Harry Kane returns to help Tottenham end losing run against West Brom

Harry Kane inspired Tottenham Hotspur to a much-needed Premier League win on his surprise return to the team on Sunday as the striker scored the opening goal in the 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

The England captain had missed the last two Spurs games with an ankle injury, but his quicker than expected recovery saw him take his place in the starting XI.

Kane's presence clearly helped galvanise a Tottenham side that had lost three league games in a row and it was the 27-year-old who broke the deadlock in the 54th minute to move joint second on Tottenham's all-time scoring list alongside Bobby Smith with 208 goals.

"Harry Kane is a special player in the history of the club," Spurs manager Jose Mourinho said. "He will beat every possible record."

Four minutes later Son Heung-min drove in Tottenham's second after a strong run by Lucas Moura to ensure a deserved win for the hosts.

The win helps revive Tottenham's top four hopes but for West Brom, defeat sees them fall even further off the pace in the fight for survival.

Sam Allardyce's side are 19th with 12 points from 23 games, 11 points below 17th-placed Burnley, and their hopes of avoiding relegation are looking forlorn.

"Until we shut the back door better life is going to be difficult for us," Allardyce said. "This is it now, the [transfer] window is shut, we've got what we've got. We've got to start winning games and we won't do that by keeping on losing.

"We need an undefeated run with more wins than draws in it."