Antonio Conte hailed Harry Kane's character after the England captain recovered from his World Cup heartache to help Tottenham rescue a 2-2 draw at Brentford, while Newcastle climbed to second place with a 3-0 win at Leicester on Monday.
Tottenham boss Conte praised England captain Kane for his contribution following his World Cup disappointment. "When he came back he was good. We know the importance of Harry for us, his personality, his character. He's the best player we have. I'm happy that he scored today," Conte said.
"Since last season we have made a good step. Now we have to continue to push ourselves. It is not easy. We have shown big character," Conte said. Tottenham stay fourth in the table, four points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
Newcastle are three points ahead of Tottenham as their unexpected push for a top four finish gathers pace. The Magpies, revitalised by boss Eddie Howe since their Saudi-backed takeover, were ahead with less than three minutes on the clock when Chris Wood converted a penalty awarded for Daniel Amartey's foul on Joelinton.
Newcastle doubled their lead in sublime fashion in the sixth minute as Miguel Almiron played a one-two with Bruno Guimaraes and slotted past Danny Ward for his eighth goal in his last eight league games. Joelinton headed home from a corner in the 32nd minute as Newcastle made it six successive league victories - their best run in the competition since 2012.