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Liverpool, April 17 (AP/PTI): Harry Kane scored twice, including a second-half equalizer, before limping off with an ankle injury in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Everton in the Premier League as both teams stayed on the fringe of the race for Champions League qualification.
The England captain’s latest injury comes ahead of Tottenham playing Manchester City in the English League Cup final on April 25 -- the only shot at a trophy this season for Jose Mourinho’s team.
Kane rolled his right ankle under the weight of a tumbling Richarlison at a corner in second-half stoppage time at Goodison Park. Kane hobbled off after treatment, walking around the perimeter of the field unaided toward the locker room.
“I think it’s too early to say something,” Mourinho said immediately after the match on Friday.
“For him to leave the pitch (at) 2-2 with a couple of minutes to go is obviously because he felt something. But let me be optimistic and believe he has time to recover.”
Mourinho added: “We all felt the same fears of something that stops him playing Wednesday (against Southampton in the league) and especially Sunday, but we will see.”
Earlier, Kane moved onto a league-high 21 goals for the season, two more than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, with his clinically taken equalizer in the 68th minute after a defensive mix-up.
Kane had given Tottenham the lead in the 27th, only for a double from Gylfi Sigurdsson the first coming from the penalty spot following a foul by Sergio Reguilon on James Rodriguez to put Everton ahead.
Sigurdsson’s goals came in the 31st and 62nd minutes.
Tottenham stayed in seventh place, and is now five points behind fourth-place West Ham having played one game more. Everton is a point further back in eighth.
It appeared that February’s nine-goal FA Cup thriller between the teams Everton won it 5-4 after extra time had used up all the fun for this fixture as it was a drab opening 25 minutes. Richarlison’s shot, which Hugo Lloris saved comfortably, was the only moment that passed as entertainment.
But the game burst into life with two goals in four minutes.
Spurs took the lead with their first foray into Everton’s box as Kane was clinical. Everton defender Michael Keane could only glance on a cross from the left by Tanguy Ndombele into the path of Kane, who controlled and fired left-footed into the bottom corner.
Mourinho’s team let another advantage slip thanks to a quick response from the hosts.
Reguilon was adjudged to have shoved Rodriguez as the Colombian shaped to shoot, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot even though replays suggested Rodriguez kicked the ground and contact was minimal.
Sigurdsson made no mistake from the spot, sending Lloris the wrong way.
Everton gained momentum from its equalizer and should have gone in front before halftime.
A brilliant move ended with Richarlison playing in Rodriguez, but his snap-shot was saved by Lloris, who also kept out Richarlison’s header before the break.
It did not take much for Spurs to improve after halftime and they fashioned good chances in the opening 15 minutes.
First, Son Heung-min ghosted into the area and shot straight at Jordan Pickford when Kane was begging for a pull-back and, after more great work by Kane to open up play,Ndombele’s effort was deflected over the crossbar.
From the resulting corner, Toby Alderweireld came close to regaining Spurs’ lead, but his header hit the near post.
But it was Everton which moved in front, cutting Spurs open by working the ball out to Seamus Coleman, who pulled it back to Sigurdsson to direct a well-taken first-time finish into the far corner with his left foot.
However, the home side was the master of its own downfall by allowing Tottenham to hit back just six minutes later.
Keane and Mason Holgate collided with each other when trying to clear a cross and the ball fell to the one man they did not want it to. Kane made them pay, lashing home in style from 10 meters out.
Kane almost completed his hat trick minutes later but a header clipped the outside of the post.
It was Everton’s players who were left with their heads in their hands at the end as they squandered a great chance to win it when Richarlison blazed over a virtually open goal.