PUMPED-UP Arsenal stormed to their first Premier League victory over Spurs since March 2014 as they dominated the North London derby at the Emirates.
First-half goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez sent the Gunners to within one point of their bitter rivals in the table.
And even the most rabid Spurs supporters could hardly dispute that Arsenal deserved this morale-boosting victory.
Yet the visitors did have plenty to complain about when Mustafi headed Arsenal ahead in the 36th minute.
Davinson Sanchez appeared to have won the ball cleanly when he was penalised for a challenge on Alexis Sanchez while Mustafi looked marginally offside when he got between Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen to head in from Mesut Ozil’s free-kick.
Spurs were also appealing for offside against Alexandre Lacazette in the build-up to Arsenal’s second goal. But this time linesman Ian Hussin appeared to get it spot-on before Sanchez smashed his 43rd minute shot into the roof of Hugo Lloris’ net.
Yet those goals were no more than Arsenal deserved for a dominating display in a fiercely-contested match.
Arsene Wenger’s team were clearly stung by suggestions that they lacked the passion of their near neighbours and never allowed Spurs’ stars a moment to settle on the ball.
They should have taken the lead in the 19th minute but Lacazette was just unable to apply a finishing touch to Hector Bellerin’s driven cross into the six-yard box.
And it needed a desperate last-ditch clearance from Dier to keep out Ozil’s clever ball into the danger area on the half hour.
But Arsenal were not to be denied and their persistence finally paid off with two goals in seven minutes to leave them firmly in control. The closest Spurs came to a goal all afternoon was a looping Harry Kane header which was saved by Petr Cech despite a deflection off Mustafi, playing his first game after seven matches out with a thigh injury.
Chriatian Eriksen also clipped the outside of a post and Kane thought he should have had a second-half penalty when he collided in the area with Sead Kolasinac.
But it was clearly not going to be their day, a fact acknowledged by Pochettino when he subbed Kane and Alli 15 minutes from the end to save them for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
From The Sun
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