Harry Kane Caps off Statement Spurs Win as Arsenal Make Same Old Mistakes
WHITE HART LANE, London — It is not the first time this season that a side has underestimated Harry Kane.
Arsenal—who did not face the Premier League’s in-form striker even from the bench when the two sides met back in September, such has been the speed of his rise—were happy to concede both possession and territory to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, daring them to find a way through on a cold afternoon at White Hart Lane. Unfortunately for them, they did not count on Kane’s unerring accuracy in front of goal.
The 21-year-old scored twice, the second coming just four minutes from time, as Spurs overcame Mesut Ozil’s early strike to clinch a hugely important 2-1 win.
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That is not to say Spurs did not deserve this win, far from it; the three points were a fitting and entirely justified return for a persuasive, powerful all-round performance from Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Arsenal attempted to replicate the winning formula they hit upon in their previous away trip to Manchester City—ceding possession but building a solid midfield base around Francis Coquelin and trying to counter quickly into space—but unlike the reigning Premier League champions, Spurs remained patient and composed, controlling the ball and creating chances with regularity and questioning goalkeeper David Ospina, who clearly seemed unsettled by the emotion of the occasion.
“It was amazing—fantastic,” Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said afterward. “You felt from the beginning that it is a special game for the supporters.
"The players deserved it because they worked very hard on the training ground. We demand a lot from them and I am happy that we played like a team."
Did he think it was his best moment as Spurs boss to date?
“Yes. I think so, yes.”
Arsenal took an early lead against the run of play, as Olivier Giroud’s somewhat inadvertent pass (was it really a shot?) fell perfectly for Ozil to turn home, following good work from Danny Welbeck down the right flank.
Yet, even prior to that strike, Spurs had suggested they were in possession of the right tactical approach for the game, and it was credit to Pochettino and his men that they persevered with it, even when it took until almost the hour mark to make it 1-1.
“We played with our brain,” Pochettino said. “But we showed passion and emotion, and it is important for me to recognise that energy.”
Pochettino showed no hesitation in restoring Nabil Bentaleb to his midfield following his Africa Cup of Nations involvement, the Algerian partnering with Ryan Mason expertly to provide a composed double pivot in that important area of the park.
Arsene Wenger's side again had Coquelin playing brilliantly—the Frenchman was the standout player in the first 35 minutes—but the fact he was so active was also an indication of Arsenal’s struggles.
Santi Cazorla, so good against Man City, struggled to get into the game, while Aaron Ramsey seemed occasionally surprised by the tempo of the contest.
Aided by that, and perhaps emboldened by it too, Spurs were able to settle by virtue of the possession they enjoyed; Pochettino’s decision to play Christian Eriksen from the left and keep Mousa Dembele more central was vindicated, as the home side creating plenty of danger down that side (Danny Rose could have scored twice before half-time) as Mason and Bentaleb dictated play.
“Were we too focused to defend our goal? I think so,” Wenger said. “I also believe we made too many technical mistakes compared to our level—because Tottenham, in the middle of the park, put us under pressure and we lost some balls we did not want to lose.”
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, but the breakthrough eventually came after a sustained spell of pressure that saw Ospina’s handling come into focus. The Colombian’s tendency to parry every shot was creating additional difficulties for his defence, and when Ospina was unable to claim a combined effort from Dembele and Eric Dier, it was Kane who was arriving at the far post, driving home clinically to send the White Hart Lane crowd wild.
From there, the game became a matter of hunger and passion, composure and technique. Challenges flew in, and referee Martin Atkinson struggled to retain control—“I felt he was like us, a little bit, not at his best,” Wenger noted drily—as Arsenal seemed to lose those physical battles across the pitch.
That Gunners' win at the Etihad Stadium may have made many look at Arsene Wenger’s side in a different light, but previous away results against Swansea City and Stoke City should have served as a reminder that Arsenal’s soft underbelly is never far from the surface, and Spurs seemed to grow closer to exposing it with every challenge they won and every foray into the final third.
Despite that, the visitors had almost immediate chances to restore their lead, as Welbeck tested Hugo Lloris from the edge of the box before an unmarked Laurent Koscielny powered a header straight at his compatriot.
Spurs rode out that wobble and soon resumed control, with Pochettino eventually adding Nacer Chadli, who has just returned from compassionate leave, to the fray—perhaps mainly so he could restore Eriksen to a more central position.
The decisive goal came from that left flank but from neither of those players. Instead, it was Bentaleb who delivered a brilliant cross, the ball of the match, to Kane in the box, and the striker took full advantage of the space Koscielny had inexplicably given him to power his header back across goal and inside the post.
“I think that is probably one of the best games all season,” Kane told BT Sport. “We knew if we kept doing what we’re doing the chances would come.”
“It was a team effort,” Mason added. “But the top man up front delivered the goals again.”
It was a significant combination, with multimillion-pound signings Roberto Soldado and Paulinho left on the bench (the Brazilian arriving in the closing moments, perhaps simply to allow Mason his ovation) as two club academy graduates combined for a derby-winning goal.
“When you watch the training session and you decide to pick the player, I don’t see the names or the years. It is just football,” Pochettino said, when asked about his willingness to rely on youth. “This is our philosophy, but it is important that we showed it today because it is important for them to believe in our way going forward.”
It was important for Spurs, and not because they moved above their archrivals in the league table as a result (that has happened in recent seasons, and we know how that turned out).
But Pochettino has taken his time to instil his tactical and technical approach on the team during his debut campaign at the club, but this was an occasion when they delivered an impressive all-round performance in the most pressurised and emotional of circumstances.
The challenge now is to continue it, but that steel they have demonstrated—both in this game and some recent away trips—will serve them well going forward, starting with the midweek trip to Anfield.
“We need to keep the same level, because we can,” Pochettino said. “It is always in our mind that it is difficult to have the motivation and to keep everyone fit, but it is our challenge...to show what we showed this day.”
Arsenal, in contrast, failed to find the right balance between defence and attack—with Wenger not afraid to criticise his defence for showing such fragility.
“Cheap goals,” he said. “The regret I have is that we gave a cheap goal away, and it is worrying that with five minutes to go, we are there to make the same mistakes.”
Nevertheless, he is not sweating the league standings too much. There are still plenty of games to be played, and Arsenal have come through more arduous situations before.
“It leaves us with a big disappointment to swallow,” he acknowledged. “We have played two more away games than Spurs—Spurs have played 13 at home and we have played 13 away—so it is down to our home form now.
“We know we can win away from home, but it will be a battle until the end—like it has been every year.”
But when all is said and done, it was Harry Kane’s day once again, especially with England manager Roy Hodgson watching from the stands.
Arsenal became the latest side to be stung by the prolific young forward, and the calls for him to be included in England’s squad when it is announced later this month are quickly reaching undeniable levels.
“I respect his decision,” Pochettino said of Hodgson. “I think Harry today showed that he is a great player, a great performance, but my idea is he can still improve. We need to push him to improve because his potential is massive.”
By the final whistle, even Wenger was a convert:
“When you have scored the number of goals he has scored, if you do not put him in there, someone will give him a passport to another country.”
All quotes obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated. Kane and Mason quotes taken from BT Sport's live post-match broadcast.
