May 12, (THEWILL) –Â After an emphatic 3-0 triumph in the North London Derby (NLD) on Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur cut the gap between themselves and fourth-placed rivals Arsenal to just one point.
Even before Rob Holding’s 33rd-minute red card, the Gunners looked insipid, and they allowed their biggest rivals to come breathing down their necks in the English Premier League standings in the final two games of the season.
Antonio Conte’s side was awarded a penalty after Cedric obstructed Son Heung-min while attempting to reach Dejan Kulusevski’s pass after a heated opening 20 minutes offered few chances.
To open the scoring, Harry Kane, the all-time leading scorer in north London derbies, stepped up and sent England teammate Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way to extend his goal-scoring against the Gunners.
Arsenal’s poor luck continued as Holding, who had been engaged in a robust physical squaring up with Son, received a second yellow card for a hand across Son’s face while the South Korean was attempting to make a move in behind the defense.
Soon after, Spurs increased their lead when Rodrigo Bentancur rose highest to meet Son’s corner, and Kane stooped in at the back post to nod home his second of the evening.
Emerson Royal fluffed Ryan Sessegnon’s deep cross, and Eddie Nketiah’s dink from the edge of the box forced Hugo Lloris into his first important stop of the now one-sided derby.
Spurs came out firing after the break, scoring a third goal when Davinson Sanchez slipped a through ball to Kane. After a tussle with Gabriel, the Englishman was able to work the ball back to Son, who fired past a horde of defenders for his 21st league goal of the season.
At the other end, Bukayo Saka’s close-range attempt was stopped by Ben Davies’ outstretched leg, before Ramsdale had to push Emerson’s thunderous header aside.
Spurs went away 3-0 victors with minimal fuss as Son missed a clear touch on a bobbling ball from Sessegnon, with Martin Odegaard also misfiring at the other end following a cutback.
The result means that should Spurs beat Burnley on Sunday, Conte’s side may leapfrog Arsenal into fourth place ahead of Mikel Arteta’s side’s trip to Newcastle on Monday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
