Kazaiah Sterling was among the goals as Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 4-1 post-season friendly win over Kitchee at the Hong Kong Stadium.
The youngster rounded off the scoring for his side from close range, adding to earlier goals from Son Heung-Min, Vincent Janssen and Harry Kane.
Lucas pulled one back for the hosts with the scoreline at 3-0, but Sterling's late strike gave a fair reflection of events as the Lilywhites dominated throughout.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the friendly meeting between Kitchee and Tottenham Hotspur at the Hong Kong Stadium. Just five days after the Premier League campaign came to an end, the Lilywhites make the 10,000km post-season jaunt to the Far East in an attempt to bolster their profile during what is a very exciting period for the North London outfit.
This is Tottenham's third visit to Hong Kong following previous trips in 2009 and 2013, as they attempt to tap into the lucrative market in this part of the world and potentially rival the traditional big boys. Hong Kong is marking its 20th anniversary since the handover from the United Kingdom to China, so the Spurs players have also had plenty of sponsorship work to keep them busy during their short time in the country.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino named a strong 22-man group for the trip, which could well see him completely rotate his side at half time. You certainly would not expect any player to play for more than an hour, following on from what has been a gruelling campaign that ultimately ended without silverware yet again. These post-season friendlies are far from ideal for players, of course, with many no doubt preferring to be on their holidays, although for many they still have another fortnight to go due to international commitments.
Pochettino's men ended their campaign with a resounding 7-1 victory away at Hull City, putting some added sheen on what was a remarkable league campaign, even if it did end without much to show for it. Looking ahead, Tottenham face Roma, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in the United States during their summer schedule, so this fixture in the Far East had to be shoehorned in for this week. Again, far from ideal for the players involved, but the club feels it is needed if their profile is to be enhanced.
Chairman Daniel Levy is still looking to thrash out a big-money deal for the naming rights of the club's new ground, which is now into the final year of its construction process. The Lilywhites bowed out of White Hart Lane in style, going all campaign unbeaten there, leaving many to wonder if moving out is such a good idea. You have to move with the times, however, and with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Man United and Arsenal all earning far more money through sponsorship money, there is no doubt that this is a positive step for the Lilywhites.
It is still far too soon in the summer for talk of any serious transfer activity, of course, with the curtain yet to even come down on the English domestic season. That has not stopped speculation over an array of Spurs players going into overdrive of late, however, with the future of Kyle Walker in particular finding itself over many of the back pages of late. This could, if the rumours are to be believed, be the Englishman's final outing in a Tottenham shirt.
Eric Dier is another who has been continuously linked with a switch to Old Trafford, where he will supposedly be offered his current salary. That, in a nutshell, is the problem facing Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur heading into the summer transfer window. While the vast majority of their star performers have committed to new deals, their pay packets do not compare to some of the other top earners in the division, which the likes of Man United and Man City can potentially capitalise on.
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a hugely impressive 2016-17 campaign, although their failure to win any silverware has led to the inevitable question - would they swap their season with that of Manchester United? It is a debate that will rumble on through the summer months, and there are plenty of points to be put forward by both sides, but ultimately the Lilywhites do need to make the most of their talented crop. Second place this time around marked their best finish in some five decades; now they need to push on and get some trophies in the cabinet.
Most of the transfer talk concerns those who could potentially leave Tottenham this summer, but Pochettino will no doubt be confident of keeping all of his star players while at the same time bringing in a few new faces. The signings of Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko simply did not work out, but in the case of the latter he will be short of suitors, while Janssen has made clear that he intends to stay and fight for his place. This Spurs side needs very little tweaking on the face of it, with one star signing perhaps all that is needed.
Tottenham did, after all, finish the Premier League season with the best defensive and attacking records. On that basis, you would hand them the title for that alone. It does not work like that, though, and ultimately Chelsea proved to be more consistent over the nine months of the campaign, eventually racking up seven points more than their London rivals over the course of the season - the second-highest amount accrued during the Prem era, behind only their own record tally of more than a decade ago.
