Antonio Conte vowed to help Harry Kane "win a trophy" after the talismanic Tottenham striker moved level as the club's all-time leading goalscorer with his winner against Fulham on Monday.
Kane struck his 266th Tottenham goal to seal a vital 1-0 win at Craven Cottage which keeps the North London club firmly in the hunt for a top-four Premier League finish.
England captain Kane netted on the stroke of half time with a clinical strike from the edge of the penalty area to move level with the great Jimmy Greaves.
It was the 29-year-old's first goal in three games and also moved him to within one goal of joining Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney in the 200-goals Premier League club.
Conte revealed after the match that Kane played despite being ill with a fever and that it was that kind of fighting spirit that inspires him to want to help the player – Kane has never won a major trophy for club or country – win silverware.
But Conte said: "Today he was amazing. I think he scored a fantastic goal, the execution, to control the ball, then to kick it in that way, only a world-class striker can score this goal.
"About the spirit that I spoke before, I want to underline Harry played with a fever and he was not so good, but he wanted to play because he understood the moment.
"He understood he is a point of reference for us. For sure, I would like to help him and me, also his teammates, to try to do something important, to win something with Tottenham because he loves Tottenham.
"Tottenham is in his heart and it should be good if together we were able to win something, because then it is important to have this record, but I think it could be more important if you win a trophy."
Fulham v Spurs ratings
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FULHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Bernd Leno – 7 Made some crucial saves to keep the home side in the game, using some fine acrobatics to keep out what appeared to be a destined Kane goal in the second half. Getty -
Kenny Tete – 6 Offered plenty of enticing deliveries into the direction of Mitrovic, but his side were unable to make the most of the chances. Reuters -
Issa Diop – 7 Despite the goal, it was a solid performance for the Frenchman at the back. Looked calm and composed in the heart of defence. AFP -
Tim Ream – 6 Could have done better for Kane’s opener, as he gave the forward a too much space leading up to the goal. Apart from that, a solid outing. AP -
Antonee Robinson – 6 Worked hard alongside Tete on the other flank to get the ball into the box as quickly as possible to pile the pressure on the Spurs backline. Getty -
Joao Palhinha – 6 Did well to nullify some of the threats presented by Antonio Conte’s side, Son in particular. Struggled at times to progress the ball forward. Reuters -
Harrison Reed – 5 Provided the occasional late run into the box going forward but struggled to retain the ball in the middle of the park and was poor defensively. AP -
Bobby Decordova-Reid – 5 Linked up well with Tete on the right wing, which caused problems for Spurs. Lacked composure when it came to the final pass or decision. AP -
Andreas Pereira – 4 The former Manchester United playmaker struggled to create anything to threaten the opposition. AFP -
Willian – 4 Tried hard to get himself into the game but the Brazilian was starved of opportunities throughout. Reuters -
Aleksandar Mitrovic – 6 His teammates worked hard to give the Serbian an opportunity to stamp his mark on this London derby, but the forward had limited chances. AP -
SUBS: Tom Cairney (Harrison Reed 65’) – 6 Provided some fresh legs in the midfield but didn’t do enough to get his side anything from the game. Reuters -
Manor Solomon (Kenny Tete 79’) – N/A The Israeli midfielder added another dimension into Fulham’s attack but arrived on the pitch with too little time. AP -
Harry Wilson (Willian 87’) N/A – Came on with minutes to go and didn’t have many opportunities to affect the game. Reuters -
Carlos Vinicius (Bobby Decordova-Reid 87’) N/A – Offered energy late on but not enough to get a late equaliser against his former club. Reuters -
TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 7 Collected several Fulham deliveries in what was a busy first half for the captain. Had less to do in the second half, but remained concentrated. A much-needed clean sheet for the Frenchman. AP -
Cristian Romero – 6 Shaky in the opening spells but settled into the game eventually and looked much steadier on the ball as the game wore on. Booked for a high foot on Mitrovic. Getty -
Eric Dier – 8 Handled the physical challenge of Mitrovic extremely well and looked assured at the back, a solid centre-half display. AFP -
