The New York Knicks stormed home with a 32-18 final period to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 108-97 on Sunday,

The Knicks were on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a disappointing overtime loss at home against the Los Angeles Clippers, but they steadied the ship to avoid a fourth loss from their past five.

Point guard Jalen Brunson finished with 21 points on six-of-16 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds, while All-Star team-mate Julius Randle posted 24 points (eight-of-19), nine rebounds and seven assists.

They were solid, but inefficient, shooting a combined 40 per cent from the field while both finished with a plus/minus figure in the negatives.

What won the game for the Knicks was their production off the bench. Evan Fournier scored a season-high 17 points (six-of-11), Deuce McBride added 14 points (three-of-eight), and the pair combined to shoot eight-of-14 from long range, while both posting a plus/minus of plus 28 or better.

Backup center Isaiah Hartenstein was similarly impactful, snatching an equal season-high 14 rebounds in his fourth consecutive appearance with at least 10 boards.

MVP candidate Joel Embiid was respectable for the 76ers, finishing six-of-16 from the field, but he still produced 31 points and 14 rebounds after shooting 18-of-19 from the free throw line.

With the win, the Knicks improved their record to 29-26, and they now sit just a half-game back from the six seed in the Eastern Conference.

Balanced Raptors overcome Morant-less Grizzlies

With Ja Morant out injured, the Memphis Grizzlies were unable to protect their lead down the stretch, going down 106-103 at home against the Toronto Raptors.

The Grizzlies led by 15 points late in the third quarter, before the Raptors closed the show on a 40-22 run.

Seven of the eight Raptors to play finished with between 10 and 19 points, with Pascal Siakam's 19 points on seven-of-17 shooting leading the scoring, while Scottie Barnes was a menace defensively as he had two steals and two blocks to go with his 16 points and seven rebounds.

Desmond Bane (26 points and four steals) and Jaren Jackson Jr (18 points and four blocks) were the bright spots for the Grizzlies, who at 32-21 are now four-and-a-half games behind the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets.

Cavs starters light up the Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers' starting-five shot a blistering 58.7 per cent from the field as they blew out the Indiana Pacers 122-103 on the road.

Donovan Mitchell had 19 points on six-of-18 shooting, but he was the only Cleveland starter to hit less than half his shots as Darius Garland (eight-of-13), Evan Mobley (seven-of-12), Jarrett Allen (nine-of-11) and Isaac Okoro (seven-of-nine) combined to shoot 68.8 per cent.

Newly extended Pacers center Myles Turner had strong production in the losing effort, finishing with 27 points (nine-of-18), 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Xavi praised his Barcelona players for remaining patient in their 3-0 victory over Sevilla as the LaLiga leaders moved eight points clear of Real Madrid.

Barca dominated Sunday's contest at Camp Nou before eventually finding the breakthrough via full-back Jordi Alba in the 58th minute.

Gavi added a second 12 minutes later and Raphinha, who assisted that goal, added his name to the scoresheet as Barca made it 10 wins in a row this year.

Sevilla focused almost entirely on defending, managing only three shots in total to Barca's 16, and Xavi is delighted his side were able to break down the visitors.

"This was a day to dare," he told DAZN. "We talked about it at half-time. It's always difficult to attack when the opponent has 11 players behind the ball.

"But we did it very well and I'm very satisfied with this result."

Barca took full advantage of Real Madrid's surprise 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca earlier in the day to extend their lead at the summit as they close in on a first title in four seasons.

"We've gone many games unbeaten and it's important we win like we did today," Xavi said. "Against a low block, we created many chances – that is a big positive.

"Things are working out for us. We're eight points ahead of Madrid, but there is still a lot of the season left."

With a goal and an assist against Sevilla, Raphinha has been involved in more goals (eight – four goals and four assists) than any other LaLiga player in all competitions in 2023.

Xavi hailed the Brazil international's performance and also reserved special praise for Alba, who himself scored and assisted in a single LaLiga game for the fourth time.

"I was already satisfied with Raphinha's performances," Xavi said. "He is good in high-pressure scenarios and has been giving us decisive assists. He's an extraordinary player.

"As for Jordi, he gives us a lot in attack and showed that again today. We knew there would be an opportunity to take advantage of some space that was left."

Alba was recalled to the starting line-up having been made to settle for substitute appearances of late and took full advantage of his opportunity to impress.

