Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 3-0 victory over fourth-placed Arsenal on Thursday, in a North London Derby that had a massive bearing on the race for the top four in the Premier League. Arsenal started the game in blistering fashion, keeping Spurs pinned to their own half in the opening minutes. Also read |A warm welcome: De Bruyne hits Erling Haaland celebration after 4-goal haul However, after surviving the initial onslaught, Spurs grew into the game and established a foothold for what would turn out to be a great night for the home side. Spurs pressure on Arsenal paid off soon enough after Cedric Soares was deemed guilty of a foul on Heung-min Son, resulting in a penalty for the home side in the 22nd minute. Also read |PL: De Bruyne nets 4 as Man City demolish Wolves 5-1 to go 3 points clear Harry Kane, expectedly, stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick coolly, giving Spurs a crucial 1-0 lead over their top-four competitors. Although Arsenal rallied after the goal, Mikel Arteta's side shot themselves in the foot in the 33rd minute when Rob Holding, already on a yellow, was sent off for a silly foul on Son. Also read |'He'll adapt perfectly': Guardiola breaks silence on Haaland transfer Four minutes later, Kane doubled Spurs' lead from a flicked on header byRodrigo Bentancur. Spurs had a chance to put the game beyond all doubt before the half-time whistle butEmerson Royal blasted his shot over the crossbar, keeping the game 2-0 at the halfway mark. Spurs, with a man advantage, began the second half in spectacular fashion: a minute into the half, Kane won possession in the Arsenal third and played in Son, who converted with a first-time finish to make it 3-0 to the home side. Also read |From Lionel Messi to Roger Federer: The 10 highest-earning athletes in the world in 2022 With a solid hold on the game and a man advantage, Spurs held on to possession and frustrated Arsenal, while making changes to rest their best players. After a tame quarter of a game by Arsenal, the match ended 3-0 in Spurs' favour. The win took Spurs to 65 points, putting Antonio Conte's men one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal with equal games played. Spurs also have a +23 goal difference as opposed to Arsenal's +11, and that stat could turn out to be all important if the race for the top four goes down to the wire.