91Èȱ¬

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino joked that striker Harry Kane should buy his team-mates dinner after reaching 30 goals for the season.

Kane, 21, became the first Spurs player to reach the landmark since former striker Gary Lineker in 1991-92 after scoring in the 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Pochettino said: "Congratulations to him because he deserves this moment.

"I think he needs to pay for a dinner this week for his team-mates. The team work a lot and try to help him score."

Asked if Lineker's record was playing on his mind, Kane told 91Èȱ¬ Sport: "Not really. After I got to 20 goals, I set myself a target of 30 and it felt like I was on 29 for ages.

"But now I've got here I'm delighted. Maybe I need to set myself another target from now to the end of the season [but] I will keep that quiet.

"It was a special occasion and to get the win makes it even more special."

Victory over Newcastle lifted Spurs above Southampton into sixth, level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

Pochettino takes his side back to former club Southampton next Saturday and although his side are on course to qualify for next season's Europa League, the Argentine admitted that achieving a top-four place would be "very difficult".

"It's not easy after the victory for Manchester City [over West Ham]," he said. "But we need to always put in a challenge in the next game and try to improve our performance and to be stronger every day. Realistically it's very difficult but we need to try to get the points."