Arsenal beat Tottenham to maintain their top spot in the league.

Arsenal beat Tottenham 3-2 away in round 35, remaining firmly at the top of the Premier League with 4 points more than Man City.

Arsenal looked set for a resounding victory, leading 3-0 in the first half and not allowing Tottenham a single shot on target. However, mistakes from David Raya and Declan Rice – two new signings Arsenal acquired in the summer of 2023 – led to the Gunners conceding two goals and enduring a nail-biting final few minutes.

Manager Mikel Arteta even had to bring on Jakub Kiwior to replace captain Martin Odegaard in the 89th minute to strengthen the defense under immense pressure from the home side. Only when Son Heung-min delivered a cross out of bounds in the sixth minute of added time and the referee blew the final whistle could the Arsenal players and fans breathe a sigh of relief.

A dramatic victory against their London rivals helped Arsenal reach 80 points, four points ahead of Man City but with two games in hand. The gap between the two teams could be narrowed when Man City travel to Nottingham Forest for their late match today.

Kai Havertz celebrates his goal that put Arsenal 3-0 up in the 38th minute of their 3-2 win against Tottenham in the 35th round of the Premier League on May 28th. Photo: Guardian

Ahead of the crucial match in the 35th round of the Premier League, Tottenham were considered to have a fitness advantage as they hadn't played since their 0-4 defeat at Newcastle on April 13th. During the same period, Arsenal had played four matches, losing 0-2 at home to Aston Villa, being eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, before returning to winning ways against Wolves and Chelsea.

However, the difference in physical fitness was not evident on the Tottenham Hotspur pitch on the evening of April 28th. With the goal of securing three points to keep their title hopes alive, Arsenal started brightly and exerted great pressure right from the opening whistle.

In the 13th minute, Thomas Partey played a pass into the penalty area for Odegaard to run onto. The Norwegian midfielder controlled the ball neatly, then turned and set up Kai Havertz to volley it into the net past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. However, the goal was disallowed due to Odegaard being offside.

Arsenal didn't have to regret it for too long. Just over a minute later, the visitors took the lead when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg headed in an own goal from a corner kick on the right wing taken by Bukayo Saka. Hojbjerg hadn't scored in 35 games across all competitions this season, but he did have an own goal.

All five own goals in North London derbies in the Premier League have been scored by Tottenham players. All five goals gave Arsenal the lead, with own goals from Armstrong in March 2000, Wimmer in November 2016, Lloris in January 2023, Romero in September 2023, and Hojbjerg today.

It wasn't until midway through the first half that Tottenham finally broke through. In the 19th and 20th minutes, center-back Cristian Romero had two consecutive headers that went wide and hit the post. In the 23rd minute, his defensive partner Micky van de Ven shot from close range into Raya's net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Saka scored the goal that put Arsenal 2-0 up in their 3-2 victory over Tottenham in the 35th round of the Premier League on April 28. Photo: Guardian

Four minutes after escaping defeat, Arsenal doubled their lead. From a interception outside the penalty area, the visitors counter-attacked as Havertz played a long pass to Saka, who broke free on the right wing. The English midfielder cut inside and curled a powerful left-footed shot into the far corner, beyond Vicario's reach. Saka reached 15 Premier League goals this season – his best scoring record in a single season. Saka is also the first English player wearing an Arsenal shirt to score in both legs against Tottenham in the competition since former striker Ian Wright in the 1993-1994 season.

Continuing their momentum, Arsenal found their third goal in the 38th minute. From a corner kick on the left wing taken by Declan Rice, Havertz made a run and headed the ball into the net. Arsenal scored their 16th goal from corner kicks in the Premier League this season – a record for a club in a single season, equaling West Brom's tally under Tony Pulis in the 2016-2017 season.

Arsenal dominated possession, preventing their opponents from having a single shot on target, and it seemed they would easily win. But a surprise came in the 64th minute when Raya passed the ball directly to Romero just outside the penalty area, and the Tottenham defender didn't miss, scoring with a diagonal shot to reduce the deficit. With five goals, Romero is the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League this season.

In the 86th minute, another Arsenal newcomer, Rice, committed a foul by kicking Ben Davies in the leg inside the penalty area. After reviewing the footage from the touchline, referee Michael Oliver awarded the home team a penalty. From the penalty spot, Son struck a powerful shot towards the right corner, and although Raya guessed the right direction, he couldn't get a hand to the ball.

Son Heung-min converted a penalty, reducing the deficit to 3-2 for Tottenham in the 87th minute. Photo: Reuters

Arsenal showed their mettle by holding firm for the remaining ten minutes, including six minutes of added time, to keep their title hopes alive. Mikel Arteta's team still has three matches to play, against Bournemouth on May 4th, Manchester United on May 12th, and Everton on May 19th.

Starting lineup :

Tottenham : Vicario, Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Davies (Lo Celso 88), Hojbjerg (Bissouma 64), Bentancur (Sarr 46), Werner (Johnson 31), Maddison (Richarlison 64), Kulusevski, Son Heung-min.

Arsenal : Raya, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Saliba, Ben White, Partey, Rice, Odegaard (Kiwior 89), Trossard (Martinelli 63), Saka, Havertz.

Hong Duy

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