Arsenal hit back to beat Tottenham and reignite title challenge
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Arsenal breathed fresh life into their Premier League title chase with a 2-1 comeback win against Tottenham in an electric north London derby. Following consecutive home cup defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United, Arsenal fell behind at the Emirates after Son Heung-min’s 25th-minute opener for Spurs.
But they were back on level terms with 40 minutes gone when Gabriel’s header from a corner rebounded off Dominic Solanke before Leandro Trossard put them ahead on the stroke of half-time. Arsenal saw out the second half to move back into second place and within four points of leaders Liverpool, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
For Tottenham, it marked a fourth defeat from their last five league matches to leave them 13th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone. In a week where a first-leg Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle was followed by a third-round FA Cup exit to Manchester United, this felt like a win-or-bust fixture for Arsenal’s season.
On the eve of the derby, manager Mikel Arteta demanded the greatest atmosphere the Emirates had ever seen, and the home supporters answered his call with a raucous welcome for their arch-rivals. And the players delivered, too, with a high-tempo opening 20 minutes where the Gunners had Spurs firmly on the ropes.
Trossard and Thomas Partey both had shots blocked before Kai Havertz charged down Antonin Kinsky’s clearance only for the Spurs stopper to rescue his own blunder. However, for all their possession, Arsenal failed to create a clear-cut opening, and midway through the first half, Gabriel was required to poke the ball off Solanke’s toes with the former Bournemouth man poised to pull the trigger.
