Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal. Premier League.
White Hart LaneAttendance31,811.
Monday 1 May 2017 08:53, UK
Tottenham kept pace with Premier League leaders Chelsea after a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the north London derby at White Hart Lane.
Dele Alli scored his 17th league goal of the season to break the deadlock on 55 minutes and Harry Kane picked himself up to score from the penalty spot three minutes later.
The three-minute second-half spell settled the match, with Kane, who has scored in five consecutive league games against the Gunners, once again their nemesis.
Chelsea's impressive 3-0 win at Everton earlier on Super Sunday put the pressure on Spurs, but they responded to ensure the gap to top spot remains four points.
The victory also means they are guaranteed to finish above Arsenal in the Premier League for the first time since 1995.
The result keeps Arsene Wenger's side sixth and they now face a real battle to secure Champions League qualification, having lost ground on top-four rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, who dropped points to Middlesbrough and Swansea respectively.
Chelsea's thumping victory threatened to dampen enthusiasm at the Lane but Mauricio Pochettino's men maintained their focus and were the better side throughout.
The Spurs boss preferred Kieran Trippier to Kyle Walker, while Moussa Dembele dropped to the bench having failed to shake off an ankle injury suffered against Crystal Palace.
Wenger kept faith with his 3-4-3 formation, with starts for Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but a sluggish opening spell by the visitors put Spurs on the front foot.
Toby Alderweireld flashed an early header over before the home side squandered two glorious chances in quick succession.
The first fell to Alli, who nodded wide from three yards under pressure from Oxlade-Chamberlain.
That glaring miss was swiftly followed by another as Christian Eriksen blazed over an equally gilt-edged opportunity. Son's deflected strike fortuitously broke six yards out but the Denmark international guided his volley over Petr Cech's crossbar.
The wasteful finishing seemed to give Arsenal a boost and they grew into the match as the interval approached.
Aaron Ramsey called Hugo Lloris into action with a low strike before Alexis Sanchez guided a curling effort wide.
But that revival proved to be short-lived as the Gunners conceded twice in three minutes after the break.
Alli reacted quickest to open the scoring after super play by Eriksen and Arsenal barely had time to catch their breath before falling two behind.
Gabriel upended Kane in the box and the England striker took full advantage from the spot, netting his 21st league goal of the season.
The hosts continued to push for a third as Jan Vertonghen, Kane and Alderweireld each forced smart saves from Cech.
They also had a second penalty appeal waved away by referee Michael Oliver when Son's flick appeared to make contact with Sanchez's arm.
Arsenal pushed back in the closing stages but they rarely troubled Lloris, with Theo Walcott drawing a routine stop from the Frenchman late on.
With four matches remaining in the title race, Pochettino's side can close the gap to Chelsea to one point if they win at West Ham on Friday Night Football.
Antonio Conte's league leaders then face Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Monday Night Football.
Arsenal have the perfect chance to bounce back at home to top-four contenders Manchester United next Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Player ratings
Tottenham: Lloris (7), Trippier (7), Vertonghen (8), Alderweireld (7), Davies (7), Son (8), Wanyama (8), Dier (7), Alli (8), Eriksen (8) Kane (8)
Subs used: Walker (6), Dembele (6), Sissoko (6)
Arsenal: Cech (6), Gibbs (6), Monreal (6), Gabriel (5), Koscielny (6), Ramsey (7), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6), Xhaka (6), Sanchez (6), Giroud (5), Ozil (5)
Subs used: Bellerin (6), Walcott (6), Welbeck (6)
Man of the match: Jan Vertonghen
