And Kane doubled Spurs' lead with a deserved second after the break as he flicked in Christian Eriksen's free-kick.
Rooney finished from close range with 20 minutes left as United threatened to kill the party atmosphere.
But Spurs held firm to leave their iconic home with a victory after an emotional day in North London.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS
SPURS branded this farewell clash as “The Finale”. Maybe they should have knocked off the ‘e’ because then it would have been the first ‘Final’ they had been involved in for years.
UNITED turned late for the last game at Upton Park last season. Here they did not turn up at all until 20 minutes until the end!
EVERY Tottenham fan was given a T-shirt and a flag. And whether the sight of the flags being waved before kick-off looked spectacular or cringey depends on your view of modern football.
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Harry Kane celebrates his first ever goal against Manchester UnitedCredit: Reuters
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Victor Wanyama rises to head home Ben Davies' cross for the openerCredit: Reuters
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Wanyama celebrates his striker with boss Mauricio PochettinoCredit: Reuters
BUT it left the United fans in the corner of the Park Lane stand looking a bit left out. Surely they could have given them some red, white and black flags.
POOR old Gianfranco Zola. As if being sacked recently by Birmingham was not enough the Italian was also nabbed by stewards for entering the Press room without having his bag searched. He was never stopped that easily as a player.
VICTOR WANYAMA gave Tottenham a fifth minute lead when he leaped above Wayne Rooney to head Ben Davies’ cross into the bottom corner of David De Gea’s net.
SHAME for United Juan Mata is not as good at heading as he wasted a great chance to equalise moments later when he nodded over from inside the box. Toblerone head.
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Wayne Rooney looks dejected after he is shown a yellow cardCredit: Getty Images
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Dele Alli takes on Phil Jones and Michael CarrickCredit: Reuters
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Chas & Dave came on the pitch at half timeCredit: Getty Images
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A Tottenham fan chose an interesting Batman vest to mark the last game at White Hart LaneCredit: Reuters
JOSE MOURINHO looked thoroughly disinterested on the touchline. Even the home fans started to amuse themselves by breaking out all of their old songs and chants, including my favourite one from the early 1980s: “We’ll take more care of you, Archibald, Archibald.” A ditty in honour of then striker Steve Archibald to the tune of a popular British Airways TV ad of the time.
NO Tottenham party would be complete without Chas & Dave, who appeared on the pitch at half time. With Chas on the mend following a cancer op, the pair told the club beforehand they would not sing, but they ‘don’t mind having a chat.’
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Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane came for the occasionCredit: Getty Images
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There was a special atmosphere at White Hart LaneCredit: Getty Images
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Tottenham supporters arrived early for the final ever home match at White Hart LaneCredit: Reuters
HARRY KANE made it 2-0 when he flicked in Christian Eriksen’s free-kick in the 49th minute.
WAYNE ROONEY pulled one back the visitors with a close-range finish in the 70th minute.
IT’S hard to envisage the Press seats at the new stadium being closer to the action than they are at White Hart Lane. So close you could here Dele Alli have a go at fourth official Lee Mason by shouting at him: “Oi Fourth!”
BUILDERS were due to start work on the demolition of the ground within a few hours of the final whistle before it is officially handed over to construction chiefs at 8am Monday.
SOCIAL SAYS
BIG PICTURE
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DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Tottenham: Lloris 5, Trippier 6, Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 6, Davies 7, Dier 7, WANYAMA 8, Eriksen 7, Son 6, Dele 6, Kane 7. Subs: Walker 6, Dembele 6, Nkoudou 5.
Harry Kane: "What a way to finish. We wanted a win so badly in our last game here. I said before I'd love to score the winning goal and for it to happen is brilliant. To see it go in was special.
"When you look at our points tally compared to last season, obviously we're disappointed losing out on the title but we are growing. We so badly wanted to win this game."
Mauricio Pochettino: "It was a perfect performance and I am happy for the victory for our fans. It was a fantastic victory which the fans deserved.
"We had the control of the game and played better. It was another great performance at White Hart Lane and now we have to focus on the last two games.
"We are playing against Manchester United and they have very good players. They have been prepared to win the league and win big things. It is great to achieve second position and it is fantastic for us. We have been unbeaten at home all season so there are a lot of things to be happy about.
