"The contrast between him and Lukaku was so evident."
Rio Ferdinand spoke about Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane on Wednesday night, and was full of praise of the Tottenham Hotspur striker. However, Rio wasn't as pleased with Lukaku's performance, comparing it unfavourably with his counterpart for Spurs.
Neither striker got on the scoresheet at Wembley. Spurs won the game 2-0 thanks to a goal from Christian Eriksen and an own-goal from Phil Jones in the first-half, and fully deserved the victory. They outclassed United from the first minute to the last and neutralised all of their main attacking threats, pressing them all over the field, and winning their individual battles.
While Kane didn't find the net, he was otherwise very good for Spurs, proving a constant danger to United's defenders, and he excelled at the less-glamorous side of being a centre-forward. Lukaku, however, made little impact on the match. Ferdinand said that the contrast between the pair was striking, and he has a point. Lukaku just isn't even close to Kane at the moment, in terms of goalscoring and all-round play.
"I think Harry Kane showed why he's the best striker in the league", Ferdinand said.
"And one of the most potent in Europe, because he bullied Manchester United's two centre-halves. He dominated them physically, winning the ball, bringing other people into play. The contrast between him and Lukaku was so evident, it was unbelievable. The ball going into him, sticking, holding centre-halves off, bringing others into the game. That's a real number nine, that's how you want to see a number nine play."
You can watch Rio speak here:
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/958825126836944897
