Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 2, Arsenal 3.
Arsenal overcame the hurdle of a north London derby and an anxious finale to maintain momentum in the Premier League title pursuit with a vital victory at Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta's side moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League, although second-placed Manchester City later reduced that deficit to one point with a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest and also have a game in hand.
The Gunners' meeting with their bitter rivals was seen as arguably the most treacherous of their remaining fixtures, but they took ruthless advantage of Spurs' defensive flaws to establish a three-goal lead by half-time.
Arsenal were then thrown off course when a dreadful clearance by goalkeeper David Raya presented Cristian Romero with a goal after 64 minutes, the nerves really jangling when Heung-min Son scored from the spot three minutes from the end of normal time after Declan Rice fouled Ben Davies.
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It was all so different when Arsenal went ahead after 15 minutes as the recalled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg glanced Bukayo Saka's corner into his own net, the England forward crowning a sweeping counter-attack with a smooth finish for the second after 27 minutes.
Spurs, who saw Micky van de Ven's goal ruled out for a marginal offside with the score 1-0, were infuriated as they claimed Leandro Trossard had fouled Dejan Kulusevski before Saka scored, and were even more frustrated when the unmarked Kai Havertz headed in Arsenal's third from another corner seven minutes before the break.
Arsenal were then content to see out the victory, only for Raya to give Spurs hope by sending a clearance straight to Romero.
An unlikely comeback seemed on when Son scored from the spot but Arteta's side were able to close out the game, denting their arch-rivals' hopes of a top-four finish.
Spurs remain in fifth place in the Premier League, seven points behind Aston Villa with two games in hand.
Arsenal survive late Spurs surge to stay on course
Arsenal went from cruising comfortably to hanging on in a thrilling north London derby, a stroll to victory made hazardous by their own mistakes.
The Gunners were never actually near their best but when the season reaches this point it is about winning and the job was eventually done, but not without a nail-biting finish.
Arsenal were sitting pretty at half-time and had negotiated the first 20 minutes of the second half without incident until Raya appeared to be caught in a moment of indecision as he went to clear, passing the ball straight to a grateful Romero.
And when Son scored from the spot Arteta's side must have feared becoming the victim of a smash-and-grab as Spurs, a threat going forward throughout, sensed they may get a draw.
In Raya's defence, he did well after his error as he commanded his area with safe handling to ensure the cushion provided by that first-half advantage proved enough.
Arsenal had another stellar performer in Rice, his mistimed tackle on Davies that resulted in a penalty a rare blemish on an otherwise top-class performance.
Arteta's side have put together three wins in eight days to ensure they are right in this title fight with three games left, maintaining pressure on Manchester City as Liverpool's challenge falls away.
Spurs pay for familiar problems
Tottenham Hotspur felt the pain of a derby defeat and a setback to their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League as they were undone again by vulnerability at set-pieces, in this case corners.
Spurs will be unhappy at Arsenal defender Ben White's distraction of keeper Guglielmo Vicario at corners but they simply had to do better as Hojbjerg headed into his own net early on, the Denmark midfielder stretching to get in front of Takehiro Tomiyasu and glancing the ball in.
Then Havertz rose virtually unaccompanied to head in at the near post for the third, and eventually decisive, goal for the away side.
The frustration for manager Ange Postecoglou is that his side were a genuine source of danger going forward, with what would have been an equaliser for Van de Ven ruled out by the thinnest of margins at a crucial stage.
And they had Arsenal on the rack once they got the scent that something might be in this for them, but in the end the mountain they created for themselves by conceding those three first-half goals proved insurmountable.