"I take advantage of the minutes when I play; when I don't, I dedicate myself to encouraging the youngsters so they know what it means to play for this club," Alba said.

"We are having a very good season, playing well, pressing well and getting our rivals to give us chances. 

"There are eight points on Madrid and, although there is a lot of the league season left, it is a very good distance to have."

Barca's 53 points after 20 LaLiga matches has only been matched or bettered on five previous occasions, including themselves four times.

The only blemish for Xavi's side was captain Sergio Busquets limping off early following a challenge with Youssef En-Nesyri.

Busquets is reported to have sprained his right ankle and is facing two-to-three weeks out, potentially ruling him out of Barca's Europa League tie with Manchester United.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious," Xavi said. "First we'll do tests and then we'll know more."

Barcelona capitalised on Real Madrid's latest slip-up by beating Sevilla 3-0 at Camp Nou to move eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Madrid's surprise 1-0 loss at Real Mallorca earlier on Sunday opened the door for Barca, who took full advantage with their 10th win in a row this calendar year.

After toiling for the best part of an hour, Jordi Alba deservedly opened the scoring for Xavi's side and they did not look back.

Gavi doubled the hosts' lead 12 minutes later after being assisted by Raphinha, who added the third himself to edge Barca ever closer to a first league title in four seasons.

Barca were forced to make a change inside the opening eight minutes after Sergio Busquets injured his ankle and they struggled to find their full flow in the first half.

Yassine Bounou produced a fine stop with his leg to deny Robert Lewandowski and pulled off an even better save soon after to tip the striker's long-range drive around the post.

Sevilla brought on Bryan Gil and Erik Lamela at half-time, but Barca continued to dominate the contest as Raphinha became the latest to test Bounou, this time from a header.

The breakthrough finally arrived just short of the hour mark as Franck Kessie, brought on for Busquets, brilliantly flicked the ball into the path of Alba to fire across Bounou.

A simple finish for Gavi in the 70th minute after being picked out by Raphinha gave Barca breathing space and the Brazil winger contributed to the scoring before full-time.

Alba played the ball into the middle and Raphinha was there to poke it past Bounou and cap a fine individual and team display.

Lautaro Martinez's purple patch continued as Inter consigned sorry Milan to a fourth successive defeat with a 1-0 derby victory.

The in-form Martinez, handed the captain's armband by Simone Inzaghi, took his goal tally for the season to 15 by opening the scoring with a header in a totally one-sided first half at San Siro on Sunday.

Milan failed to register a shot on target in a lacklustre display that increased their winless run to seven matches, putting more pressure on head coach Stefano Pioli.

Second-placed Inter moved five points clear of their city rivals behind runaway Serie A leaders Napoli, with the Rossoneri down in sixth spot as their dismal start to the year continued.

Martinez forced a magnificent reflex save from Ciprian Tatarusanu and also headed just wide in a blistering start from the Nerazzurri.

Inzaghi's side were dominant, but referee Davide Massa correctly refused to award them a penalty when Edin Dzeko went down too easily under a challenge from Matteo Gabbia.

It seemed to be only a matter of time before Inter were in front, though, and the opening goal duly arrived in the 34th minute, when the lively Martinez rose above Simon Kjaer to nod in Hakan Calhanoglu's corner from the left.

It remained one-way traffic following the break, Tatarusanu palming away Martinez's shot at his near post after Pioli introduced Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers.

Olivier Giroud finally had Milan's first attempt after 57 minutes, but his header sailed over the crossbar and was never going to trouble Andre Onana.

Further goals instead appeared more likely at the other end.

Romelu Lukaku had one ruled out when he was deemed to have dragged down Malick Thiaw, and Martinez had another chalked off for a marginal offside, but his first-half finish proved decisive.

Pep Guardiola congratulated the "exceptional" Harry Kane after his record-breaking strike for Tottenham downed Manchester City on Sunday.

City head coach Guardiola has been a long-time admirer of England star Kane, trying and failing to bring the striker to Manchester ahead of the 2021-22 season.

The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss labelled Spurs as the "Harry Kane team" back in 2017, with his reference to Tottenham's reliance on their talisman irking then-coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Guardiola opted to not repeat that back-handed compliment this time around at the risk of infuriating Pochettino, but offered his congratulations after Kane surpassed Jimmy Greaves' 266-goal Spurs record.

