Kane and Able at Wembley
Written By: Robert Halter
Tottenham Hotspur striker, Harry Kane looked to continue his goal scoring spree in the North London derby of six goals in six games against Arsenal for the early afternoon kick off at Wembley Stadium, on Saturday, February 10. On eight minutes, after Dele Alli and Kane combined, the out stretched leg of Shkodran Mustafi, diverted the ball to Petr Cech, who made a save to prevent an own goal. In the eighteenth minute, from a header out by Gunners captain, Laurent Koscielny, the ball was found by Alli, and a low drive by Heung-Min Son, was clasped upon by Cech, at his near post. On twenty five minutes from a Kieran Trippier cross on the right, a cushioned header by Christian Eriksen, was caught by Cech. But within two minutes, from Eriksen’s pin point delivery, an unmarked Kane, blazed a header over, with just Cech, to beat. Before the half hour mark, Mousa Dembele, opened up space for Eric Dier, who stabbed the ball wide from close in. On thirty nine minutes, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, created an opening for Mesut Ozil, and the ball in by Nacho Monreal, was smothered back from Davinson Sanchez, into the safe keeping of Hugo Lloris. The Gunners reacted again within a minute, as Ozil carved open a chance for Hector Bellerin, who blazed over. But it was Spurs that got the breakthrough, four minutes into the second half, when Ben Davies floated a cross over, and Kane’s well placed rising header went past Cech, into the bottom left corner. But in the fifty second minute, from Dier’s cross, Kane should have made it two, but agonisingly for him, Kane sent his header fractions wide of the left post, with a clear sight of goal. In the next two minutes, Trippier put the ball on a plate for Kane, whose right footed volley was stopped with a strong double handed save by Cech, before the ball was turned behind by Bellerin. On fifty six minutes, after Bellerin brought down Son, just outside the area, Eriksen’s swerving free kick was tipped over by Cech, and from the resulting corner by Eriksen, a header was put over by Jan Vertonghen. The Gunners later made a double change of Alexandre Lacazette for Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi for Mohamed Elneny. On sixty eight minutes, from a delivery by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the ball clipped Trippier and Vertonghen, before a rasping strike by Jack Wilshere, was stopped by Lloris, towards the top left corner. After Monreal was dispossessed by Alli in the seventieth minute, a strike by Son was skied high and over the top, before Lamela was brought on in place of Son. The Gunners then went half asleep when a lazy back pass by Mustafi nearly caught out Cech, as Alli stepped in. Then Lamela’s through ball exposed the Arsenal defence, as Alli’s tame effort ran out of steam, as the ball drifted past the right post. The favour was then returned by Alli, to clear the path for Lamela, who was kept out by a close range block at the right post from Cech. On seventy six minutes, Lamela put the ball out to Eriksen, who picked out an unmarked Trippier, who rammed in a close range strike, that Cech kept out with a double handed parry. Later on, Spurs changed Alli with Victor Wanyama, before the Gunners switched Xhaka with Danny Welbeck. After a foul by Bellerin on Kane, a free kick from inside his own half by Vertonghen, set free Lamela, who steered the ball past the right post. Arsenal spurned a chance just before stoppage time, as Bellerin’s cross was struck high over on the volley from Lacazette. Then from an Iwobi assist, a cross by Aubameyang drifted over the upright. But through an incisive pass by Iwobi, the game could have been levelled by Lacazette, but agonisingly for Arsenal, he drove the ball narrowly wide of the far left post at the right side of the box. In the final piece of action, Dembele and Wanyama sandwiched Welbeck, and as Ozil drove a free kick into the wall, it was game up for Arsenal, as Spurs withheld a late Gunners rally for a 1-0 win in front of a new Premier League record crowd of eighty three thousand two hundred and twenty two at Wembley.