Arsenal missed the chance to secure a two-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table following a 1-1 draw with North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates.

The Lilywhites deservedly moved ahead on 32 minutes when Harry Kane slotted home the opener following suspect defending in the hosts' back four.

They continued to dominate after the break, but the Gunners, who had missed two excellent chances through Olivier Giroud, broke level on 77 minutes through second-half sub Kieran Gibbs.

Below, Sports Mole dissects all the action on a day which saw Spurs enhance their burgeoning title credentials.

Match statistics

ARSENAL
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 55%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 12

SPURS
Shots: 14
On target: 4
Possession: 45%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 17

Was the result fair?

If any side deserved to win then it was certainly Tottenham. Even at 1-0 up, with 20 minutes to go, Mauricio Pochettino's side looked like the ones chasing the game. In fact, Spurs could have been mistaken for the home team tonight. Arsenal had thrown them one or two scares, but it was all Tottenham for the most part and Pochettino will wonder how they have not left the Emirates with all three points. Everybody else would have thought the same.

Arsenal's performance

The Gunners went into the contest knowing that victory would give them a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League heading into the two-week international break. Arsene Wenger's teams over the past decade or so have all had major questions hanging over their capacity to handle pressure, and his class of 2015-16 did little to prompt the belief that they are any different tonight. In drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa, Manchester City invited Arsenal to leapfrog them at the summit, but not once did the hosts look like accepting. They were second best in both halves and such a submissive performance does not bode well if they are to end a 12-year wait for the title come May.

Defensively, they were a little suspect in the opening half, and fell behind when Laurent Koscielny, on a totally different wavelength to centre-back partner Per Mertesacker, tried to play Kane offside. He was onside, and the Spurs hitman ran through to stroke past Petr Cech. At the other end, Arsenal were doing very little. They even struggled to get out of their own half at times, but Giroud could, and probably should, have equalised when he flicked a Mesut Ozil free kick against the crossbar on 55 minutes.

Just after the hour mark, Giroud dropped to his knees instantly after somehow heading another Ozil delivery wide from five yards out. It was moments like that which added weight behind Thierry Henry's argument that the France striker is not good enough to lead Arsenal to Premier League glory. From there, the visitors grew in control again and, if not for Cech, it would have been two, but the ex-Chelsea man pulled off a fine point-blank save to keep out Toby Alderweireld - a key moment.

Very little was expected of Gibbs when he replaced Joel Campbell on 74 minutes. With Arsenal in the middle of their annual injury crisis, left-back Gibbs was considered to be the hosts' best chance at forcing an equaliser. He came up with the goods, running beyond Kyle Walker to volley home at the near post, with Ozil finally getting an assist - his 10th this season. Only then did Arsenal look in control, but it was too late to salvage a win.

They are back level with City at the summit, but the fact that they did not seem to want an outright lead is a concern. A big one.

Spurs' performance

During his pre-match press conference, Pochettino insisted that the Premier League title was beyond his troops this season. And it may well turn out that way, but on the evidence of tonight, it will be quite a while before Tottenham discover that they will not go all the way. At the moment, Spurs, who have lost just one of their 12 league outings, which came at Old Trafford in the first game of the season, are in contention and even Pochettino would find it hard to play down their chances now. Simply put, they were much better and much hungrier than Arsenal and if not for a fine save from Cech to keep out Alderweireld with 20 minutes to go, they would have moved three points adrift of the leaders.

It was a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that this was their third game in six days. Few would have known it as the visitors dominated their hosts, penning them in their own half regularly as Spurs' high-energy pressing caused big problems. When Kane stroked home on 32 minutes, it was nothing less than they deserved for their labours. The Lilywhites rode their luck at times after the break, with Giroud missing a couple of fine chances, but they continued throwing the kitchen sink at Arsenal's defence. Kane and the quiet Christian Eriksen missed half chances either side of Alderweireld's header, before the excellent Walker went to sleep and allowed Gibbs to volley home the equaliser.

On the touchline, Pochettino looked like a man who had lost a winning lotto ticket, but on reflection, there were a whole host of positives. Prospective champions come May? Who knows, but what we do know is that Tottenham - who thumped Manchester City 4-1 earlier in the season - are a threat and, with an average age of just 24, they will only get better.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Moussa Dembele: It had to be a Tottenham player, and it has to be the big Belgian, who was nothing short of superb on and off the ball. His powerful running made him a menace in both halves as he brushed aside the hosts' apparent hatchet men in the form of Francis Coquelin and Mathieu Flamini, while Ozil could justifiably file a restraining order against him for the way he was stalked by him. Plenty of visiting players stood out, but none more than Dembele who continues to impress.

Biggest gaffe

Koscielny tried to play Bafetimbi Gomis offside at Swansea City last week and very nearly paid the penalty. The French defender was not as fortunate on this occasion, as a similar error allowed Kane to advance on goal and slot past Cech. Honourable mention to Giroud, who missed a second-half sitter, but the fact that Koscielny did not learn from his mistake of last week makes his incident that bit worse.

Referee performance

Whether it is at the Emirates, White Hart Lane or in a Buddhist's back garden, tempers are always likely to flare in a meeting between Arsenal and Spurs. Consequently, referee Martin Atkinson can be thankful that he got off relatively lightly tonight, booking just one player - Erik Lamela - in an otherwise quiet North London derby under the circumstances. There were one or two moments which went unnoticed by the official; namely when Giroud and Jan Vertonghen briefly scrapped off the ball, but there was nothing in it.

What's next?

Arsenal: The Gunners are back in action on November 21 when they travel to West Bromwich Albion following the international break.

Spurs: The Lilywhites, meanwhile, return the following day for a visit of West Ham United to White Hart Lane