"I'm not going to say the Harry Kane team otherwise Poch will be grumpy with me and I don't want that," Guardiola told reporters at his post-match press conference. 

"On behalf of Man City, I can say congrats on this incredible milestone. He's an exceptional player."

While Kane broke the all-time scoring record for Tottenham, he also joined Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney in an illustrious club of men to score 200 Premier League goals.

A memorable outing for Kane was improved by Spurs holding on for a narrow 1-0 win that moved them within one point of fourth-placed Newcastle United and kept City trailing leaders Arsenal by five.

City overturned a two-goal deficit to secure a 4-2 home victory over Tottenham just last month, but Guardiola acknowledged a "different" challenge at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"Two weeks ago we were able to come back from a more difficult result. Just 1-0 this time but different with the stadium and the interruptions," he added.

"We started really well in the first 15 minutes until the goal we conceded. After that we played a good first half, the second half was not as good.

"There were too many interruptions and we cannot control. We had our chances against a team that defend very well."

It marked a fourth straight away league defeat for Guardiola's side at Spurs, with City failing to score in each of those visits for just the third time in the Premier League against a single opponent.

Guardiola has lost all five games at Spurs' new home ground across all competitions, the most he has managed at one away venue without winning in his career.

He was unable to explain why, adding: "They defend with nine players really well. The squad is fantastic.

"I think we always play really well against them but for whatever reason, we cannot seem to win or score goals."

A victory to unite north London. Harry Kane's record 267th goal for Tottenham sank Manchester City and pushed Arsenal a step closer to the Premier League title.

But if the Arsenal aspect is a bitter pill for Spurs to swallow, then surely everything else about this day would have pepped up the recuperating Antonio Conte, absent after midweek gallbladder surgery.

As for Pep Guardiola, another big-match masterplan has to be called into question.

If every match at this stage of the season is a final, as managers are wont to suggest, then how is it justifiable to make Kevin De Bruyne, the Premier League's most creative player, a substitute?

The Belgian's benching was the pre-match bombshell from the City camp, and by the time he came on, just before the hour mark, City were not only trailing but they were ragged.

Erling Haaland was seeing nothing of the ball – he did not have a shot all game long, or even a touch in the Spurs penalty area – and City's possessional dominance was getting them nowhere.

Arsenal, beaten by Everton on Saturday, would have been fearing their lead at the summit being trimmed to two points, but the longer this game went on, the more Mikel Arteta would have been perked up.

So too Conte, who was said by captain Hugo Lloris to be at home in Turin. It was decided on Saturday that Conte should skip this game, and assistant Cristian Stellini saw Tottenham show battling qualities that have not always shone through this season.

So what of the De Bruyne gamble? Was it up there with Guardiola's 2021 Champions League final punt on starting without a natural holding midfielder, giddily capitalised on by Chelsea?

De Bruyne plays the sort of high-tariff passes and crosses that bring chances and goals, but they also often result in a turnover of possession. Guardiola would have looked at the likes of Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, and decided City did not need that pair sprinting away on the counter-attack.

Before this game, De Bruyne had lost possession on over 200 more occasions this season than the four players Guardiola selected in Sunday's midfield. De Bruyne had lost possession 469 times, compared with Rodri's 258, Bernardo Silva's 248, Riyad Mahrez's 237 and Jack Grealish's 219.

On average per 90 minutes, De Bruyne had lost possession 19.91 times, and among Sunday's quartet the worst offender during the season had been Mahrez (13.36 per 90).

Nobody in City's ranks has come close to De Bruyne's 16 assists, however, with five from Rodri and Bernardo Silva the next most from a City midfielder.

So this was unmistakably a gamble, Guardiola trusting his midfield to be robust and fend off the risk of Tottenham bursts, but also sufficiently creative to unlock the home defence.

And when you pick a team to keep the ball, it helps if they avoid doing silly things on the edge of their own penalty area.

Rodri was back-tracking and almost off-balance in the 15th minute when he looked to play out through the centre of the pitch, spotting team-mate Rico Lewis but not the lurking Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Spurs' Danish midfielder stole in to snatch the pass intended for Lewis and burst a telling five yards forward before flicking the ball into Kane's path.

What followed was not the cleanest strike of Kane's career, but the bobbling shot beat Ederson and found the left corner. The late Jimmy Greaves, Spurs' record scorer for so long, didn't mind how they found the net, and nor does Kane. Elation spread across his face. It was just his second touch of the game.