When looking back at the season that was, it is quite easy to pinpoint exactly where the title was won and lost. While Chelsea were putting together an incredible 13-match winning run between October and the New Year, ended by Spurs in their first outing of 2017, the Lilywhites were stuttering to four-successive draws in the league and struggling on the European stage. It made their nine-match winning run in the tail end of the season count for little, but they do at least deserve immense credit for keeping the title race just about alive until the final three weeks.
Tottenham's title hopes ended in the space of a few days, as defeat to London rivals West Ham United left the door open for Chelsea to as good as wrap things up at home to Middlesbrough; a chance they took to drag themselves to the brink of a second trophy in three years. Victory over West Brom later that week ensured that the Blues were officially champions once again, yet the Lilywhites were back to their swaggering best in their remaining three games when picking up wins over Man United, Leicester City and Hull City. Incredibly, they scored 15 goals across those final three matches.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Lloris, Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies, Lesniak, Sissoko, Nkoudou, Eriksen, Son, Janssen
SUBS: Lopez, Vorm, Trippier, Vertonghen, Amos, Dele, Dier, Miller, Wanyama, Kane, Sterling
We finally have some team news from the Hong Kong Stadium, which makes for interesting reading. Pau Lopez was widely expected to be handed a start for Tottenham this afternoon but skipper Hugo Lloris will instead play, presumably, the opening 45 minutes before making way. Walker, in what could be his last Spurs game if rumours are to be believed, starts in one of the wing-back slots, opposite Wales international Ben Davies who is also not expected to play any more than one half. Toby Alderweireld will partner back-up defender Kevin Wimmer from the off.
Some tweaks made by Pochettino in midfield and attack, as youngster Filip Lesniak is handed a starting role, along with Moussa Sissoko, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Vincent Janssen. You have to wonder whether any of those latter three will still be at the club come next season, although in the case of Janssen he does seem keen to stay and fight for more regular football at Wembley Stadium next season. Elsewhere, more familiar faces as Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min will provide the attacking ammunition.
KITCHEE TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Wang, Recio, Cancela, Goncalves, Azevedo, Ferreira, Lo, Lum, Huang, M Lam, Vadocz
SUBS: Guo, Akande, Lucas, K. Lam, Segovia Del Burgo, Tong, Wan, Sham
Expect to see all nine outfield members of the Tottenham bench to be used at some point, with the majority likely to be turned to at the midway point. Goalkeeper Lopez will almost certainly be handed his first appearance for the club, nearly a year on from his Espanyol move although that could mean Michel Vorm cutting a frustrating figure - not for the first time this term. Kieran Trippier, Jan Vertonghen, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane are also among the back-up options.
Home side Kitchee themselves head into this match on a high, having claimed their eighth top-flight title earlier this month, adding to the Hong Kong FA Cup picked up earlier in the campaign with a 2-1 win over South China AA. They have previously defeated Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus on home soil, although on both occasions those scalps came in pre-season friendlies and the players were getting up to speed after a few weeks off. Tottenham, you feel, will require little time to find their groove today.
Kitchee won promotion to the first division in 2003 and soon became one of the most prominent sides in the country, winning three trophies in the space of two seasons. Their top-flight crown this season was the Asian outfit's second in three years, having also finished second in between, and they also recently picked up the Hong Kong FA Cup for a fourth time in their history. They are far inferior to their opponents man-for-man, but they have managed to give other teams of similar calibre a run for their money in the past.
With kickoff now just five minutes away in Hong Kong, let us turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from the Tottenham Hotspur camp.
Mauricio Pochettino: "We are aware of our growing popularity across Asia. This latest visit represents a great chance for us to engage with our loyal fans in the region and thank them for their fantastic support and the commitment they make to watching us at any hour of the day or night. It promises to be a fantastic experience for all the staff and players and a great way to conclude what has been an exciting season for the club."
