Spurs inch closer to top-four safety

LONDON, England (AP):

Tottenham regained its five-point cushion over Chelsea in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification by beating Watford 2-0 yesterday, with Harry Kane netting the second goal to keep alive his chances of being the English Premier League top scorer.

Dele Alli opened the scoring at the Wembley Stadium for Tottenham, which won for the first time in three league games and require two wins from its final three matches - against West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and Leicester - to seal a top-four finish.

When Kane turned in Kieran Trippier's cross in the 48th minute, the England striker moved on to 27 goals for the campaign - four fewer than Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Kane has won the Golden Boot the past two seasons.

Chelsea looked like it would not be qualifying for the Champions League after losing to Tottenham at home on April 1, but has won its last three games to stay in contention in fifth place.

"They were creeping up on our backs so now we can look forward," Kane said. "It was important just to get the job done and ease that pressure."