City had 78.7 per cent of possession over those opening 15 minutes, but Spurs had the lead and Kane had his 200th goal in the Premier League.

Later, Kane would tell Sky it was "a moment I'll never forget", but he put it to the back of his mind for the rest of the game.

Riyad Mahrez rattled the Spurs crossbar just before half-time, and that was as close as City came.

Ben Davies flashed a header a foot over the City bar from a corner in the 57th minute, just as De Bruyne was stripping for action at pitchside.

Off went Mahrez. De Bruyne fired wide from a half-chance, and then Spurs went close to a second goal in the 66th minute, Son skipping away on the counter and Ivan Perisic's skidding cross from the left just too heavy for Kane to reach.

Haaland was bristling at the lack of service, this season's Premier League 25-goal leading scorer shaking his head in frustration, imploring team-mates to do better.

City were becoming desperate. Julian Alvarez tried his luck from 20 yards and flashed the ball just wide of the top-left corner, then Kane bundled his way through Kyle Walker at the other end and only had Ederson to beat, with the goalkeeper this time winning that duel.

Tottenham had won five of their previous seven Premier League games when leading at half-time this season, but the exception came only a fortnight ago and it came at City, when a 2-0 interval lead swung around to a 4-2 defeat.

This time Spurs were sturdy, and they are back to just one point behind fourth-placed Newcastle United now, albeit having played one more game than the Magpies.

In the end it hardly mattered that World Cup winner Cristian Romero was sent off in the 87th minute.

The Argentinian's clumsy challenge gave away a free-kick 25 yards from goal in a central spot: De Bruyne territory. Up stepped the Belgian, and his shot smacked into Kane in the wall, ricocheting into Hojbjerg, who went down as though hit by a sniper.

Hojbjerg was excellent, winning possession a team-high eight times across the piece, and Tottenham have now beaten City four times in a row at home in the Premier League, without conceding in any of those games.

Only twice before had City lost four in a row to a specific opponent without scoring – against Chelsea between 2006 and 2009, and Sunderland between 2010 and 2013 – so there's another touch of history.

This is a bogey ground for City and Guardiola, make no mistake. They have lost on all five of their visits without scoring, when you throw in the Champions League quarter-final loss four years ago.

Kane, the man they wanted 18 months ago, a player praised to the hilt by Guardiola before this game, a man with history in his sights, was the last man they needed to run into.

The last thing City should have done was sit down their main man for the first hour.

Erling Haaland still needs time to settle into the "unique" Manchester City "process" after suffering an unwanted Premier League first at Tottenham, says team-mate Kyle Walker.

The Norway international has enjoyed a record-breaking start to life in England, scoring 25 goals in the Premier League for Pep Guardiola's champions.

But the former Borussia Dortmund striker was largely a passenger in City's 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, failing to register a single attempt on goal in a tepid outing.

Haaland had only 27 touches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with none of those in the box for the first time in the league this season, but Walker dismissed questions around the 22-year-old's struggles.

Right-back Walker told Sky Sports: "It's a process – he's come to Manchester City and it's a difficult team to fit into as the manager demands so much, and the way we play, it's unique.

"Erling has been fantastic. No one says anything when he's scoring goals and winning. All of sudden now when we don't win and he doesn't score, they say, 'is it the problem, do we play better without him?' 

"I hear it all the time. But no one is complaining when he's scored his 25th goal of the season. This is the team we've got now until the end of the season. We'll fight until the end."

City will indeed have to "fight until the end" after a missed opportunity at Spurs left them still trailing leaders Arsenal by five points, despite the Gunners falling to a surprise 1-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday.

It marked a fourth straight away league defeat to Tottenham for Guardiola's side without scoring, as City achieved that unwanted feat against a single opponent for just a third time in the Premier League.

With City having played a game more than title hopefuls Arsenal, Walker believes his side need to start creating more clear-cut chances to translate their possessional dominance into victories.

"I'm not being negative with anyone, but there are certain things we can do better around the box," the England full-back added.

"Making that clear-cut chance, making the goalkeeper make a save, just creating more clear-cut actions, rather than having possession around the box. Sometimes you need to have shots and shots on target."

City will look to bounce back when they host Unai Emery's Aston Villa on February 12 ahead of visiting Arsenal three days later.

Harry Kane hailed a "magical moment" after breaking Tottenham's all-time scoring record and surpassing "complete hero" Jimmy Greaves.