Daniel Levy: "Is Mauricio going somewhere? Look, he's here. Sitting right with us here. I'm sure he's not going anywhere. He loves us."
Pochettino outlining the reasons why Tottenham are competing in the Far East, just five days after ending a gruelling campaign. It is basically a chance to boost their profile in this football-mad area of the world, where Spurs still lag quite some way behind the traditional English big boys in Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and, in recent years, Chelsea. One match will not see them rake in multi-millions in profits, but the hope is to one day join that elite band as one of the most well-supported clubs in the region. Anyway, both sets of players are now out on the field of play at the Hong Kong Stadium...
KICKOFF! Following a minute's silence for those who lost their lives in Manchester earlier this week, Tottenham Hotspur - competing in Hong Kong for the third time in a decade - get us up and running. Good atmosphere for this match, with many in attendance getting to see these players up close for the first time.
A stray ball hit straight out of play as Tottenham still get to grips with things. Son greeted by thousands of cheers every time he touches the ball, with his attempted pass into the final third being blocked behind for a corner kick.
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou with a good ball into the box from the left, which Janssen got on the end of but could not quite direct it on goal. Half a chance for the Dutchman, who was put under a bit of pressure in front of the target.
Tottenham, as expected, completely dominating possession of the ball. No real way through thus far, with Janssen failing to test the goalkeeper with his first-time attempt a few moments ago the closest they have come to an early breakthrough.
Kitchee playing too hard to play the ball out from the back and it is soon intercepted by Son. The South Korean, a real fan favourite in these parts, could not quite slip it through for Janssen and the attack came to an end.
SAVE! Well on the basis of these first 11 minutes or so, the home side are certainly not afraid to play their way out of danger. The first on-target shot of the match from Jared Lum, who was denied by Lloris down low from the edge of the box.
All of a sudden it is the visitors who are having to do a bit of defending, as Kitchee grow more into things. Lum with one shot on goal and Brazilian forward Sandro getting a few touches of the ball in dangerous areas of the field.
OFF THE LINE! Vital defensive header from Alderweireld to help behind a cross from a deep position. The Hong Kong champions the team on top over the past five minutes or so, and they were nearly ahead as Dani Cancela saw his attempt kept out on the line.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Moments after coming close to falling behind, with Janssen the man saving on the line, Spurs should have been ahead. A nice ball through for Son, who finished smartly but was wrongly flagged for offside.
SAVE! Christian Eriksen tries his luck for the first time today, with his shot appearing to take a deflection on its way through to Wang Zhenpeng. A nice routine stop for the home side's keeper - his first of the afternoon.
GOAL! KITCHEE 0-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (SON HEUNG-MIN)
Son with a beauty of a goal to open the scoring for Tottenham, in front of his adoring fans. The South Korean picked up a loose ball around 22 yards from goal and picked out the bottom corner, placing the ball out of Wang Zhenpeng's reach.
PENALTY APPEAL! Son had a fine campaign, and he is certainly feeling up for this one. Soon after opening his account, he weaved past one man and then a second and third before going to ground. Referee made the right call - appeared to trip over his own feet.
GOAL! KITCHEE 0-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (VINCENT JANSSEN)
Nice play from Tottenham for their second of the afternoon. The ball was played through to Davies down the left, with the Welshman looking up and spotting Janssen to fire home from close range. Spurs well on course for the big win many predicted.
All smiles as far as Pochettino is concerned as we enter the final 20 minutes of the first half. The visitors are expected to make mass changes at half time, or potentially on the hour mark, so a third would do nicely as far as they are concerned.
SHOT! A poor clearance is pounced on by Kitchee, and one pass later the ball is at the feet of Huang Yang 20 yards from goal. Had every right to take on the shot, but should have been testing Lloris when in space.
