Tottenham Hotspur has climbed up to third in the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the North London derby at Wembley on Saturday.
Harry Kane scored the only goal of the game – and his 32nd of the season – in front of a Premier League record attendance of 83,222 as Spurs claimed local bragging rights in addition to dealing a potentially fatal blow to Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the top four this season.
The match got off to a quick start with Spurs applying the main early pressure, but the opening goal almost came through an Arsenal boot when Shkodran Mustafi – who broke the deadlock at the right end in the reverse fixture – almost turned Dele Alli’s low pass into his own net.
Petr Cech spared his teammate’s blushes, and the Arsenal’s first sight of goal arrived shortly afterwards when Hector Bellerin’s cross was deflected into the path of Jack Wilshere, but the England international completely missed the ball with his right-footed effort.
Spurs more than made up for the lack of usual intensity and energy associated with a North London derby by coming flying out of the blocks in the second half, though, with Kane finally breaking the deadlock just four minutes after the restart.
Cech had got away with a risky piece of goalkeeping moments before, but there was nothing he could do about the opener as Kane rose imperiously inside the area to meet Ben Davies’s pinpoint delivery with a firm header which nestled into the bottom corner.
The sparked a period of dominance for Spurs during which Kane could have scored a hat-trick in the space of five minutes, with the league’s leading marksman missing an easier chance than the one which led to his goal moments later when he glanced Eric Dier’s cross inches wide of the target.
The rampant hosts were on the front foot once again moments later, though, and this time Kane’s ferocious volley from the edge of the area stung the palms of Cech, who was relieved to see it fired straight at him.
Eriksen was the next to come close when his free kick from just outside the area was tipped over by Cech, and Jan Vertonghen met the resulting corner but could not steer his header on target.
Spurs continued to dominate, but Arsenal finally called Hugo Lloris into action for the first time with just over 20 minutes remaining when the Tottenham keeper was at full stretch to deny Wilshere’s wicked curling effort from the edge of the box.
It was a rare foray forward for the Gunners, though, and Tottenham were quickly back on the search for a second goal when Son blasted a presentable chance well off target.
The growing pressure even appeared to be getting to the veteran Cech, who was let off the hook for another risky piece of goalkeeping moments later when his pass was cut off by Alli, who could not keep it under control to punish the mistake.
Alli had a better chance seconds later as Spurs ran riot over an Arsenal defence in disarray, but with Cech this time in no-man’s land the Tottenham midfielder could only poke a tame effort wide of the target when he should have done better.
Yet another chance arrived for the hosts four minutes later when a cross from the left fell at the feet of Kieran Trippier, but once again Cech came to the rescue for Arsenal by palming away the full-back’s first-time half-volley.
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