BURNLEY, England -- "Pantomime villain" Dele Alli feeds off criticism and abuse to produce his best football, according to Tottenham and England teammate Harry Kane.
Alli was subjected to constant boos and chants of "cheat" by the Burnley fans, who were convinced he dived for a 10th-minute penalty -- coolly converted by Kane -- in Spurs' 3-0 win at Turf Moor on Saturday.
He went on to set-up chances for Kane and Moussa Sissoko before assisting Kane's hat trick goal with a fine pass to cap his best performance since he scored twice against Real Madrid on Nov. 1.
Kane has said that critics motivated him to improve and he believes the midfielder, who was given a standing ovation by the away end on being replaced in the 87th minute, can do the same.
"I think it makes him play better," Kane said. "You saw him against Burnley -- I thought it was fantastic. He fed off the crowd. He was the pantomime villain out there but he got two assists -- the penalty and my third goal. That's when he's at his best. Hopefully he continues like that.
"Dele was great -- he was aggressive. We were all aggressive and that's what we said [beforehand]. We had to come out, press make runs behind, be aggressive and brave with the ball. That's what happened and we deserved to win."
Alli was lucky to be playing after escaping with a yellow card for a studs-up lunge on Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in the previous game and three minutes before he was fouled by Burnley's Kevin Long in the box, he earned a booking for a late tackle on Charlie Taylor.
The 21-year-old is quickly earning a reputation for recklessness but Kane said Alli did nothing wrong against Burnley.
"He's a great person and he's a great player," he said. "He's got that aggressive side to him and that's what makes him who he is. I don't think he stepped over the mark at all against Burnley. I think the penalty was definitely a penalty but of course away from home you always get fans getting on someone's back and it was Dele today.
"But Dele is staying focused. It's important for us that he plays like he did -- I thought he was fantastic. People are going to talk. In football. there's always someone criticising you and it's about how you cope with that. I think he's doing well."
Kane's treble took him to 53 goals in 2017 -- behind only Lionel Messi in European football -- and level with Alan Shearer's 22-year-old record for 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year.
The 24-year-old can surpass both Messi, who has played his last game this year, and Shearer if he scores again against Southampton on Boxing Day but he insisted that another three points is more important than personal records.
"I've always said that and that'll always be the case," Kane said. "I'm the striker, so a lot of time I get the praise and I get spoken about but it's so important that the team does well.
"We're in a fight for the Champions League at the moment and it was a big game [at Burnley]. We've been especially disappointing away from home -- we've had some tough games but we wanted to do better. We've got to build as much momentum as we can. Southampton will be tough on Tuesday and we go into the New Year, continue form, get some wins under our belt and see where it takes us."
Asked if he was eyeing Shearer's all-time record of 260 Premier League goals, Kane -- who is now on 93 -- said: "Of course you dream about it but I'd be silly to look that far ahead. I've still got a long way to go -- a lot can happen in football.
"Hopefully I can stay fit, stay sharp and we'll see. Maybe if I get to 200 and I have a few more years left, I'll start thinking about it. For now, I'm focussed on each game. I had a great 2017 and now I hope 2018 is even better."