Harry Kane says Tottenham are chasing the leaders rather than looking behind them after overtaking Arsenal and moving up into third place in the Premier League.

Kane struck twice as Spurs triumphed 3-0 away at Norwich City on Tuesday, securing a fifth successive victory in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Arsenal were held to a goalless draw at home against Southampton so Mauricio Pochettino’s Lilywhites edged ahead of their north London rivals on goal difference.

Tottenham still have a fight on their hands as they bid to return to the Champions League – fifth-placed Manchester United remain five points behind – but they are also five points off the top and just two behind second-placed Manchester City.

Kane said: “The higher we can go the better it is. We’re not really looking behind us, we’re looking forward.

“That’s what’s been different from other seasons. When we were [previously] maybe trying to hang on to fourth or hang on to fifth, now we’re third and we’re trying to get as far up the league as we can. We’re not worried about the teams behind us.

“We’re playing very well and confidence is probably as high as it’s been all season. It’s one game at a time but we feel we can beat anyone. That’s our mentality, that’s what the manager has given us, and that’s what we have to take into the rest of the season.

“I don’t think there’s a team in the league who will be looking forward to facing us and in the remainder of the season we’re confident going into every game, and that’s what we’ve got to keep.

“There will probably be ups and downs along the way but we have to stay focused and keep doing what we’re doing.”

The transfer window closed on Monday night without Spurs bringing in a striker, leaving Kane as the club’s only specialist forward for the rest of the campaign.

There were few concerns about his form and fitness on Tuesday though, with the 22-year-old putting in a high-energy performance and scoring twice – the first from the penalty spot – while also hitting the post twice.

His importance is clear but Spurs have scored 16 goals in their last five games and Kane has only struck four of them – the same number as Nacer Chadli.

Dele Alli netted the early opener on Tuesday – his second strike in successive appearances – and Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele, Heung-Min Son, Eric Dier and Tom Carroll have all registered in the recent winning run.

“People will always say I’m going to be tired or think I look tired but I’m feeling good,” said Kane. “I manage myself well and the whole team looks good. “We’re fresh, we’re still in a lot of competitions. We’ve got a good, big squad, which we need if we want to be up there, so it’s all positive at the moment and we just want to keep it going.

“The goals are coming from everywhere and that’s important, and we are keeping a lot of clean sheets as well.

“The defence has been very good and that’s what you need. You need everyone fighting for the team and doing their job and that’s what we seem to be doing at the moment. If we can keep it up we have a really good chance.”

Kane’s brace means he has scored 17 goals in his last 20 games for Spurs and has netted 18 times this season.

At the start of the campaign it seemed unlikely he would be able to match last season’s 31-goal haul but he said: “It’s definitely possible. I’m on 18 now so confidence is high. There are still a lot of games left and we’re in a lot of competitions, but I’m not trying to think about that too much.

“I’m just concentrating on the team performances and trying to do my best for the team. If the goals come, they come, but the most important thing is to win the games.”

Follow me on Twitter @BenPearceSpurs