FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM – Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a nervy 3-2 win at north London rivals Tottenham.
The Gunners opened up a three-goal lead before half-time after weathering an early Spurs storm, but Ange Postecoglou’s men rallied in the second half and came bitterly close to an unlikely point.
Second-placed Manchester City play later on Sunday and can close the gap on Arsenal back to one point with a win at Nottingham Forest, but for Mikel Arteta’s side the job is done for now and they have cleared the toughest final hurdle to end the season .
How the game developed
Arsenal had the ball in the net after 13 minutes through Kai Havertz, but the flag was raised for offside against Martin Odegaard.
But a few minutes later the guests took the lead after a corner. Bukayo Saka’s shot at the near post was headed into his own goal by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Shortly after going behind, Tottenham hit the post through Cristian Romero, whose header from a few meters away from a James Maddison corner hit the post.
In the 22nd minute, Spurs thought they were level. Arsenal’s defense from a corner fell to Pedro Porro, who fired into a crowded penalty area and the ball fell kindly to Micky van de Ven, who slotted past David Raya. However, after a detailed VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to the slightest offside position against the Dutchman.
Instead, Arsenal took a two-point lead. Spurs were denied two penalties at one end before the Gunners went down and scored at the other end. Havertz beat Saka with a wonderful ball over the top and the winger cut into Ben Davies before firing into the goal.
Arsenal scored their third goal before half-time when Havertz came on and headed the ball from Declan Rice’s corner.
Tottenham tried to equalize at the end of the first half when Porro passed a ball past William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to Son Heung-min, but the South Korean failed in his attempt, much to the frustration of the home fans.
In the second half, the hosts tried to regain their footing and went close through Romero, who beat Raya through a cross from Dejan Kulusevski but could not suppress his attempt.
Spurs were going for a penalty when Kulusevski fell victim to a foul from Gabriel, before Arsenal went straight to the ground at the other end and almost scored a fourth, with Guglielmo Vicario’s toe saved by Saka.
Shortly after the hour, Tottenham equalized in a comical way. Raya’s weak kick from behind was blocked by Romero, who this time landed the ball in the net with a bobbing half-volley.
Spurs were again denied a penalty when Davies received a kick in the groin from Rice, but were awarded a penalty after a VAR review. Son stepped forward and found the top corner to set up a stand.
Six minutes into stoppage time, the hosts threw all their players forward but simply couldn’t manage an equalizer and Arsenal secured the valuable three points.
TW: Guglielmo Vicario – 5/10 – At corners, the ball is canceled out due to White’s man marking. He made a great save to deny Saka in the second half, but by that point the game was slipping away.
RB: Pedro Porro – 5/10 – Wasn’t flushed in his own third but didn’t deliver enough when Tottenham had the ball. He is sometimes ignored by his teammates when he is in wide open spaces.
CB: Cristian Romero – 7/10 – Somehow Tottenham had the best chances and ironically scored with the only one that didn’t land on his head.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 6/10 – I thought he brought Spurs level with a goal that was ruled slightly offside. The challenge is to overdo it when defending in transition.
LB: Ben Davies – 4/10 – Allowed Saka to cut to his stronger left foot, resulting in the second goal. Just doesn’t have the same dynamic as Destiny Udogie. Put his body on the line to win a penalty against Rice.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 4/10 – He should have done more to position himself correctly and head the corner for the first own goal. At least he fought like a madman in midfield and didn’t shy away.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – 5/10 – Wasn’t afraid of getting stuck, but was sometimes too slow to advance the ball when spaces opened up behind Arsenal. Hooked on break.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski – 7/10 – Committed to the cause even when things weren’t going Spurs’ way. Needed more support from his teammates in attack.
AM: James Maddison – 5/10 – He stayed higher up the pitch rather than falling to the ground in frustration, which was what Tottenham needed, but he was unable to break through the stubborn Arsenal barrier.
LW: Timo Werner – 5/10 – Withdrew due to injury in the first half. Has hardly worried Arsenal up to this point.
CF: Son Heung-min – 7/10 – Should have taken more chances from close range just before half-time. After the introduction of Richarlison, he looked more comfortable on the wing. Nerves of steel from the penalty spot.
Substitute
Substitute: Brennan Johnson (31′ for Werner) – 6/10 – Caused problems for Tomiyasu in the second half when he switched to the right, but his performance wasn’t always precise.
Substitute: Pape Matar Sarr (46′ for Bentancur) – 5/10 – Tried to be too clever with the ball on points, stumbled and was about to get into trouble.
SUB: Richarlison (63′ for Maddison) – 6/10
SUB: Yves Bissouma (63′ for Hojbjerg) – 6/10
Substitute: Giovani Lo Celso (88th minute for Davies) – not available
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 5/10 – Tottenham have given themselves too much, and this is partly due to the naivety of their coach.
TW: David Raya – 4/10 – I didn’t really have much to do to stop shots until he gave Romero a goal out of nowhere.
RB: Ben White – 7/10 – Never seems nervous in his duels with Werner, Son or Johnson. Helped Arsenal score corners by practically turning to goalkeeper Vicario.
CB: William Saliba – 8/10 – Always remain calm, even in the heat of battle. A number of important blockages and interventions were made.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10 – Beaten by Romero on a few headers, but ironically not on the converted goal. Did well and made sure to give it to the Spurs players when they fell under his tackles.
LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10 – Gave Kulusevski the body he needed with a few cynical fouls, but he found it much harder to contain the electric Johnson.
CM: Declan Rice – 5/10 – Was one of Arsenal’s standout players until he missed a stupid penalty in a single game for hitting Davies with his hoof.
CM: Thomas Partey – 6/10 – Tottenham made a few mistakes at the start but got rid of this bad habit as the game progressed.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6/10 – He made some strange and uncharacteristic mistakes in his build-up that threatened to harm his team, but ultimately never did.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 8/10 – Made easy work of Davies and is making a habit of scoring in north London derbies when Arsenal need him.
CF: Kai Havertz – 9/10 – A little more false nine today than pure nine, but he played the role perfectly. Found Saka with a nice assist before scoring himself.
LW: Leandro Trossard – 6/10 – Occasionally he was caught trying to dribble out from behind. Didn’t have the same chances to score as in the last few games.
Substitute
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (63′ for Trossard) – 6/10 – Tried to take on Van de Ven but predictably lost. A tireless pace of work proved useful later on.
Substitute: Jakub Kiwior (89th minute for Odegaard) – not available
Substitutes not used: Aaron Ramsdale (TW), Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 7/10 – Arsenal’s three-goal lead was thanks to their tactics and management. Obviously he still has work to do to ensure that his team doesn’t shoot itself in the foot.