If Tottenham are the kings of north London, Jose Mourinho and Harry Kane found familiar ways of reigning over Arsenal. For each, it represented a magnificent 11.
Long the scourge of Arsene Wenger, Mourinho extended his excellent home record against the Gunners to 11 unbeaten games. The more important implication was that he restored Tottenham to the Premier League summit, 11 points clear of a struggling Arsenal side who remain rooted in 15th place.
Kane was their nemesis long before their recent slump, but an 11th goal in this fixture gained him a place in the history books. He is now this derby’s record scorer, one clear of Emmanuel Adebayor and the 1961 Double winner Bobby Smith. In the process, he reached 250 career goals for club and country.
He had a superb sidekick as the double act of Heung-Min Son and Kane, who each made a goal for the other, unlocked Arsenal. Mourinho’s tactics may have been predicable but they were hugely effective on what amounted to a near-perfect return to the ground for their fans. The small contingent permitted were vocal and had much to savour.
For Mikel Arteta, however, a wretched run continued. Arsenal have a solitary league point and a lone goal since winning at Old Trafford and their manager’s sure touch against elite opponents deserted him.
None of his pivotal decisions worked. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not scored since being installed as the No. 9, an underwhelming Willian failed to replicate last season’s match-winning display against Spurs and rushing Thomas Partey back backfired.
It is a sign of how potent Son is and how weak Arsenal are that the Spurs winger has as many goals as the Gunners this season. His strike was the quintessential Tottenham 2020-21 goal, a counter-attack where Kane dropped deep to find Son and the prolific South Korean supplied the finish.
As Spurs broke at pace, Kane collected the ball in the centre circle and fed Son. For the eighth time this season, the striker got an assist as the winger scored, Son cutting in from the left, evading Rob Holding and curling a 25-yard shot past Bernd Leno.
The second was the consequence of a combination of an early lead and the iron defence that frustrated Arsenal. They committed more men forward and Tottenham caught them on the break and, with a four-against-two advantage, took the right decisions.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg found Son, who released the overlapping Kane. His emphatic finish flew in off the underside of the bar.
Arsenal’s defence were left so exposed in part because Partey had limped off, in effect substituting himself, at that time. Surprisingly passed fit to start, the £50 million (Dh66m) man’s return was an unsuccessful affair. There were glimpses of his ability, but Kane had eluded the defensive midfielder to set up the opener. Now a setback could sideline him for longer.
The first goal had an added importance in a meeting of two sides who are content to sit back. Put the onus on Arteta’s Arsenal to attack and they are out of their comfort zone.
With a lead, Spurs had the now familiar sight of the hyperactive Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko dropping in to form a six-man rearguard at times. Tottenham’s disciplined defending meant that, while Arsenal had the majority of possession, well-judged interventions and clearances limited the number of chances. Eric Dier also excelled but it was essentially a triumph of organisation and concentration.
Arsenal’s threat stemmed from Kieran Tierney’s crossing. Aubameyang headed one centre over the bar while Dani Ceballos, who came on for Partey, effected an improvement. And yet it felt too late. Arsenal had too few ideas and, for all their possession, too little creativity. Hugo Lloris made a fine save from Alexandre Lacazette’s header but they tested him too rarely. Now the examination will be of Arteta. Arsenal are at the lowest ebb of his reign. How do they respond?