The England striker surpassed Greaves' 266-goal benchmark for Spurs as his 15th-minute strike proved the difference in a 1-0 triumph over Manchester City on Sunday.

His first-half winner was also Kane's 200th Premier League goal, hitting the mark in two games fewer than Alan Shearer (306), while Wayne Rooney needed 462 matches to reach his double century.

Kane told Sky Sports: "It's a magical moment. I was so desperate to do it with a win – once we went 1-0 up, it was about the clean sheet.

"To do it in front of the fans is a special moment. There has been so much talk about it, I just wanted to get it done. So, to do it in a big game against one of the best teams in the world is special.

"[Greaves] is a complete hero, one of the best strikers to play the game, so to be in that conversation is special. And to overtake him is a huge moment for me."

Shearer's 260-goal Premier League record will be Kane's next target, and the 29-year-old acknowledged he will have time for many more top-flight strikes.

"When I started playing regularly, it wasn't even in my imagination to score 200 Premier League goals," he added. 

"To be there now is exciting, and I've got plenty of years left, so there will be a few more to come."

Newcastle United and England great Shearer welcomed Kane to an illustrious Premier League club after his strike left City trailing leaders Arsenal by five points and moved Spurs within one of the top four.

"Congratulations @HarryKane passing the great Jimmy Greaves record at [Tottenham]," Shearer posted on Twitter.

"Also @WayneRooney and I were wondering where you've been! Well done on joining the 200 @premierleague club."

Bayern Munich secured their first Bundesliga victory of 2023 after a frantic first half paved the way for a 4-2 victory against Wolfsburg.

Kingsley Coman's brace put the defending champions in control, with Thomas Muller then capping off his record-equalling 427th league appearance for Bayern in style.

Jakub Kaminski struck before the break to give Wolfsburg hope, with Bayern then seeing Joshua Kimmich receive his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

Jamal Musiala and Mattias Svanberg exchanged goals to keep the drama in full flow, though Bayern held on for victory and reclaimed top spot from Union Berlin.

Bayern took the lead after just nine minutes, Coman's teasing cross into the middle finding its way into the far corner of Koen Casteels' net. 

Five minutes later, Coman struck again by converting Joao Cancelo's cross with an expertly taken volley after being left with too much space inside the area. 

Muller then got in on the act to extend the visitors' lead further, meeting Kimmich's free-kick to flick a header home on his milestone appearance.

Wolfsburg pulled one back before the break, a fine passing move ending with Kaminski, a first-half substitute for Maxence Lacroix, playing a one-two with Paulo Otavio and coolly slotting past Yann Sommer.

The hosts received further encouragement nine minutes after the restart as Bayern were reduced to ten men, Kimmich being shown a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge.

Musiala weaved his way through the Wolfsburg defence to give Julian Nagelsmann's side some breathing room, though the deficit was reduced to two when Svanberg smashed into the roof of the net from close range.

There was still time for further drama with Yannick Gerhardt appearing to set up a frantic finish, but his goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up as Bayern clinched all three points.

Harry Kane broke the all-time scoring record for Tottenham as a 1-0 home win over Manchester City handed Arsenal a huge boost in the Premier League title race.

Leaders Arsenal's 1-0 defeat at strugglers Everton on Saturday offered City the chance to cut the gap to just two points, but Spurs did their north London rivals a favour a day later. 

Kane's cool 15th-minute finish, which also marked his 200th Premier League strike, took him past Jimmy Greaves onto 267 goals for the hosts, who defended resolutely to see out victory despite a late red card for Cristian Romero.

Spurs, without head coach Antonio Conte after gallbladder surgery, moved within a point of the top four, while City trail Arsenal by five having played a game more.

Manuel Akanji could only head straight at Hugo Lloris after five minutes with a presentable chance as City – who opted to start without Kevin De Bruyne – enjoyed a dominant opening.

But Spurs struck first against the run of play as Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg nipped in front of Rico Lewis before offloading to Kane, who finished into the bottom-left corner for a historic goal.

Jack Grealish curled narrowly wide and Riyad Mahrez's fizzing close-range effort was denied by the crossbar as City searched for a response before the interval.

Pep Guardiola sent on De Bruyne for Mahrez before the hour and his short free-kick teed up Julian Alvarez, whose arrowing drive was thwarted by Eric Dier's goal-line block.

