Harry Kane reacts to ongoing criticism over Abdoulaye Doucoure red card

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Harry Kane reacts to ongoing criticism over Abdoulaye Doucoure red card

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has brushed off criticism following his involvement in the red card shown to Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure during a Premier League game earlier this month.

Doucoure was given his marching orders with just over half an hour remaining of the clash at Goodison Park, having lashed out and made contact with Kane’s face. A slightly delayed reaction then resulted in the Spurs star throwing his face in the opposite direction and hitting the deck.

Even with both teams in action again since then – Spurs beat Brighton with the help of several questionable refereeing decisions, while Everton lost at Manchester United – it has remained a talking point and Kane has been quizzed about it again.

“I've not heard anyone say it was not a red card,” he said, having scored the winner for Spurs against Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton to keep them in the hunt for a top-four finish.

“At the end of the day that's football, that's the way it goes and people have their opinions. My focus was on trying to help the team in this game and that's what I did.”

Doucoure was punished for violent conduct, for raising his hand to the face of an opponent and was rightly sent off, but Kane's exaggeration of the clash has drawn criticism from those hoping to eradicate theatrical reactions at every level of the game.

While Kane's behaviour in that clash has been questioned, one thing that can't be disputed is his continued brilliance in front of goal. His strike against Brighton was his 23rd Premier League goal of the season, with England's captain now registering at least 20 top-flight goals in six of the last nine campaigns.