Premier League

TOTTENHAM 0
ARSENAL 2 (Lloris 14 og, Odegaard 36)

ARSENAL stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points this evening (Sunday) with a thoroughly deserved 2-0 victory at rivals Tottenham.

An own-goal by Spurs captain Hugo Lloris set the Gunners on their way after just 14 minutes, before a stunning effort from Martin Odegaard made the points safe.

The home side had the lion’s share of the chances after the break, but found Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale in uncompromising form.

Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta said his players saw the win as an important sign of how far the side has progressed since they were humbled 3-0 at Spurs last season. He added: “We know we are where we are because of the way we play and the unity we have, and we must not forget that.

“I thought we were terrific. Psychologically and emotionally, today has a big emotional attachment. There is a big history between the two clubs and it means so much. We are in a great position to be in and let us enjoy every single moment.”

Arsenal’s first chance came on eight minutes when their press forced Lloris to a mishit clearance which was charged down after Clement Lenglet failed to clear. The ball fell for Eddie Nketiah, whose shot from six-yards was denied by a goalkeeper whose errors are becoming more frequent –yet who still occasionally pulls off world class saves.

Tottenham had shown some bright moments in the opening exchanges. Ryan Sessegnon got into space out wide but frustrated the home supporters with hurried crosses that were easy to deal with.

Going in the other direction, Bukayo Saka was incisive and it was his directness that led to the opening goal. The winger wriggled to the byline under Sessegnon’s attention and managed to squeeze a cross in. It wasn’t going anywhere – but a disastrous fumble by Lloris saw the goalkeeper spill the ball into his own net.

The goal gave Arsenal a timely confidence boost in what had till then been an open and flowing contest. They then set about showing why they are the league leaders.

Getting forward in numbers, Arteta’s side had Spurs on the ropes – the hosts were unable to get out of their own half and were scrambling to close down a wave of fluid Arsenal attacks. A rare foray upfield did see Spurs almost get back into the game, but Ramsdale made a fine save to deny Heung-Min Son.

Odegaard was at the heart of all that was good for the visitors, and Spurs were giving the Arsenal captain as much time as he wanted to pull the strings. At the midway point he was allowed to settle himself and set his sights on goal, forcing Lloris into a smart save from distance.

Then Thomas Partey connected sweetly with a volley that left Lloris completely beaten. It smashed against the post at a time when the Gunners were threatening to kill the game off.

Spurs looked like they were trying to beat themselves: poor choices in possession, hurried attacks and a disjointed midfield – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Pape Sarr had never started a game together – meant it was no surprise when Arsenal increased their lead on 36 minutes.

Odegaard collected the ball from Saka and fired a clinical drive into the bottom corner from outside the box for his eighth league goal of the season.

Conte made no half-time changes, but whatever was said was understood. Tottenham looked much better after the break. Dejan Kulusevski cut inside and drove over the bar, and then combined with Kane to send the forward in on goal, but the England striker saw his stinging shot pushed round the post by a full stretch Ramsdale.

Moments later Sessegnon played the one-two with Kane and forced Ramsdale into another vital stop, this time with his feet. For all their efforts, however, Spurs found Ramsdale more than equal to whatever they had to offer. The frantic attempts to get back into the game lacked cohesion, and by the end the energy had been sapped from a team that is some way off from matching their title-chasing rivals.

Antonio Conte said he felt the gulf in points between the sides – Arsenal are 14 ahead with a game in hand – did not relate to the balance on the pitch. The Tottenham boss added: “We knew what we needed to do, we knew it would be difficult. They deserve to be contenders. At the same time, I am disappointed in the way we lost.

“We conceded a goal and immediately after we had a good chance with Son – their keeper made a fantastic save. In the second half we played well. We created chances and it would have been a different situation if we had scored from one of our chances early on after half time. Above all, we did not lose our heads. We controlled the game after the break, we have to be disappointed.”

Tottenham: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Lenglet (Davies, 87), Doherty (Richarlison, 71), Sessegnon (Perisic, 74), Sarr (Bissouma, 75), Hojbjerg, Kulusevski (Gil, 87), Son, Kane
Substitutes not used: Forster, Royal, Sanchez, Skipp

Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko (Tomiyasu, 86), Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard (Vieira, 90+4), Saka, Martinelli (Tierney, 79), Nketiah (Smith Rowe 90+3)
Substitutes not used: Turner, Holding, Lokonga, Marquinhos, Smith