Alvarez whistled another thumping effort narrowly wide soon after and, although Romero was dismissed after picking up a second booking for a foul on Grealish, City were ultimately frustrated as their title tilt hit a stumbling block. 

What does it mean? Advantage Arsenal after Spurs right previous City wrongs

Spurs and Conte were left to a rue a missed chance after squandering a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 at City last month.

However, Tottenham – managed by assistant Cristian Stellini in Conte's absence – exacted revenge to win their fourth straight home league game against City.

Guardiola's men did not score in any of those fixtures, marking just the third time City have lost four straight Premier League away games against an opponent without netting, as Arsenal were handed the advantage in the title race.

Monumental day for Kane

Not only did Kane surpass the late Greaves to etch his name in Tottenham history, the England striker also joined an illustrious Premier League club with his calm first-half strike.

Kane is just the third player to hit the double century of goals in the competition, achieving the feat in 304 games – Alan Shearer needed 306, while Wayne Rooney required 462.

Guardiola's Tottenham woe continues

While City staged an impressive second-half comeback in the first league meeting between these two sides this season, Guardiola may be wondering what he must do to win at Spurs.

The City head coach has lost all five of his visits to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all competitions – Spurs' home soil representing the away ground Guardiola has managed most at in his career without winning.

What's next?

City will look to bounce back at home to Aston Villa on February 12, while Tottenham visit Leicester City the day before.

When the 18-year-old Harry Kane had a penalty saved on his Tottenham debut, nobody would have imagined him putting away 39 spot-kicks for the club on the way to beating Jimmy Greaves' record goals haul.

Here we are, though, almost 11 and a half years on from that miss against Hearts in a Europa League qualifier, and Kane is Tottenham's outright all-time leading scorer.

Goal number 267 arrived against the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, his 200th goal in that competition.

Drink that in for a moment. It's an astonishing feat. Kane has earned the club record by chipping away at Greaves' mark in the Tottenham teams of Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

Kane has seen some extreme turbulence at Spurs and ridden it out every time, relishing those fleeting moments of stability that have broken out occasionally, too, and even the occasional 'glory, glory' moments.

Personal accolades and honours have been many and frequent; there have been no trophies for Tottenham, though.

Here, Stats Perform looks at how Kane overcame a false start, and everything else that comes with playing for the perennially under-achieving north London giants, to become Tottenham's goal king.

Is he really in the same league as Greaves?

This is simple enough to answer. Greaves hit 266 goals in 379 games for Spurs, from 1961 to 1970, while Kane brought up number 267 in his 416th outing. So you can split hairs, but essentially there is precious little difference between their magnificent strike rates.

Kane's in the Greaves class, make no mistake. Right up there. Remember, his first Spurs games were as a raw rookie, whereas Greaves began his White Hart Lane career as the finished article, having already sizzled for Chelsea before a brief stint in Milan, so he hit the ground running: a hat-trick on debut against Blackpool was evidence of that.

Greaves plundered 37 goals in the 1962-63 First Division for Spurs, setting a club record that stands to this day.

Kane topped 20 league goals for four consecutive seasons from 2014-15 onwards, culminating in a 30-goal campaign in 2017-18, his best Premier League return. It was a 42-game league season in Greaves' era, rather than the modern-day 38 games.

That 2017-18 campaign saw Kane storm to 41 goals when all competitions were taken into account, at a rate of 0.93 goals every 90 minutes (0.88 per 90 minutes in the Premier League). He went on to win the World Cup's Golden Boot at the end of that campaign. Peak Kane was spectacular. Peak Kane might have passed, but the current variant still takes some stopping.

But what about the trophies?

Those wanting a stick with which to beat Kane might point to his goals having brought Tottenham no tangible reward for the trophy cabinet. And, no, Premier League Player of the Month awards and domestic Golden Boots (three – 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21) really don't count when it comes down to the serious totting up.

Yet it surely makes Kane's achievement all the more remarkable, for him to be so relentlessly prolific in a team who so often come up short as a collective. He is the constant, the startlingly reliable mainstay. When a rare personal dip in fortunes did come early last season, after Kane saw the prospect of a move to Manchester City slip away, he climbed out of his rut and finished the campaign with 27 goals.

His shot conversion rate of 16.07 per cent in 2021-22 was the lowest it had been since 2015-16 (14.58 per cent), but this term it stood at an improved 18.18 per cent before the visit of City.

