Harry Kane proved Arsenal‘s nemesis again as his bullet header earned Tottenham a deserved 1-0 victory in the north London derby.
Spurs could have won by more at Wembley had they not squandered countless chances in the second half but Kane’s seventh goal in eight versions of this fixture was enough to seal all three points.
Here, we look at three things learned from a Spurs perspective.
KANE NOT YET THE WORLD’S BEST CENTRE-FORWARD
Love a north London derby. 😀⚽#COYS #THFC #Premierleague #NLD pic.twitter.com/LNI8KDV2IH
— Harry Kane (@HKane) February 10, 2018
Seven goals in seven Premier League games against Arsenal – Kane is well and truly the king in the north of London.
But the Spurs striker should have stretched that record to at least nine with a hat-trick opportunity missed.
Seconds after his brilliantly headed opener, he missed with another seconds later and then saw a bullet volley stopped by Cech. He glanced wide from yards out with another header in the first half and there’s a legitimate argument to suggest his support play superseded his finishing on Saturday.
Yet, Kane showed all the elements of his repertoire to support his case as the world’s best centre-forward – a conversation which includes Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez.
His movement to float between the two Arsenal centre-backs was clever, his one-touch lay-offs crafty while his perfectly executed switch balls were crisp.
Suarez was the last player to break the 30-goal barrier in the Premier League in 2013/14 and it’s reaching that bracket which will truly elevate the England international above the likes of the Uruguayan and Lewandowski.
He’s on track with 23 already, but squandering chances like he did against Arsenal is why he’s in the discussion rather than leading it – for now at least, after all at 24 he’s nine years Suarez’s junior and seven to Lewandowski.
HALF-TIME GENIUS FROM POCHETTINO
Mauricio Pochettino and Arsene Wenger before Saturday’s clash
There have been games and moments in which Mauricio Pochettino has truly announced his managerial eminence.
Outclassing Manchester United and Liverpool, taking four points from Real Madrid and six from Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League are testaments to their big-game mentality.
There have been games where they have failed to perform but that never looked like being the case on Saturday as they stretched their unbeaten run to 12.
Another late-season charge appears to be on the cards and with Spurs sitting third, Pochettino’s side are right in the mix for a top-four finish.
And the manager deserves tremendous credit for a huge three points. Arsene Wenger did the right thing and started with a compact midfield to nullify Dele Ali, Christian Eriksen and Son.
The route to Kane was cut off with Elneny and Xhaka rotating as a third centre-back. But after half-time, Pochettino replied by pushing Son and Eriksen wide with their full-backs taking up a more central position.
It meant there was no one to stop the crosses as they came in field and ultimately it proved dividends with the winner.
A brilliant tactical tweak from Pochettino and another justification of why Madrid are sniffing around.
DAVIES’ DELIVERY IS UNDERRATED
If only we could find more players with the attitude and commitment as Ben Davies whenever he takes to the field. His crossing ability is also severely underrated, a peach of a ball for Kane’s header today. #COYS#THFCpic.twitter.com/8o75zkZetB
— Ricky Sacks 🎙 (@RickSpur) February 10, 2018
Whenever Ben Davies takes to the field his attitude is near exemplary.
Committed and commanding, it’s easy to see why Spurs fans have taken to the 24-year-old left-back.
He is keeping Danny Rose out of the team on merit and considering figures of £50million are being tagged to him, you wonder how much Davies is worth.
The Welshman has barely been singled out for the praise he deserves having really gone up another level in recent weeks but he was superb again on Saturday.
His crossing ability is seriously underrated and the delivery for Kane’s header was a real peach for a sixth assist of the season.
The fact he was afforded the time by Arsenal defenders is for another day but the cross practically rolled out the red carpet for a blockbuster header. It wasn’t quality in isolation though. He crossed the ball five times against Arsenal and all were whipped into dangerous areas in between the centre-halves and goalkeeper.
Away from his quality on the ball, his adaptability was another key asset for Spurs as he moved into field to help create space for Son who was being doubled up on.
A previously perceived weak link in the wake of Rose’s injury troubles has become an area strength.
