Arsenal keep pressure on title rivals Manchester City with tense win over north London rivals Tottenham
A clinical performance from Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal kept the pressure on Premier League title rivals Manchester City and earned north London bragging rights with a tense 3-2 victory over Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta’s side, chasing a first league title since 2004, scored twice either side of a disallowed Tottenham goal to take control of the 195th north London derby.
Arsenal led through a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal and were glad to see VAR disallow Micky van de Ven’s equaliser before Bukayo Saka doubled the visitors’ lead.
Tottenham dominated possession in an eventful first half but conceded a third before the interval, Kai Havertz continuing his revival with a simple header as Spurs failed to deal with another corner.
Content with their three-goal advantage, Arsenal were more reserved after the break and looked to be cruising to the victory before a David Raya blunder allowed Cristian Romero to give Spurs hope.
The goal ignited a previously subdued Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and set up a nervy final half hour for Arsenal, which only got more tense when Declan Rice conceded a penalty which Son Heung-min converted on 87 minutes.
Blowing a three-goal lead would have been disastrous to Arsenal’s title hopes but they withstood more pressure late on to win the derby and damage Tottenham’s Champions League chances.
The win sends Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League prior to Manchester City’s clash at Nottingham Forest, while Spurs stay fifth – seven points behind Aston Villa with two games in hand.
More to follow…
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