Greaves joined Tottenham from Milan for £99,999 just months after they peaked with a domestic double under Bill Nicholson's leadership, and he never did win a First Division title with Chelsea or Spurs.

He did, however, lift the FA Cup twice with Tottenham, in 1962 and 1967, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963. Kane continues to pan for such gold, even with the Champions League places today regarded by some as carrying equivalent if not greater weight than a domestic cup victory.

The top-four theory might be one for the bean-counters, but at pitch level the cup trophies remain a highly prized commodity. It is little wonder Kane's head was turned by City's interest. He knew he could have been a serial winner.

What next in the evolution of Kane?

Tributes to Greaves, when he died in September 2021, pointed to how he modified his game as defences got wise to his talent and more astute overall.

It was said Greaves became a greater penalty area predator later in his career, rather than relying on his tremendous pace and dribbling to make chances himself.

We might look at Kane and think a similar transformation is happening.

Seven of his 19 goals this term have been headers, compared to seven of 41 goals five seasons ago, and he is not dribbling at defenders and shooting as often as before.

In terms of Kane having the ball in his possession and taking on defenders before shooting, he attempted 25 such manoeuvres in 48 games in 2017-18, but before taking on City on Sunday he had only four take-ons in 29 matches in the 2022-23 campaign. Last season it was seven in 50 games, a similar ratio.

Like Greaves before him, and even Cristiano Ronaldo, Kane has lost some of that youthful energy but found ways to still enjoy immense success in the 18-yard box as his career advances.

With Kane, focusing his energies in and close to that zone is also helping others.

Kane had 28 assists for Tottenham in his first 287 games for the club, but he has totted up a further 30 since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. This is the mark of a player still developing, still learning where his limits lie, all the while looking to persuade Spurs colleagues they can follow his example, to convince them they might one day get their hands on some silverware.

Harry Kane has passed Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham's all-time record goalscorer.

The 29-year-old drew level with Greaves' tally of 266 last month with a pinpoint finish against Fulham and on Sunday netted a ruthless opener against Manchester City to move out in front.

Kane's record haul came in 416 appearances, compared to 379 matches for the late Greaves between 1961 and 1970.

His strike against City also took him to 200 Premier League goals, making him just the third player to reach that landmark after Wayne Rooney (208) and Alan Shearer (260).

England captain Kane made his debut for Spurs in August 2011 and netted his first goal against Shamrock Rovers four months later in a Europa League tie.

He has played under eight managers at Tottenham – permanent or otherwise – with his most goals coming under Mauricio Pochettino (169), followed by Jose Mourinho (45).

The majority of Kane's goals have come via his right foot (165), while he has also scored 51 times with his left and 49 with his head.

Kane's tally has been boosted by 39 successful penalty kicks, but just one of his goals – against Aston Villa in November 2014 – has come via a direct free-kick.

The 2017-18 campaign has been Kane's most prolific to date, having netted 41 times in 48 games, and he is now one goal shy of hitting at least 20 for a ninth straight season.

David de Gea accepts it will be "tough" playing the next three Premier League games without Casemiro but has backed new Manchester United team-mate Marcel Sabitzer to fill the void.

Casemiro will miss his side's home and away games with Leeds United over the next week, as well as the visit of Leicester City on February 19, after being sent off for grabbing Will Hughes around the neck in Saturday's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The Brazil international has played in 30 of United's 31 matches since joining from Real Madrid in August – the most of any player – and has made a huge difference in central midfield for Erik ten Hag. 

Casemiro's absence from the side coincides with Christian Eriksen's three-month injury lay-off, while Scott McTominay is also sidelined, but United moved to bring in Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich earlier this week.

The 28-year-old helped United see out victory against Palace when brought on in the final 10 minutes following Casemiro's red card, and De Gea saw enough to be convinced Sabitzer can provide adequate cover.

"It's going to be tough, for sure," De Gea said. "We already lost Christian, now Case, big players for us, but we have a bigger squad, players are ready to play, everyone is really focused.

"[Sabitzer] has shown already – he played 15 to 20 minutes [against Palace] and did really well. He made some good tackles and was good with the ball. Everyone is ready to play.

"He's an experienced guy who has played a lot of games in the Bundesliga. He's a nice guy, a very nice lad, which is good for the dressing room.

"I think he showed in 15 minutes, it's not easy to come in a game when we're one man less. He showed good spirit. I think he's going to help the team a lot."