Player of the match
SakaBukayo Saka
Tottenham Hotspur
Avg
- Squad number7Player nameSon Heung-minAverage rating
5.48
- Squad number17Player nameRomeroAverage rating
4.96
- Squad number37Player namevan de VenAverage rating
4.83
- Squad number9Player nameRicharlisonAverage rating
4.73
- Squad number8Player nameBissoumaAverage rating
4.59
- Squad number21Player nameKulusevskiAverage rating
4.57
- Squad number29Player nameSarrAverage rating
4.55
- Squad number22Player nameJohnsonAverage rating
4.52
- Squad number13Player nameVicarioAverage rating
4.50
- Squad number18Player nameLo CelsoAverage rating
4.50
- Squad number23Player namePorroAverage rating
4.49
- Squad number10Player nameMaddisonAverage rating
4.48
- Squad number33Player nameDaviesAverage rating
4.38
- Squad number30Player nameBentancurAverage rating
4.25
- Squad number16Player nameWernerAverage rating
4.25
- Squad number5Player nameHøjbjergAverage rating
4.09
Arsenal
Avg
- Squad number7Player nameSakaAverage rating
8.13
- Squad number29Player nameHavertzAverage rating
7.55
- Squad number8Player nameØdegaardAverage rating
7.38
- Squad number41Player nameRiceAverage rating
7.32
- Squad number2Player nameSalibaAverage rating
7.16
- Squad number6Player nameGabriel MagalhãesAverage rating
7.09
- Squad number4Player nameWhiteAverage rating
7.09
- Squad number19Player nameTrossardAverage rating
6.95
- Squad number18Player nameTomiyasuAverage rating
6.92
- Squad number5Player nameParteyAverage rating
6.83
- Squad number11Player nameGabriel MartinelliAverage rating
6.71
- Squad number15Player nameKiwiorAverage rating
6.27
- Squad number22Player nameRayaAverage rating
5.72
Line-ups
Tottenham
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Vicario
- 23Porro
- 17Romero
- 37van de Ven
- 33DaviesBooked at 81minsSubstituted forLo Celsoat 87'minutes
- 30BentancurSubstituted forSarrat 45'minutes
- 5HøjbjergSubstituted forBissoumaat 64'minutes
- 21KulusevskiBooked at 77mins
- 10MaddisonSubstituted forRicharlisonat 64'minutes
- 16WernerSubstituted forJohnsonat 31'minutes
- 7Son Heung-min
Substitutes
- 6Dragusin
- 8Bissouma
- 9Richarlison
- 11Gil
- 12Emerson Royal
- 18Lo Celso
- 22Johnson
- 29Sarr
- 40Austin
Arsenal
Formation 4-3-3
- 22Raya
- 4White
- 2Saliba
- 6Gabriel
- 18Tomiyasu
- 8ØdegaardSubstituted forKiwiorat 89'minutes
- 5ParteyBooked at 83mins
- 41Rice
- 7Saka
- 29Havertz
- 19TrossardSubstituted forMartinelliat 63'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Ramsdale
- 9Gabriel Jesus
- 10Smith Rowe
- 11Martinelli
- 14Nketiah
- 15Kiwior
- 20Jorginho
- 21Fábio Vieira
- 35Zinchenko
- Referee:
- Michael Oliver
- Attendance:
- 61,554
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home62%
- Away38%
- Shots
- Home15
- Away9
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away3
- Corners
- Home8
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home12
- Away16
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 2, Arsenal 3.
Post update
Attempt missed. Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right following a corner.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by William Saliba.
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Attempt blocked. Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the left side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso with a cross.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by William Saliba.
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Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by William Saliba (Arsenal).
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Foul by Pape Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Kai Havertz (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal).
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Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Micky van de Ven.
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Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Yves Bissouma.
Substitution
Substitution, Arsenal. Jakub Kiwior replaces Martin Ødegaard.
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Foul by Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Giovani Lo Celso replaces Ben Davies.
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Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 2, Arsenal 3. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
Post update
VAR Decision: Penalty Tottenham Hotspur.
Comments
Join the conversation
No hate for Tottenham from this Arsenal fan. I hope you win all your remaining games 😁
Arsenal just about hold on.
I hope they beat City to the league title.
Respect what Arteta has done at Arsenal, in a relatively short space of time too.
I can believe we nearly threw that away.
Giving them 2 goals to get back in the game and then a nervy ending.
Credit to the Spurs for not rolling over.
For us we held on and got the win, move to the next one.
The king grants everyone a happy st totteringham's day!
Breathtaking..
We go again!!
COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!