Harry Kane scored twice to inspire Tottenham Hotspur to a come-from-behind victory over Arsenal in the North London derby at White Hart Lane this afternoon.

The Gunners had taken the lead in the 11th minute when Mesut Ozil reacted well to cushion a volley into the top corner following Olivier Giroud's mishit shot.

Kane got his first a little over 10 minutes into the second half when he tapped home at the back post, before nodding in a fine winner with just four minutes of normal time remaining.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether the hosts were worthy of a victory that takes them above their opponents in the Premier League table.

Match statistics

TOTTENHAM
Shots: 23
On target: 8
Possession: 56%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 8

ARSENAL
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 44%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?

Arsenal may feel gutted to have lost this match so late on, but it was the right result. Spurs were comfortably the better team for long spells of the match and, at times, looked like the only side that had come to actually play football. The Gunners sat back a lot and allowed Spurs the majority of the possession, which the hosts eventually used effectively.

The statistics are all heavily in Tottenham's favour when it comes to the attacking aspects, and that is a good representation of how the match went. Spurs got forward whenever possible and spent the majority of the match on the front foot, creating the lion's share of the chances. They were unfortunate to go in behind at half time having seen the Gunners take their only chance, and even that came rather fortuitously.

Arsenal did ask a few more questions of Hugo Lloris after the break, but Spurs always looked the most likely to go on and win the game after Kane had levelled things up. The in-form striker eventually secured the points for his side, and it was no less than they deserved following a very impressive performance.

Tottenham's performance

Everything about this result, with the possible exception of conceding a goal, will have pleased Mauricio Pochettino. His side started the match brightly and almost took the lead inside five minutes when Kane tested David Ospina with a low effort towards the bottom corner. They went on to create a number of decent shooting opportunities in the first half, although clear-cut chances were hard to come by.

The first of those was tucked away by Kane, and that equaliser brought with it a renewed sense of belief amongst the Tottenham players and fans. They were first to the ball more often than not and kept the Gunners penned into their own half for long spells. The pressure was relentless at times and, while Lloris was forced into a couple of saves, it was the hosts who were asking the more probing questions in the second half especially.

In the end, they got the victory that their impressive performance deserved, and the win will provide Spurs with a lot more than just three points. They now move above Arsenal in the table, and, for a few hours at least, will be in the top four. The belief that they can go on to clinch a Champions League spot will have grown massively with this result. They still have a number of tough fixtures to come this season, but again this result will provide great confidence.

Arsenal's performance

The North London derby is synonymous with goals, free-flowing football and open matches, but Arsenal approached this one a little differently than usual. A long-standing criticism of Arsene Wenger has been his refusal to play more defensively in big games away from home but, following on from the recent success at Manchester City, he tried to employ those sorts of tactics at White Hart Lane today.

For a while they seemed to be working as Ozil gave his side a lead with their only real opening of the first half, but Arsenal were still allowing Spurs too many sights of goal for it to be as effective a ploy as it was against City, when they completely stifled the champions. That the two Tottenham goals came from crosses into the box is perhaps something that the more defensive tactics cannot account for, but even in open play there were too many shooting opportunities allowed to the hosts.

In terms of attacking intent, Arsenal showed very little and only really tested Lloris on a couple of occasions in the second half. That would not have been noticed had they pulled off the rearguard action that they were attempting, but as it was it contributed to a costly defeat that sees them drop three valuable points in an increasingly tight battle for the top four.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Harry Kane: Who else? The young striker is on fire right now and got a second consecutive brace to guide his side to victory. He came close in the first five minutes and was a thorn in the side of Arsenal's defence throughout the match. He can score goals in all different manners, and he showed that again this afternoon with a poacher's finish at the back post and a fabulous header to win it. It was a dream derby debut for Tottenham's newest hero.

Biggest gaffe

Ospina was called into action on a number of occasions today and, while he made a string of important saves, he almost always seemed to parry the ball into a dangerous area. That was the case for the equalising goal too as his save fell into the path of Kane, who was never likely to turn down such a chance. It was not an easy stop for the keeper to make initially, but he could have perhaps turned it over the crossbar.

Referee performance

Martin Atkinson had a fairly busy day today, as is expected in a North London derby. A number of personal duels threatened to boil over but, on the whole, the referee kept on top of things well. There was a hint of offside about Ozil's opener, but the German was a couple of inches off at most so the benefit of the doubt can be given to the officials there.

What next?

Tottenham: Another big clash against a rival for the top four comes on Tuesday as Spurs travel to face Liverpool at Anfield.

Arsenal: Arsenal, meanwhile, have a slightly easier tie on paper as they welcome struggling Leicester City to the Emirates Stadium.