N'Koudou has done well in these opening 30 minutes, charging forward once more - this time in a more central position - and earning his side a free kick in a promising position. Eriksen takes it on but can only pick out the Kitchee wall.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Lloris is replaced with a third of the match played, making way for Pau Lopez - his first outing for the club, a year after joining on an initial season-long loan from Espanyol. The first of many changes!
A disappointing Spurs free kick, which ends in the hands of Wang Zhenpeng. Spurs have been unable to truly push on since netting their second goal, but they are still very comfortable here with half time fast closing in.
This game has become incredibly open over the past few minutes. Kitchee break but cannot fashion a shooting chance, allowing Tottenham to quickly counter when winning back possession. Neat one-two between Janssen and Son, but the latter loses his footing in the box.
SAVE! Janssen is another who has looked in good nick this afternoon, scoring one and playing a couple of decent passes. His latest attempt is from close to 30 yards out, forcing Wang Zhenpeng to set himself to keep out the shot.
Around five minutes to go until the interval at the Hong Kong Stadium, which is short of its 40,000 capacity for this friendly. Tottenham good value for their lead, but the visitors have had a couple of decent openings of their own.
SHOT! Eriksen with another attempt, which did little to truly trouble Wang Zhenpeng down the middle. Some really nice play from the hosts, culminating in Sandro blasting wide, though the offside flag was already up.
A positive first half for Pochettino to reflect on, as he prepares to turn to rotate his squad at the break. Just a minute or so of the opening 45 left to play, with the officials already signalling an additional one minute.
HALF TIME: KITCHEE 0-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
A fairly straightforward opening 45 minutes for Tottenham Hotspur in this end-of-season friendly. Son Heung-min and Vincent Janssen scored the visitors' two goals, and they could arguably have had more if they had made their possession count. Kitchee have had a couple of opportunities of their own, neither of which they were able to take.
The home side had the better of the opening 10 minutes, testing Hugo Lloris through a Jared Lum attempt and seeing Dani Cancela's header cleared off the line by Vincent Janssen. Spurs soon found their groove, though, opening the scoring thanks to a smart finish from fan favourite Son Heung-min just a couple of minutes after he had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside.
Home keeper Wang Zhenpeng was being kept busy by Christian Eriksen, who had a few attempts on target kept out in a fairly routine manner, but there was to be no keeping out Janssen's close-range finish once picked out by Ben Davies down the left. South Korea international Son in particular was enjoying himself during the first half, although he felt that he should have had a penalty when tripped in the box after slaloming through a few bodies.
Huang Yang failed to test replacement Spurs keeper Pau Lopez, brought on 30 minutes in for his club debut, from a good shooting position, while up the other end Janssen was denied from close to 30 yards out in the final meaningful act of a first half largely dominated by the Lilywhites. With the teams about to rejoin us for the second period, let us check out both benches.
KITCHEE SUBS: Guo, Akande, Lucas, K. Lam, Segovia Del Burgo, Tong, Wan, Sham
TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Vertonghen, Amos, Dele, Dier, Miller, Wanyama, Kane, Sterling
RESTART! We are back under way at the Hong Kong Stadium, where there is news of some half-time changes to bring you up to speed with. Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier, Will Mellor, Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Wanyama and Eric Dier have all been introduced.
Spurs starting the second half in a bright manner, with Wanyama threatening to shoot without doing so. Alli, one of five Tottenham players in the latest England squad, looking to get up to speed with things in attack.
Lopez with a terrible pass from the back, but the opposition cannot make him pay for it. It is surely not easy for the Espanyol loanee to find his top form, having failed to play a single minute during a frustrating 2016-17 for him.
Pochettino will no doubt have urged his players to bag another couple of goals in this second half, but so far they have been unable to muster any openings since the restart. Kitchee doing enough to keep the scoreline down so far.
Superb skill from Son, one of those to remain on for the start of the second half, to help win his side a corner. Wanyama got on the end of the set-piece delivery but was unable to convert. Will Pochettino turn to Kane on the hour mark?
