soccer match between Tottenham and Red Star Belgrade, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
The Tottenham manager was also pleased with the result - but was more cautious in his response. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

On how he felt after watching the display, he said: “Not great, I feel OK. It’s only one game.

“We need to start at some point and that’s a good start for us.”

“You always try to find a way to inspire the team. Things happen in football you can’t explain, it’s very complicated to explain.

“The most important thing is to be altogether, not to create a drama, be relaxed.”

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