Defoe hits three as Spurs trounce Hull

Aug 19, 2009 - 11:29 PM By WALTER SIMON STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick as rampant Tottenham ran riot at the KC Stadium, crushing Hull 5-1 as easily as the score suggests.

Hull considered themselves unlucky after losing at Chelsea to a fluke Didier Drogba goal in injury time on the opening day but there can be no excuses for this massive setback.

Tottenham's win, allied to their win at home to Liverpool, lifted them to the top of the Premier League, albeit after only two fixtures.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp could not hide his delight at the way his team had overwhelmed Hull, the result never in doubt from the moment Defoe scored his first in the tenth minute.

Redknapp said: "I thought we were terrific tonight. We played well against Liverpool and deserved to win that and we were always on top here.

"Hull is a tough, tough place to come and yet we played them off the park for long spells. Robbie Keane was exceptional and Jermain took his goals ever so well."

Hull manager Phil Brown brought in Daniel Cousin in place of Dean Marney but Cousin lasted only 22 minutes before he was taken off by Brown with Hull already 2-0 down.

Tom Huddlestone set up Defoe's first and Wilson Palacios added another in the 14th with a shot through the legs of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

Spurs lost their goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes on a stretcher soon afterwards with Carlo Cudicini replacing him and in the 25th minute Hull pulled a goal back when new signing Stephen Hunt's free kick evaded a cluster of players in the goalmouth.

But Spurs nerves were calmed in first half injury time when Hull defender Michael Turner failed to cut out Keane's free kick and Defoe punished him with a clinical finish.

Former Spurs player Nicky Barmby came on at the start of the second half and almost immediately Cudicini made a great save to keep out a looping header from Geovanni.

Keane, who was preferred to Peter Crouch in the Tottenham attack, added a third in the 78th minute from Aaron Lennon's pass and in the dying seconds Defoe completed his second Premier League hat-trick.

Redknapp added: "They all played well but Defoe is on fire at the moment. In pre-season he has looked unplayable. It is the strongest I have seen him."

Hull manager Brown conceded that his team had been played off the park by far the better side.

"On Saturday at Chelsea there is no doubt we deserved a draw but we can't say the tonight. Spurs were superb at times but we contributed to our own downfall.

"We gave them far too much room and with players like Defoe, Keane and Lennon around you are asking for trouble if you do that.

"When we got it back to 2-1 and with a change in our system I thought we might kick on. But once Spurs got their third we could not compete ??? and that is a worry."