Defoe leads Tigers demolition
Jermain Defoe's hat-trick sealed Spurs' 5-1 win
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By Alistair Potter. |  |
Wednesday, 19, Aug 2009 10:52
By Alistair Potter
Tottenham Hotspur and Jermain Defoe continued their impressive start to the season with a 5-1 win at Hull.
Defoe scored a hat-trick along with goals from Wilson Palacios and Robbie Keane to seal a comprehensive win for Harry Redknapp's side.
Hull's Stephen Hunt scored his second goal in two games but Phil Brown's team were well beaten.
The game, which later threatened to boil over as tempers flared throughout, started at a frenetic pace and the home side quickly found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-0 deficit.
Defoe opened the scoring with a well-taken strike just ten minutes in before a breakaway from the visitors ended with Palacios strolling through a leaky Hull backline before finishing low at the near post.
The Tigers clawed their way back into the match when substitute Giovanni was introduced for Daniel Cousin after only 20 minutes with Hunt netting from close range.
But the forward was also guilty of missing a couple of guilt-edged chances before his side were punished by Defoe, who hammered an unstoppable shot from inside the box after breaking clear before half-time.
For all its bluster, the second half was a slightly more subdued affair and the points were effectively wrapped up for Spurs when Keane headed home on 78 minutes.
The icing on the cake came shortly afterwards as Defoe sealed his hat-trick with an emphatic finish from the edge of the box after good interplay with Aaron Lennon.
The win means the north Londoners climb to the top of the table after back-to-back opening wins while Hull are yet to register a point after they suffered a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on the opening day.