Premier League

SPURS 2 (Son 13, Kane 45+1)
ARSENAL 0

THERE is something entirely predictable about the two names on the score sheet that settled this north London derby – and also something entirely predictable that goal-getters Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane should also have assisted each other with the goals.

And then there was the predictable manner in which Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, who has never lost to Arsenal in a home fixture, would set his side up to earn three points and return to the top of the Premier League table for the third week in a row.

Kane played in Son for the opener, and Son then played Kane in for the killer second.

Mourinho’s team then defended in a way that Tottenham fans struggle to recall happening in seasons past, combining passion and organisation with brutal common sense.

Before the game, Arsenal’s misfiring attack, which has scored the same amount of goals collectively this season as Son has on his own, were tasked with penetrating the meanest defence in the league. It did not bode well for Mikel Arteta and his team, who started the day in 15th.

All of Arsenal’s hopes of form going out the window due to it being a derby were quickly dashed as they encountered Mourinho at his ruthless best.

There was some disquiet before kick off at the news Tanguy Ndombele did not make the squad. The midfielder has been a key component to the Spurs side – but he withdrew before the game, mysteriously telling Mourinho that he had “a little problem” and could not play.

It gave Giovani Lo Celso the chance to start – only his second this season – while Arteta called on the services of midfield hope Thomas Partey. Lo Celso put in a decent shift, while Partey lasted only 45 minutes before limping off just before half-time.

Speaking after the game, Mourinho said his side had belief and it was shown by earning seven points from three games against Manchester City, Chelsea and now Arsenal, and keeping three clean sheets in the process.

He added: “We grew up. Lots of people can imagine three matches in a row [versus City, Chelsea and Arsenal] would be a moment for us to drop points and go back to ‘normality’, but we didn’t go back to ‘normality’. We are there, one more week at the top of the table.”

Mourinho also heaped praise on his match-winning combo, whose statistics so far this season are impressive to say the least.

“Harry and Sonny are world-class players and at the top of what they do offensively,” he purred. “They have a good sense of the balance we need and also do incredible work for the team when we don’t have the ball.”

And what a record Kane has in this fixture: his goal, which came on the stroke of half-time, makes it 12 in north London derbies – overtaking the great double-winning centre forward Bobby Smith and Emmanuel Adebayor to become this showdowns highest scorer.

Arsenal had plenty of the ball, but when push came to shove they came up against a defence led magnificently by Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld. Arteta’s struggling side could play as much as they wanted – but they were never going to score.

But it wasn’t all about Tottenham’s solid defending. The Gunners have currently netted the least goals of any club outside the bottom three.

They have now lost five in seven games, making this Arsenal’s worst ever start to the Premier League – a damning sign of the current gap between the two clubs.

That gap took just 13 minutes to show itself this afternoon. An Arsenal move stumbled: Dier dealt with a hit and hope cross, Serge Aurier helped the ball on to Kane, and the striker used his strength to steady himself before sending Son into space on the left.

At this point, with the Arsenal defenders backing off, Son knew exactly what he was going to do – and it was spectacular. Carrying the ball forward with pace, he cut inside and from 35-yards curled a shot past the despairing Bernd Leno.

It was wonderful goal, and meant Spurs could happily sit back and let their rivals ask the questions.

Then, moments before the break, it was Kane’s turn to be supplied by Son. Tottenham again broke quickly, Son laid it on for his strike partner, and Kane smashed home from an acute angle: his power enough to whistle the shot past Leno.

Arsenal tried their best to get back into it in the second-half. Alexandre Lacazette saw a flicked header saved by Hugo Lloris, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed Kieran Tierney’s sublime cross well over the bar.

On 68, Lloris had to react to push another Lacazette header round the post. But, overall, Arsenal were too blunt to get anything of note from their time on the ball.

In truth the home support that had finally been allowed back into the stadium didn’t have too many nervous moments as they saw Tottenham secure a 2-0 derby win that took them back to the top of the league.

Spurs: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon, Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso (Davies, 72), Bergwijn (Rodon, 90+1), Son (Moura, 88), Kane
Substitutes not used: Hart, Winks, Bale, Vinicus

Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin (Nketiah, 75), Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Willian, Xhaka, Partey (Ceballos, 45+2), Saka, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Substitutes not used: Runarsson, Mustafi, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Willock