Tottenham keep alive with derby win over Arsenal

Tottenham’s 22-year wait to finish above Arsenal is over but their title chase is not done yet after Dele Alli and Harry Kane sealed a 2-0 victory in White Hart Lane’s last north London derby.

Only 146 seconds separated Alli’s second-half opener and Kane converting from the penalty spot as Spurs moved 17 points clear of the Gunners and made it mathematically impossible for their rivals to close the gap.

Tottenham’s victory was only tarnished by Chelsea’s emphatic 3-0 win at Everton earlier in the day, which means they could just reduce the difference at the top back to four points.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: “I feel very proud, first of all because the players played their best and they were fantastic. For our fans I feel very happy for them. It was a fantastic game and yes, we are in the race for the title. We reduce again the gap to Chelsea.”

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “Look, the points are the points. They do not come from heaven, you earn them on the pitch. That’s it. If I believe or not, the gap is there. That is often in the final part of the season, that can go one way or the other without really reflecting the difference between the teams.”

Tweet of the match

Star man – Christian Eriksen

Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey battle for the ball during the Premier League match at White Hart Lane, London.

Alli and Kane, the usual suspects, may have got the goals which sealed victory in a north London derby with so much riding on it, but it was Eriksen who again shone for the hosts.

The Denmark international has been influential in recent weeks and was pulling the strings here as Mauricio Pochettino’s side kept alive hopes of catching Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.

Data Points

There were just 146 seconds between Alli’s opener and Kane’s spot-kick as Arsene Wenger lost his eighth north London derby of the 50 he has now presided over as Arsenal boss. The defeat also has a longer-lasting effect as it means Tottenham will now definitely finish above their neighbours for the first time since 1995.

Moment of the match

Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane applauds the fans after the Premier League match at White Hart Lane, London.

Harry Kane penalty. The England striker loves playing against Arsenal and he made sure of the points with his sixth goal in his last five Premier League outings against the Gunners. Having taken the lead just two minutes earlier through Alli, Kane was tripped by Gabriel before dusting himself off to tuck away the penalty and seal an emotional victory.

Player ratings

Tottenham: Hugo Lloris 6, Kieran Trippier 6, Jan Vertonghen 7, Toby Alderweireld 7, Ben Davies 7, Victor Wanyama 7, Eric Dier 7, Son Heung-min 7, Dele Alli 7, Christian Eriksen 8, Harry Kane 7. Substitutes: Mousa Dembele (for Son) 6, Kyle Walker (for Trippier) 6, Moussa Sissoko (for Alli) 5.

Arsenal: Petr Cech 7, Gabriel 5, Laurent Koscielny 6, Nacho Monreal 5, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 5, Granit Xhaka 5, Aaron Ramsey 5, Kieran Gibbs 6, Mesut Ozil 5, Alexis Sanchez 5, Olivier Giroud 5. Substitutes: Danny Welbeck (for Xhaka) 6, Hector Bellerin (for Gabriel) 6, Theo Walcott (for Giroud) 6.

Who’s up next?

West Ham v Tottenham (Premier League, May 5)
Arsenal v Manchester United (Premier League, May 7)

PA

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