North London red as Gunners win 2-0 over Spurs and are 8 points clear at the top
In the 193rd North London Derby, Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to snap an eight-game losing streak. With a victory over their bitter rivals, the Arsenal moved eight points clear atop the Premier League (PL), accomplishing the double over them for the first time since 2014.
The last Arsenal team to triumph on Spurs territory was led by Mikel Arteta, who engineered a flawless first-half performance in which his team absolutely overpowered the visitors. When Tottenham was caught out in possession in their own third, Hugo Lloris was forced to deny Eddie Nketiah, sowing the seeds of uncertainty. Moments later, though, there would be no such reprieve as the goalie made another error by looping Bukayo Saka's cross into his own goal.
Antonio Conte simply had no answer for the pressure his team was facing, and Martin Ødegaard’s effort from range brought a save from Lloris, before a rocket on the volley from Thomas Partey cannoned off the woodwork. Having found his range, Arsenal’s Norwegian captain hit the target before the break to double their advantage, as he drilled into the bottom corner from outside the area, and left Spurs needing another rousing second-half performance.
Harry Kane, who has scored the most goals in the history of this match, would undoubtedly be the guy to lead the most unlikely of comebacks. Before the break, he forced Aaron Ramsdale into a low save; after the break, he shot higher towards goal, but his England teammate was once more equal to it. A few seconds later, after Kane had slipped the wingback in, Ramsdale resumed his heroics by stopping Ryan Sessegnon from scoring from the inside of the left box.
Arsenal seized control after a chaotic start of the second half. Granit Xhaka could have put the game away when he slid Nketiah in, but Lloris kept his ground to stop him. Perhaps the biggest improvement in the Arsenal this season has been their ability to handle pressure, which was on display as they easily completed the game to win a significant victory. While Spurs sit five points outside of the UEFA Champions League spots, a first PL championship since the infamous "invincible" season of 2003/04 becomes an ever-more likely prospect.