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Tottenham Hotspur kept their UEFA Champions League hopes alive with a comfortable 3-0 win over Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, May 12. The Premier League clash was one of the most highly anticipated north London derbies in recent memory, with a top-four finish at stake.
A victory for Mikel Arteta's Gunners could have ended Antonio Conte and Tottenham's chances of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League. However, Arsenal got off to a horrible start as they went 1-0 down in the 22nd minute after conceding a penalty. They were then reduced to ten men in just over thirty minutes of action.
Harry Kane scored a first-half brace while Rob Holding was sent off for the visitors after picking up two quick bookings. Son Heung-min added a third just two minutes after the restart to clinch three crucial points for the home side.
Aided by Holding's early dismissal, the Spurs dominated the rest of the game, finishing the night with 58% possession and 16 attempts, six of which were on target. The Gunners had eight shots of their own but could only put four of them on target and didn't really look like scoring at any point in the game.
Although Arteta's side remain in fourth place with 66 points from 36 games, Tottenham are right on their heels. Conte's team now have 65 points but still need Arsenal to stumble again. With just two rounds of games left to play this season, the race for Europe is set to go down to the wire.
On that note, here are five talking points from the latest installment of the north London derby.
#5 Harry Kane puts Arsenal to the sword yet again
Harry Kane has undoubtedly been the standout performer in recent north London derby games. The Spurs forward was up to his usual tricks on Thursday and paved the way for his team with a crucial brace.
He began by sending Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute. In doing so, Kane maintained his perfect record from 12 yards out against the Gunners (five of five).
The centre-forward doubled Spurs' advantage 15 minutes later with a poacher's finish, sneaking in to head home Rodrigo Bentancur's flick-on. It was Kane's 13th goal in 15 league appearances against Arsenal and consolidated his place as the all-time leading scorer in north London derbies. He has now scored 25 times in 48 games across competitions this season.
#4 Rob Holding sees red after a disastrous start
With Ben White only fit enough to be on the bench, Arteta was missing a defensive leader and had no choice but to play Rob Holding at centre-back. One of the main themes of the first-half was the personal battle between the English defender and Son Heung-min.
The duo were involved in four incidents, two of which yielded bookings for the Arsenal defender. Holding was fortunate to escape punishment on the first couple of occasions but was finally shown a yellow card for the third foul.
Matters came to a boil in the 33rd minute when Holding blocked Son from making a run in behind towards Eric Dier's hopeful long ball. It was a needless foul, considering the pass was overhit and would have run safely into Ramsdale's arms.
Referee Paul Tierney had a perfect view of the incident and did not hesitate to give the Arsenal centre-back a second booking. It brought an end to a calamitous display from Holding, who never seemed to settle into the game.
#3 Arsenal hurt by lack of options up front
It is no secret that the Gunners are starved for goals. Arteta's side have found the net 56 times in 36 games, the lowest tally among the Premier League's top-seven. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure in January left Arsenal with just two options up front - Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah.
With the Frenchman struggling for fitness in recent weeks, Nketiah has featured prominently for the Gunners. Coming into the north London derby, the 22-year-old Englishman had four goals in his last four league appearances, courtesy of braces against Chelsea and Leeds United.
Nketiah, though, isn't the quickest or strongest of forwards and was well-marshalled by Spurs' rugged defense. The Gunners clearly lacked an extra dimension and a focal point. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Nketiah didn't offer much in terms of off-ball movement and physicality.
Arsenal failed to sign a striker in this season's winter transfer window and a repeat of the same in the summer could prove to be disastrous.
#2 Son Heung-min continues to deliver in big games
The other half of Tottenham's deadly duo, Son Heung-min, has been particularly effective against the Premier League's elite sides this campaign.
After scoring a vital goal in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool just four days ago, the South Korean star turned in another excellent display against a top-four side. Not only did he win a penalty for Kane's opener on Thursday, but Son also scored Tottenham's third goal of the night.
It was his 21st goal of the ongoing Premier League campaign, just one behind Mohamed Salah, who is at the top of the scoring charts. Son has now found the net against Manchester City, Liverpool (both games) and Arsenal (both games) this season.
#1 The race for UEFA Champions League qualification gets even closer
Tottenham's win means the race for UEFA Champions League qualification is well and truly on. A win for Arsenal on Thursday would have seen them secure a top-four finish. Instead, the Gunners are now under enormous pressure with just two league games left to play.
It is important to note that Spurs have a significantly better goal difference than their bitter rivals (+23 to +11). In their final two games, Conte's side will welcome Burnley, who are battling for safety, and travel to Norwich City, who are already relegated.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have a slightly tougher slate of games remaining as they travel to face a much-improved Newcastle United side in their next league fixture.
The Gunners will then welcome Everton to London for their final game of the season. Frank Lampard's Toffees are also fighting for safety and have shown improvement in recent weeks, making it a potentially tricky fixture.
