Lukaku, Sanchez hunt Kane in late Golden Boot showdown
LONDON (Reuters) - Harry Kane's four-goal salvo on Thursday catapulted him to the top of the Premier League scorers charts, but hot on his heels are two players with contrasting styles who go head-to-head when Arsenal host Everton on the final day of the season on Sunday.
Kane’s goals came as Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Leicester City 6-1 to take his tally for the campaign to 26, one more than he managed as the Premier League's leading marksman last season.
That moved him past Everton forward Romelu Lukaku and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, who if paper talk is to be believed could both be playing their final league matches for their respective clubs.
Lukaku has 24 league goals this term, the most for Everton in a top-flight season since Gary Lineker struck 30 in 1985-86, but has not scored in his last four appearances.
Sanchez’s recent burst of four goals in three games has lifted his total to 23, the best scoring season of his career.
Belgian international Lukaku is big and powerful, and when in the mood bounces off defenders with rampaging runs. He has a rocket shot, but can also apply a deft touch and is a real threat in the air.
Six of his 24 goals have been scored with his head, while he has also shown his proficiency with both feet as 11 strikes have been with his left and seven with his right.
Those goals have come from 104 efforts on goal, hitting the back of the net with almost one in four efforts. He has also provided six assists.
A criticism of his game has been his strike-rate against this season’s top six, with just three goals scored, two against Manchester City and one versus Tottenham.
Everton will be keen to keep Sanchez off his right foot. Sixteen of his 23 goals have come with that foot, four with the left and three with his head.
His game is built around creativity, guile and a high work-rate, and his versatility means he has been shifted around the pitch during a career in which he spent three seasons with Barcelona before signing for Arsenal in 2014.
He has needed 125 shots for his goals this campaign, but has contributed 10 assists for his team.
(Reporting by Nick Said in Cape Town, editing by Ed Osmond)