Premier League leaders Arsenal survived a second-half scare at Tottenham to hold on for a 3-2 north London derby victory that cemented their place at the top.
A 23-minute first-half blitz saw the Gunners race into a 3-0 lead through a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg headed own goal, Bukayo Saka finish and Kai Havertz header.
But with Arsenal in total control, a 64th-minute howler by goalkeeper David Raya allowed Cristian Romero to pull one back.
An 87th-minute Heung-Min Son penalty then set up a nervy finish for the Gunners, who withstood Spurs’ late pressure to hold on and move four points clear of Manchester City.
Tottenham, meanwhile, suffered a second consecutive defeat to fall seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in a further blow to their hopes of Champions League qualification.
How Gunners beat fierce rivals to keep title dreams alive
Arsenal made the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium full of confidence after the midweek thrashing of London rivals Chelsea, but amid an electric atmosphere it was Spurs who made a bright start
The Gunners, though, weathered the early pressure to take the lead in the 15th minute when Hojbjerg headed into his own net from Saka’s cross.
Spurs responded well as Cristian Romero headed against the post five minutes later and then in the 22nd minute the home side thought they had leveled when Micky Van de Ven hammered home, only for the goal to be disallowed by VAR for a tight offside call.
Spurs then had two penalty claims denied in quick succession in the 27th minute as Dejan Kulusevski fell to a Leandro Trossard trip before James Maddison went down under a Declan Rice tackle.
The home side’s frustrations were immediately compounded as Arsenal launched a devastating counter-attack that saw Havertz brilliantly pick out Saka, who clinically finished low beyond Guglielmo Vicario.
Arsenal’s set-piece superiority then paid off again as Rice’s corner was headed in by Havertz for the Gunners’ 16th corner goal of the Premier League season – the most by a team in a single campaign since West Brom under Tony Pulis in 2016-17 ( 16).
With Arsenal in total control, Spurs pushed for a route back into the game but captain Heung-Min Son fired over just before half-time as the home side failed to have a shot on target.
A fine Vicario save from Saka’s close range effort seven minutes into the second half prevented an Arsenal fourth.
Vicario’s opposite number Raya then handed Tottenham a route back into the game as he passed straight to Romero who fired past the embarrassed Spaniard.
Arsenal looked to have seen off Spurs’ pressure for a second until Rice kicked Ben Davies in the box and referee Michael Oliver was sent to the pitchside monitor, where he overturned his original decision to award the home side a penalty.
They then powered home from the spot in the 87th minute to set up a nervy finish, which Arsenal handled well to claim a third straight win and keep alive their hopes of a first Premier League title in 20 years.
What’s next?
Arsenal host Bournemouth on May 4, kick-off 12.30pm, while Tottenham face a London derby against Chelsea on Thursday, May 2, live on Sky Sportskick-off 7.30pm.
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