CHANCE! Good, powerful play from Spurs. Mellor picked out Son from his cross but the Korean's shot was weak and was easily dealt with by Wang Zhenpeng. The visitors fast closing in on a third goal of the afternoon.
OFF THE BAR! Janssen so close to doubling his personal tally, cutting inside and sending a curler towards the top corner. Great stop from Wang Zhenpeng to deny him, helping the shot from 16 yards out on to the crossbar.
Trippier with some powerful bursts down the right-hand flank since replacing Walker at the break, but his latest cross is easily cut out near the front post.All very patient from Spurs, as Mellor is nearly played in, though they cannot quite find that final pass.
Wanyama with the shot from range, which takes a heavy deflection on its way through. Zhenpeng had to readjust himself and pulled off a stop for the cameras in the end, with the ball seemingly drifting wide of the target anyway.
The good news for Janssen is that he is constantly finding himself in promising positions. The bad news is that, bar his opening goal - a tap-in at the end of a Davies cross - he has been unable to convert. Latest attempt ends high over the target.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! The inevitable change made by Tottenham, as Vorm comes on for Lopez for the remaining 25 minutes or so. Not a great deal of action at the moment, with the match at threat of petering out.
SAVE! I don't recall Lopez having a single save to make. That changed within a minute or so of Vorm coming on, as he was required to keep out an attempt from Sandro after a Vertonghen error. Spurs need to keep their concentration.
Alli finds Trippier close to the right-hand flank, who in turn is unable to pick out a teammate in front of goal. Tong on for Lum now as far as the visitors are concerned, knowing that one goal and they are right back in this match.
The ball is flicked over a Kitchee defender for Alli to latch on to. The Englishman went to ground and looked at the referee, but replays show that he kicked his opponent rather than anything else. No pen given.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS! A chance for the younger members of the Spurs squad to impress, as Luke Amos and Kazaiah Sterling are brought on for Janssen and Lesniak. Almost an instant impact from Sterling, as his header forces Zhenpeng into another big save.
Superb challenge from Wimmer to deny Kitchee in front of goal. It was a simple ball over the top that undid the Premier League's best defensive side, but in the end the attack came to little. The hosts' turn to now make a couple of subs.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! I make this the final Tottenham sub of the afternoon - and what a reception for Harry Kane, who is now very much a global superstar. Son, more of a local hero, is the man to make way for the closing stages.
We are now into the final 10 minutes of this post-season friendly. The first half was entertaining enough, with both sides created some chances, but the second 45 have been rather boring in comparison. Janssen's shot off the bar the closest we have come to a third.
Think Pochettino would be happy to take full time about now. This match was always about boosting the profile of the club and I am sure they have done exactly that. Kitchee make another three changes, including a switch in goal.
GOAL! KITCHEE 0-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (HARRY KANE)
A customary goal for substitute Harry Kane, not long after being introduced from the bench. It came via a counter-attack, as Trippier found himself in plenty of space to pick out Kane, who made no mistake from a few yards out.
GOAL! KITCHEE 1-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (Lucas)
Lucas bags a consolation goal for the home side following a mix-up at the back. A disappointment for Spurs that they were unable to keep a clean sheet, but Pochettino will not lose any sleep over that defensive error.
GOAL! KITCHEE 1-4 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (KAZAIAH STERLING)
A late flurry of goals at the Hong Kong Stadium, as Spurs regain their three-goal advantage in the final minute of play. Sterling, so close to a goal a little earlier, finds some space and tucks the ball under the keeper for a big individual moment.
FULL TIME: KITCHEE 1-4 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
The full-time whistle is blow at the Hong Kong Stadium, meaning a fairly resounding victory for Tottenham Hotspur to complete their 2016-17 season. A well deserved break for their squad now, albeit with an international match or two thrown into the mix early next month, with a 4-1 win over Kitchee a good way to round things off.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Hong Kong. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and we should also have some reaction from Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino at some point this afternoon. Thanks for joining!
