- Arsenal withstand Tottenham comeback in pulsating north London derby
- Own goal plus efforts from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz put Gunners two up
- Cristian Romero strike and Son Heung-min brought Spurs back to within touching distance
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 raced into a three-goal lead before the break having weathered an early Spurs storm, but Ange Postecoglou's men rallied in the second half and came bitterly close to claiming an unlikely point.
Second-place Manchester City play later on Sunday and can reduce the gap on Arsenal back to one point with victory at Nottingham Forest, but it's job done for Mikel Arteta's side for now, clearing the hardest of their final hurdles to end the season.
How the game unfolded
Arsenal had the ball in the net after 13 minutes through Kai Havertz, but the flag went up for offside against Martin Odegaard in the build up.
But a couple of minutes later, the visitors took the lead from a corner. Bukayo Saka's delivery towards the near post was headed into his own net by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Soon after falling behind, Tottenham hit the post through Cristian Romero, whose header from a few yards out following a James Maddison corner could only find the upright.
On 22 minutes, Spurs thought they were level. Arsenal's clearance from a corner fell to Pedro Porro, who fired into a crowded box and the ball fell kindly for Micky van de Ven to sweep in beyond David Raya. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for the most marginal of offsides against the Dutchman.
Instead, Arsenal then went two up. Spurs were denied two penalty appeals at one end before the Gunners went down the other and scored, with Havertz picking out Saka with a wonderful ball over the top, and the winger cut inside Ben Davies before slotting home.
Before the break, Arsenal made it three, with Havertz getting in on the act, heading home from a Declan Rice corner.
Tottenham tried to pull one back at the end of the first half when Porro threaded a ball beyond William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to Son Heung-min, but the South Korean skied his effort much to the frustration of the home support.
In the second half, the hosts sought to get a foothold again and went close through Romero, who beat Raya to a Dejan Kulusevski cross but couldn't keep his attempt down.
Spurs wanted a penalty when Kulusevski fell under a challenge from Gabriel before Arsenal went straight down the other end and went close to a fourth, with Guglielmo Vicario's toe denying Saka.
Tottenham pulled one back in comical fashion just after the hour mark. Raya's poor kick from the back was snuffed out by Romero, who this time found the back of the net with a bobbling half-volley.
Spurs were again denied a penalty when Davies received a kick to the groin from Rice but were handed one after a VAR review. Son stepped up and found the top corner to set up a grandstand finish.
The hosts threw every man forward for six minutes of added time but just couldn't find an equaliser and Arsenal held on for a precious three points.
Tottenham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 5/10 - Nullified on corners due to the man-marking of White. Made a great save in the second half to deny Saka but the game was already slipping away at that point.
RB: Pedro Porro - 5/10 - Wasn't rinsed in his own third but didn't provide enough when Tottenham did have the ball. Sometimes ignored by his teammates when in acres of space, mind.
CB: Cristian Romero - 7/10 - Somehow the recipient of Tottenham's best chances, ironically scoring with the only one not planted on his head.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 6/10 - Thought he brought Spurs level with a goal chalked off for a slight offside. Tasked with doing too much when defending in transition.
LB: Ben Davies - 4/10 - Allowed Saka to cut onto his stronger left foot leading to the second goal. Just doesn't have the same dynamism of Destiny Udogie. Put his body on the line to win a penalty off Rice.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 4/10 - Should have done more to position himself correctly and head away the corner for the opening own goal. At least fought like a madman in midfield and didn't shy away.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 5/10 - Wasn't afraid to get stuck in but was sometimes too slow progressing the ball when space opened up behind Arsenal. Hooked at the 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 - Stayed higher up the pitch rather than dropping deep in frustration, which Tottenham needed but he couldn't pick that stubborn Arsenal lock.
LW: Timo Werner - 5/10 - Withdrawn with injury in the first half. Did little to trouble Arsenal to that point.
CF: Son Heung-min - 7/10 - Should have made more of a close-range opportunity on the stroke of half-time. Looked more comfortable back on the wing after Richarlison's introduction. Nerves of steel from the penalty spot.
Substitutes
SUB: Brennan Johnson (31' for Werner) - 6/10 - Gave Tomiyasu problems when switched to the right in the second half but his delivery wasn't always accurate.
SUB: Pape Matar Sarr (46' for Bentancur) - 5/10 - Tried to be too clever in possession at points, stumbling and coming close to playing into trouble.
SUB: Richarlison (63' for Maddison) - 6/10
SUB: Yves Bissouma (63' for Hojbjerg) - 6/10
SUB: Giovani Lo Celso (88' for Davies) - N/A
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 5/10 - Tottenham gave themselves too much to do and that's in part due to the naivety of their manager.
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya - 4/10 - Didn't actually have a lot to do in way of shot-stopping until gifting a goal to Romero out of nothing.
RB: Ben White - 7/10 - Never seem flustered in his duels with Werner, Son or Johnson. Helped Arsenal score from corners by essentially attaching himself to goalkeeper Vicario.
CB: William Saliba - 8/10 - Likewise always calm in the heat of the battle. Made a number of important blocks and interventions.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes - 7/10 - Beaten by Romero for a few headers but ironically not the goal he converted. Swept up well and made sure to give it to Spurs players when they fell under his tackles.
LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu - 6/10 - Bodied Kulusevski with a few cynical fouls but found it much harder to keep the electric Johnson under wraps.
CM: Declan Rice - 5/10 - Was among Arsenal's standout performers until he gave away a daft penalty for hoofing Davies in the privates.
CM: Thomas Partey - 6/10 - Pressed into some early errors by Tottenham but kicked this bad habit as the game progressed.
CM: Martin Odegaard - 6/10 - Made some strange and uncharacteristic errors in build up that threatened to cost his side, but ultimately his never did.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - Made light 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 than straight-up nine today, but played that role to perfection. Found Saka with a lovely assist before getting a goal for himself.
LW: Leandro Trossard - 6/10 - Caught trying to dribble out from the back on occasion. Didn't have the same sights of goal as he has in recent games.
Substitutes
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (63' for Trossard) - 6/10 - Tried to take on Van de Ven for pace and predictably lost. Relentless work rate came in handy down the stretch.
SUB: Jakub Kiwior (89' for Odegaard) - N/A
Subs not used: Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah
Manager
Mikel Arteta - 7/10 - Arsenal's three-goal lead was down to his tactics and management. Still clearly needs to work on his team not shooting themselves in the foot.
