SAN FRANCISCO, December 06, (THEWILL) –Â It was very rewarding game for Harry Kane as not only did he became the leading scorer in the history of the North London derby rivalry but he also reached 250 career goals as he helped Tottenham to a 2-0 victory over Arsenal.
The win heaved Jose Mourinho’s side up to the Premier League summit in style on Sunday, with Kane’s strike in first-half stoppage time putting them two goals ahead at the culmination of a superb counter-attack.
With Spurs in Tier 2 of the new UK coronavirus policy, a limited number of fans were allowed into the grounds. The vociferous, socially-distanced crowd of 2,000 Tottenham fans present had early cause for cheer when Arsenal’s midfielder Thomas Partey, returning from a month-long injury lay-off, lashed wide, and they were sent into raptures moments later.
Kane was the reason for that. Evading a group of red and white shirts, he played in Heung-Min Son, who cut in from the left and curled a stunning long-range shot into the top-right corner.
Spurs central midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also tried his luck from distance with a thumping strike but Bernd Leno was aware enough to keep it out.
However, it was 2-0 on the stroke of half-time.
Spurs took advantage of Partey’s absence from the middle of the pitch, due to injury, to hit Arsenal on the counter. Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso found Son, who teed up his forward-partner Kane to drill in his record-setting goal in off the bar from a tight angle.
The only threat in an Arsenal shirt, Alexandre Lacazette aimed a header from a Bukayo Saka free-kick which forced Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris into his first save, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nodded over.
Midfielder Dani Ceballos, introduced into the match for the injured Partey, helped Arsenal wrest control in midfield, with the Gunners controlling well over 70 per cent of possession in the second half.
Yet, it did not bring the goals the Gunners sorely needed. Lloris made another smart stop to deny Lacazette in the 68th minute. Arsenal’s attack, with just 10 league goals all season, was once again blunt and found lacking. Their efforts at a comeback proved fruitless.
Mourinho, who won his first North London derby in July, joins Jimmy Anderson as the only Spurs boss in history to win both of their first two games against Arsenal. On the other hand, Arteta is the first Gunners chief since Bertie Mee, in the 1966-67 season, to lose his first two games against Tottenham.
After his 100th home goal for Tottenham across all competitions, Kane is now the outright top goalscorer in all-time North London derbies with 11 goals, having overtaken Emmanuel Adebayor, who played for both clubs, and Spurs great Bobby Smith.
It also brought up his 250th goal for club and country, with 202 coming for Spurs, 32 for England, and a further 16 coming across loan spells with Millwall, Leyton Orient and Leicester City.
Spurs next game is against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League on Thursday while Arsenal face Dundalk although both Premier League sides have qualified for the knockout stages.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
