Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: Former Gunner Harry Kane nets twice as Spurs fightback to grab derby rights
Tottenham Hotspur's English striker Harry Kane (right) celebrates with the crowd after scoring an equalising goal to make the score 1-1 during their English Premier League match against Arsenal at White Hart Lane in London, on February 7, 2015. PHOTO | IAN KINGTON | AFP
What you need to know:
- Tottenham come from behind to win 2-1 at home
- Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal the lead in the first half
- Harry Kane scores twice in the second half to give the hosts the derby bragging rights
LONDON
Local hero Harry Kane scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur leapfrogged Champions League qualification rivals Arsenal by coming from behind to win a pulsating north London derby 2-1 on Saturday.
Mesut Ozil volleyed Arsenal in front at White Hart Lane, but a ferocious Tottenham onslaught saw Kane net a 56th-minute equaliser before heading in a sensational winner four minutes from time.
The home-grown striker's double, his 21st and 22nd goals of the campaign, took Spurs into the Champions League places and left Mauricio Pochettino's side a point above Arsenal, who fell to sixth.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was presiding over his 700th Premier League game and he made one change to the team that had crushed Aston Villa 5-0 last weekend, with Danny Welbeck replacing Theo Walcott.
After Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina had denied Kane, Welbeck created the opener in the 11th minute, steaming past Danny Rose and picking out Olivier Giroud, whose miscued shot was volleyed home by Ozil.
It was to prove the cue for a wave of Spurs attacks, with Ospina saving from Rose and Ryan Mason while Rose, Erik Lamela and Kane shot off-target.
Arsenal's resistance crumbled 11 minutes into the second half, when 21-year-old Kane tucked home at the back post after Mousa Dembele's near-post header was parried by Ospina.
The action swung from end to end thereafter — Ospina thwarting Dembele and Nabil Bentaleb; Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saving from Welbeck and Laurent Koscielny — before Kane settled it.
Bentaleb bent a cross into the box from the left and Kane rose above Koscielny to plant a textbook header inside Ospina's right-hand post.
Southampton will look to reclaim third place later on Saturday when they visit second-bottom Queens Park Rangers, who are without a manager following the resignation of Harry Redknapp.
The top two are both in action, with leaders Chelsea visiting Aston Villa and champions Manchester City hosting Hull City, before Liverpool visit Everton for Steven Gerrard's last Merseyside derby.
