Arsenal hang on to beat Postecoglou’s Spurs, stretch lead at top

London: Arsenal held connected to bushed battling section rivals Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 distant and determination 4 points wide astatine the apical of the Premier League aft an emphatic first-half show and a tense 2nd play successful an electrical derby ambiance connected Sunday.

The triumph astatine the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured Mikel Arteta’s squad remained astatine the apical of the standings, up of defending champion Manchester City, which won 2-0 astatine Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal teammates observe their triumph implicit Tottenham.Credit:

But Arsenal had to endure a tense decorativeness contempt powering to 3-0 pb successful a London derby that was expected to beryllium 1 of its biggest tests successful the rubric chase.

“The past 20 minutes wasn’t nice, but it was worthy it,” Arsenal guardant Bukayo Saka said afterward. “We cognize it is simply a large derby and they don’t privation to suffer 3-0 astatine home. Momentum shifted their way, but I americium arrogant of the boys — we managed to get the 3 points.”

An ain extremity by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and efforts from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz enactment the Gunners successful power astatine halftime and though Spurs fought backmost done Cristian Romero’s onslaught and a Son Heung-min penalty, the visitors claimed the 3 points.

But successful the look of a imaginable rout, Tottenham responded successful the 2nd fractional done Cristian Romero and a punishment from Son Heung-min successful the 87th minute.

Under pressure, Arsenal held connected and remains 1 constituent wide astatine the top, having played a crippled much than City.

Tottenham’s decision deed their hopes of playing Champions League shot adjacent play arsenic they basal 7 points disconnected fourth-placed Aston Villa, albeit inactive with 2 games successful hand.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was near to rue the mistakes that person dogged his broadside each season.

“They’re (Arsenal) a squad that deals with the details good and we aren’t,” the Australian said.

Tottenham’s caput manager Ange Postecoglou was near to rue the mistakes that person dogged his broadside each season.Credit:

The vantage is inactive with Pep Guardiola’s team, which volition clinch a fourth-straight rubric if it wins its remaining games this play and responded to Arsenal’s triumph with triumph of its ain astatine relegation-fighting Forest.

With Liverpool’s rubric hopes further diminishing aft dropping 5 points successful 2 games this week, it is down to Arsenal to situation City’s home dominance.

Having collapsed precocious connected successful past season’s rubric race, Arteta’s players look much susceptible of going the region this clip around.

An distant fixture against its fiercest rival, Tottenham, was a large trial of its credentials astatine this signifier of the campaign. And portion Arsenal was blameworthy of letting Spurs backmost into a crippled that should person been killed disconnected overmuch earlier, triumph erstwhile hostility was precocious was a trial of character.

“Maybe past play that could person ended successful a gully and we showed we person the experience,” Saka said. “We cognize City are an astonishing team, but they are not perfect, we conscionable request to bash our job.”

Arsenal’s triumph meant the unit was connected City to support the vigor connected its rubric rival.

It was ever favourite to bushed a Forest squad that is desperately warring for endurance but without Phil Foden, who was ill, and Erling Haaland connected the bench, Guardiola was without 2 of its large match-winners successful the starting 11.

An wounded to goalkeeper Ederson besides forced City into a alteration astatine halftime.

But Guardiola’s squad looks to beryllium successful unstoppable signifier and a 2-0 triumph extended its unbeaten grounds successful the league to 19 games, dating backmost to a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Aston Villa astatine the commencement of December.

Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, center, dribbles the shot past Nottingham Forest’s Willy Boly.Credit:

Back past determination were questions astir City’s quality to triumph a sixth rubric successful 7 years. While Arsenal whitethorn pb the way, City’s title-winning know-how could marque the difference.

So could Haaland, who stepped disconnected the seat to people the extremity that efficaciously killed disconnected Forest’s challenge.

Josko Gvardiol headed City successful beforehand successful the archetypal half, but Chris Wood had 2 wide chances from adjacent scope to people for Forest.

Haaland missed City’s past 2 games done injury, but was rapidly backmost connected the scoresheet with a clinically taken extremity conscionable 9 minutes aft coming connected arsenic a substitute.

Among those successful the assemblage to ticker were his father, Alf-Inge, and stone prima Noel Gallagher.

The extremity saw Haaland determination wide of Cole Palmer arsenic the league’s apical scorer with 21 goals.

“It’s an important win, it does not substance however we bash it, and it is bully to beryllium back,” Haaland said. “We knew it was going to beryllium a fight, and the transportation was not the easiest to play connected but we cannot complain, it is astir winning and that is precisely what we did.”

Without a triumph successful its archetypal 9 league games this season, Bournemouth is present successful the apical fractional of the array and has acceptable its ain Premier League points record.

A 3-0 triumph against Brighton moved Andoni Iraola’s squad up to 10th and connected 48 points. Bournemouth’s erstwhile champion successful the apical formation was 46 points successful the 2016-17 play nether erstwhile manager Eddie Howe.

Goals from Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert secured triumph against a Brighton squad that is going successful the different absorption aft six games without a win.

Reuters, AP

Most Viewed successful Sport

Loading