TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 ARSENAL 1
Tottenham Hotspur - Kane 56', 86' Arsenal - Ozil 11'
Man of the match - Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
LONDON // Harry Kane added to his growing reputation and staked his claim for an England call up with two "unforgettable" goals to seal a 2-1 win against Arsenal on Saturday.
Kane's emergence has been one of the stories of the Premier League season and the youngster hit a new high at White Hart Lane in his first north London derby.
After tapping in Tottenham's equaliser early in the second half, following Mesut Ozil's opener on 11 minutes, Kane saved his best for last with a towering 86th- minute header to seal the derby bragging rights.
Kane, 21, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season, said on BT Sport: “That feeling is one I definitely won’t forget for the rest of my career. My first north London derby, to win the way we did, it’s incredible. I probably won’t sleep tonight.”
Kane’s rise this season has been remarkable, but the England Under-21 international said he is having no problem keeping his feet on the ground.
“I enjoy my football,” he said. “Just play with a smile on your face, do the best you can, work as hard as you can for the team. It’s been working well for us as a team, an incredible bunch of lads, the spirit’s high.
“I just want to be out on that pitch, playing with my mates. We are playing very well, we just want the next game to come.”
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said he believes there is more to come from the “massive potential” of Kane.
“Harry showed today that he is a great player, with a great performance, but my idea is that he can improve still and we need to push him to develop his potential because his potential is massive, but it was a fantastic performance today,” the Argentine coach said.
England manager Roy Hodgson was at the game, although it is unclear if he was still there to see Kane’s late winner. The calls for a senior call-up grow.
Pochettino said: “It is his [Hodgson’s] decision and I have full respect for him. It is true that Harry is in a fantastic moment, and we have to congratulate him. If the England manager thinks he should play on the national team, then I am happy.”
Pochettino was pleased with the attitude and work rate of his players, who outmuscled Arsenal in midfield.
“The players have worked a lot on the training ground and they really deserve this,” he said.
“We worked so hard as a team and the atmosphere with our supporters was brilliant.
“This is special because it was a derby and all that it means, to get three points against Arsenal for our supporters and our players too. We played with our brain, showed passion and emotion, this is what is important to me to recognise this energy.”
The victory saw Spurs leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League table ahead of a midweek trip to Liverpool.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was left to reflect on a bad day at the office as his side failed to produce another battling away display similar to the one that saw them win at Manchester City last month.
“We scored early, but I think going forward, we didn’t produce enough,” he said.
“When we went forward, we always looked dangerous to score but were we too focused to defend our goal? I think so.
“I believe that we made too many technical mistakes compared to our level, because of Tottenham, in the middle of the park.
“It will be a battle [for the top four] until the end. It has been every year with Spurs. “We just have to focus on us, because there are many teams fighting to get in there [the top four].”
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