Arsenal Defeats Spurs 2-1, Keeps Premier League Title Hopes Alive

Arsenal secured a vital 2-1 victory in the North London Derby against rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, keeping alive its title hopes by moving within four points of Liverpool who have a game in hand.

Arsenal dominated much of the first half, recording 62% possession until the 25th minute when Spurs star Heung-Min Son scored off a deflected shot from a corner kick, scoring a goal against the run of play. The Korean celebrated by shushing the Arsenal fans, and he now has eight goals in his last 20 appearances against them.

Then the game flipped on its head in the space of five minutes. Arsenal equalized in the 39th minute by scoring from yet another set piece this season — because who needs strikers when you have the best corner kick routine in football? It is their eighth set-piece goal this season and the most in the league by far. Declan Rice hit an outswinging corner that found its way to Gabriel Magalhães at the far post to head in. The goal was scored in controversial circumstances, as the replay showed the corner actually should have been a goal kick awarded to Tottenham.

Leandro Trossard added to the Gunners’ lead 2-1 just a few minutes later with a sweet left-foot finish to the far post. Arsenal undoubtedly deserved the lead going into the halftime break.

The second half was a much more controlled performance from Arsenal. While Tottenham created more chances in the second half, it was unable to get past the Gunners’ defense and were kept to just a 0.83 xG (expected goals) with two shots on target, ultimately losing 2-1.

For Tottenham, it marks its sixth defeat in its last eight Premier League matches. Spurs injury crisis in defense has held back what was supposed to be a major season for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but they are 90 minutes away from a Carabao Cup final — assuming they can see through their 1-0 aggregate lead against Liverpool at Anfield next month.

The three points for Arsenal are all the sweeter considering that on Tuesday, their three league title rivals Chelsea, leaders Liverpool, and Manchester City all dropped points and failed to take advantage of each other’s slip-ups. If Liverpool wins their game in hand, the Reds can extend their lead to seven points.