Casemiro's straight red card was his first while playing for either Madrid or United in what was his 366th such game.

Eight of Palace's 10 shots against United came after the midfielder's 70th-minute dismissal, but Ten Hag's side held on to make it 13 home wins in a row in all competitions for the first time since a run of 20 between December 2010 and September 2011.

De Gea did not agree with referee Andre Marriner's decision to send off Casemiro, however, as he took to Twitter to post a GIF of former boss Jose Mourinho saying: "If I speak I am in big trouble."

Asked to elaborate on that social media post, De Gea said: "Like in the tweet, I prefer not to talk because if I do talk I'm in trouble. I don't want to say anything on that."

Carlo Ancelotti defended Vinicius Junior after the Brazil forward was subjected to rough treatment during Real Madrid's defeat at Real Mallorca.

Los Blancos missed the chance to close the five-point gap on LaLiga leaders Barcelona after Nacho's own goal condemned them to a 1-0 loss on Sunday, in which Marco Asensio also saw a penalty saved.

Vinicius, who complained of being targeted during his side's 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture in September, was fouled 10 times – the most by any Madrid player in a Spanish top-flight match since Isco against Real Betis in August 2013.

Having branded Vinicius "disrespectful" earlier in the season, Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo also turned up the pressure earlier this week by claiming he would "never" cite the 22-year-old as a role model for his son.

But Ancelotti leapt to his forward's defence, telling Movistar: "Everything that happens is not Vinicius' fault. All he wants to do is play football and then there is an atmosphere that provokes, rivals that squeeze him. 

"The focus must be changed. We have to look at what happened to him in today's game.

"Today, the referee has forgotten about the repetitions of the fouls. It is a yellow card when the foul is repeated, repeated, repeated and repeated again. From the first half, we have come out with two cards and Mallorca with zero.

"It's a defeat that hurts a lot in this sense, but it was the game we expected. We prepared a hard, difficult game, with many fouls and interruptions.

"The small details determined the match. We were very affected by the goal conceded early and the missed penalty."

Andriy Lunin, who was a late replacement in goal for the injured Thibaut Courtois, added: "We did not deserve to lose this game. I'm angry about conceding the goal.

"Madrid always comes back and we will fight until the end. We don't have to think about this defeat, now it's our turn to go to the World Cup [against Al Ahly on Tuesday]."

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is plotting an offensive on two fronts in the final months of the season as he hopes to win Serie A and the Champions League.

Spalletti's side were comfortable 3-0 winners away to Spezia on Sunday, briefly increasing their lead at the summit to 16 points.

Inter had the chance to trim Napoli's lead to 13 points later in the day, as they chased victory in the Milan derby, but even that gap would appear to be unassailable given the form of the front-runners this season.

If Napoli do manage to win the domestic title, it will end a barren run that stretches back to 1990 and be their first without the inspirational influence of Diego Maradona, who was also behind their success three years earlier.

Winning Serie A would be momentous, but Napoli are also into the last 16 of the Champions League and face Eintracht Frankfurt next – the Naples side have never won Europe's premier competition, nor its predecessor, the European Cup.

Spalletti wants to put that right.

"There are moments in life when results are achieved and in those moments you either settle or try to double down," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"We have no doubts, we've decided to double down.

"We go and play the matches trying to do something for the love of the fans, for the people who were perhaps even today at home praying for us because they love us. We must be proud of that."

Napoli's key men – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen – got the goals, with the latter netting twice.

Kvaratskhelia – who also teed up Osimhen's second – became only the fifth player across the top five European leagues to reach double figures for goals (10) and assists (12) this season.

Meanwhile, Osimhen's brace made him just the fourth Napoli player ever to score 16 times in the first 21 matches of a Serie A campaign.

But both were the targets of verbal barrages from Spalletti in the first half – that seemed to do the trick.

"It was because we need their quality, their inspiration, their imagination," Spalletti said. "When the matches flatten out, they are the ones who can make the difference and open the way.

"You have to find the first striker, play it out wide to open up the channels. Just moving it around isn't enough.

"The pitch was very difficult, dry underneath, it wasn't easy to find the rhythm we're used to, so sometimes you have to play direct to Osimhen, making the most of the fact he's really strong from a physical point of view."

Napoli are next in action in a week's time, on Sunday, February 12, when they host winless Cremonese.