All hail Dembele midfield masterclass as he drives Tottenham to derby win

It was the Harry Kane show again as Tottenham saw off Arsenal in the north London derby on Saturday but it was midfield maestro who really stood out.

Kane’s towering second-half header was the difference between the two sides but in truth Spurs were in complete command and should really have won by more – one of the main reasons for that dominance being the magnificence of Belgium star Mousa Dembele.

His talent has never been questioned although at times his end product has, but on Saturday at Wembley he absolutely bossed a three-man Arsenal central midfield and made his opponents look silly at times with his body swerves and balletic footwork.

There cannot be a harder player to shake off the ball then the former Fulham man, just ask messrs Wilshere, El Neny and Xhaka – the latter two being hauled off after being in Dembele’s shadow for much of the 90 minutes.

There was a period of about 15 minutes in the second half were it actually felt like he was taking on the whole of the Arsenal team himself, winning tackles, breaking up play and driving his side forward at will.

It was one of the very best all-round midfield performances of the season so far and just makes you wonder what sort of a player Tottenham would have on their hands if he could score more goals and throw in a few more assists.

But forget that for now and just focus on the 90 minutes he put in for a Spurs side that has now beaten Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at a ground where they were supposedly ‘cursed’ earlier in the season.

Tottenham are at their very best when Dembele is in cruise control and he just sat back and enjoyed the ride when it mattered most against Spurs’ bitter rivals.