Ben Davies – 7 A steady display from the Welshman. He rarely seemed out of position, and he restrained Fulham’s attacking talent to few chances. PA -
Emerson Royal – 6 Did well to get forward down the right flank and offer plenty of energy in attack. Saw an effort saved by Leno. However, he appeared to lack confidence defensively. Reuters -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6 Started the game seemingly rattled by Fulham’s press, but grew into the game after the deadlock was broken. PA -
Rodrigo Bentancur – 7 Bossed the midfield in all departments; his composure and confidence on the ball made a big difference. Getty -
Ivan Perisic – 5 A clean sheet which will please the wing back but overall, a fairly quiet night for the Croatian. Getty -
Dejan Kulusevski – 7 Looked dangerous driving towards the Fulham defence, though the home side did well to prevent him from creating many clear cut chances. Getty -
Son Heung-min – 5 Despite providing the assist for Kane, this was another lacklustre showing from Son. He just couldn’t seem to get much going in attack. Getty -
Harry Kane – 8 A fine turn and finish for his side’s opener gave Spurs the lead and equalled Jimmy Greaves’s record for Spurs’ all time goal scorer. He came close to breaking it in the second half but for a save from Leno. A complete striker’s performance. Reuters -
SUBS: Richarlison (Son 75’) – 6 Plenty of energy when on but didn’t have enough time on the pitch to impact the game. AFP -
Yves Bissouma (Kulusevski 90’) N/A – Came on in the dying minutes and added some welcomed physicality for Spurs. PA
Kane has the chance to move out on his own as the club's record scorer in the FA Cup on Saturday when Spurs take on Championship side Preston North End.
Greaves' record has stood since 1970. He died aged 81 in 2021 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers in history.
Kane's 18th goal in all competitions this season enable fifth-placed Tottenham to close the gap on Manchester United, in fourth, to three points.
It was a much-needed result after successive defeats against Manchester City and Arsenal damaged Tottenham's bid to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish.
Conte's team had conceded 21 goals in their previous 10 league matches.
"I was just trying to get myself into a position where I can get half a yard. I used the defender to bend it around him. It was a nice goal," Kane said.
"I have been playing football long enough now to know where the goal is. It is just instinct."
While Kane rightly took the spotlight, Conte was just as pleased his players answered his pre-match rallying cry to show more resilience in defence.
"It was a big win. I had a good answer from my players. I asked them for solidity of the last season and the will and desire to fight and to be resilient," Conte said.
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Jimmy Greaves skips past Yugoslavian goalkeeper Milutin Soskic during the match between England and the rest of the world at Wembley Stadium in 1965. AP -
England's Jimmy Greaves, second right, scores his team's third goal past Scotland goalkeeper Frank Haffey. Getty -
Jimmy Greaves, left, in action for Tottenham against Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final match at Hillsborough on April 29, 1967. Tottenham won 2-1. Getty -
Jimmy Greaves opens the scoring against Nottingham Forest in that 1967 semi-final. Getty -
England's Jimmy Greaves, left, evades France's Jacky Simon during a 1966 World Cup match at Wembley. AFP -
Jimmy Greaves, standing second left, with the England team before a match against Denmark in 1966 in Idraetsparken. AFP -
Jimmy Greaves in action for England against Russia on October 23, 1963. PA -
Enjoying the snow in January 17, 1966. PA -
Greaves and Jimmy Armfield take it easy during a training session at Roehampton on July 15, 1966. PA -
Greaves, during training with Tottenham Hotspur, on August 1, 1966. PA -
Jimmy Greaves seen here in training with Spurs ahead of the 1967 FA Cup final at Wembley stadium against his former club Chelsea. Getty -
Greaves in the changing rooms on January 1, 1966. PA -
Training with England in 1966. PA -
Spurs' Jimmy Greaves (left) leaps for a ball and scores in the match against West Bromwich at White Hart Lane, in 1966. PA -
Greaves and Terry Dyson carry the European Cup Winners Cup at London's Heathrow Airport after beating Atletico Madrid in 1963. AP -
England striker Jimmy Greaves shoots at goal against Wales during the Home International Championship match at Wembley Stadium in November, 1962. Getty -
Jimmy Greaves during his spell at West Ham United in 1971. PA -
Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves, who presented the 'Saint and Greavsie' television show in the UK from 1985-1992.
