Harry Kane owns the North London derby and now Tottenham are a step closer to the Champions League because of it

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Harry Kane started this season seeking a move away from Spurs, but he will end it leading a late surge for qualification for the playoffs.

Kane was already the all-time top goal scorer in these games before scoring a brace on Thursday, which helped Spurs to an emphatic three points and blew the top-four race wide open.

Spurs had to win here and they did, thanks to their talisman stepping up in a way that he has done many times before, securing their biggest league win over Arsenal since 1983.

The added significance this time is that securing a European place will enhance Spurs chances of retaining Kane beyond the summer while also helping to provide a cash injection required to fund Antonio Conte's desired overhaul of this squad to the extent they can compete for the premier league title.

If Spurs beat Burnley on Sunday lunchtime, they will move above the north London club, a situation that will allow Conte to begin preparing for during the second half, as Heung Min-Son scored a third goal after two minutes as Gabriel tried to stop Kane.

It will be a source of embarrassment to the Gunners that Spurs were so comfortable that they were able to withdraw Son and Dejan Kulusevski for the final 18 minutes, the former particularly unhappy as he stands just one behind Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot race.

This was not a good time to think about individual prizes. The stakes in the game were so high that it made for a long-awaited night in this stadium.

The first derby to be played in front of a capacity crowd at the new Spurs arena was on Thursday. And how they liked it.

There were always questions about how the young side would handle the situation. In their four most recent wins, they had a 15-20 minute spell where they lost their composure. They had enough to ride out those periods, but this time it cost them the game.

The deafening noise made it easier for the referee to award a penalty after Son tried to head the ball toward the goal. It was a marginal decision that went in the favour of Spurs.

Rob Holding appeared to target Son at the start of the game. He was booked after 26 minutes for pulling back the South Korean and then thrown out seven minutes later for pushing Son in the direction of him. He committed four fouls in his time on the pitch, the most he has ever committed in a premier league game, and all of them were on Son.

Since Arteta took charge of the team, they have had 13 red cards. Arteta was incensed by both the penalty decision and Holding's dismissal.

I don't know how to lie so I prefer not to say what I think.

I can't say what I think. I am happy with my players. I am proud of my players. I want the referees to explain their decisions to the camera. It was a shame that the game was destroyed today.

Kane doubled the advantage on 37 minutes, stooping to head home Bentancur's flick-on from Son's corner. Eddie Nketiah lost Kane at the far post and, in that 15 minutes, the evening was over.

Ben White was only fit enough to be on the bench due to a hamstring problem and Spurs were forced to play out from the back.

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