MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham secured a huge victory in the race for Champions League qualification by winning 3-0 against Arsenal, who played an hour of the north London derby with 10 men.
A win for Arsenal would have been enough for them to clinch a top-four finish in the Premier League for the first time since 2016, but they are now just one point clear of Spurs with two games remaining.
Harry Kane scored the opener from the penalty spot after Cedric Soares’ foul on Son Heung-min and it was a coming together with the South Korean that resulted in Rob Holding being shown a second yellow card in the 33rd minute.
Kane doubled his tally before half-time and Son put the result beyond doubt early in the second period, putting Antonio Conte’s men firmly in contention for a Champions League spot.
Tottenham were awarded a penalty in the 22nd minute when Cedric shoved Son over in the box and Kane showed great composure to send his spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.
Holding was given his marching orders after catching Son in the head with his arm and Spurs doubled their advantage just four minutes later.
Son’s corner was helped on towards the back post by Rodrigo Bentancur, with Kane stooping to nod into the back of the net from close range.
Things got worse for Arsenal just two minutes after the restart, with Son dinking the ball home through a crowd of bodies after Gabriel Magalhaes’ tackle on Kane.
Aaron Ramsdale made two saves in quick succession to deny Emerson Royal and Kane, while Son was unable to turn Ryan Sessegnon’s pass on target despite being one-on-one with the keeper.
Gabriel hobbled off late on with a hamstring injury for the Gunners, who were left to mull over a defeat that put a dent in their hopes of a return to the Champions League.
What does it mean? Gunners see red
Arsenal were completely undone after Holding’s dismissal, which was their 13th red card in the Premier League since Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge in December 2019 – that is five more than any other team in the same timeframe.
They were unable to keep things tight and consequently fell to a third straight away loss to Spurs in the league for the first time since August 1961.
The Gunners must regroup ahead of a trip to Newcastle United and a clash with Everton, with Spurs still to face Burnley and Norwich City.
Another Kane-ing for Arsenal
With his first-half double, Kane took his haul of top-flight goals against Arsenal to 13. The only team he has scored more against in the competition are Leicester City (17). Kane has now been involved in 52 goals in 69 London derby appearances in the Premier League, two behind Thierry Henry’s record.
No Holding on for Gunners
While they still had their full complement, Arsenal had a chance of getting back into the game at 1-0 down. However, Holding managed to commit four fouls – the most he has made in a single Premier League appearance – in the opening 33 minutes and his red card ruined their hopes.
Key Opta facts
– Arsenal suffered their heaviest league defeat against Spurs since April 1983 (0-5), while this was the first time the Gunners have ever trailed by more than two goals in a Premier League fixture against them.
– Spurs have only last one of their past 11 Premier League games against Arsenal when below them in the table (W5 D5), losing 0-1 in March 2014 under Tim Sherwood.
– Since Conte’s first Premier League game in charge of the club, only Manchester City (69) and Liverpool (64) have secured more points in the competition than Spurs (50).
– Son has scored 21 non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. Only Kane has netted more goals, excluding penalties, in a single season in the competition for Spurs (28 in 2017-18 and 24 in 2016-17).
What’s next?
Spurs entertain Burnley on Sunday, meaning Arsenal could be outside the top four when they play away at Newcastle United on Monday
