Tottenham vs Arsenal - as it happened: Dele Alli and Harry Kane hand Spurs well-deserved victory
Re-live all the action from White Hart Lane
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Your support makes all the difference.Both Tottenham and Arsenal ground out 1-0 victories midweek. Spurs overcame a spirited Crystal Palace side to remain four points behind leaders Chelsea thanks to a superb strike from Christian Eriksen. Arsenal kept up their chase of the top-four with a laboured victory over Leicester after a Robert Huth own goal gifted them the three-points. Nacho Monreal’s speculative effort deflected off the German, leaving Arsenal five points adrift of fourth placed Manchester City with a game in hand.
Tottenham bounced back from the disappointment of a 4-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat to title rivals Chelsea against Palace, and will be determined to claim another home victory against old adversaries Arsenal. Spurs have only dropped four points in the league at home this season and will be glad that remaining fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United are at fortress White Hart Lane.
Arsenal have been rejuvenated in recent weeks since their 3-0 defeat to Palace, winning three consecutive fixtures, including a dogged victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final. They remain firm outsiders to claim the final Champions League spot, but will see this fixture as an ideal opportunity to ramp up the pressure on the Manchester duo while derailing Spurs’ title push. Should Arsène Wenger’s men fail to claim all three points, they will surely be too far adrift, and will have to turn all their attention to winning their third FA Cup in four years.
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What time does it start?
Tottenham vs Arsenal kicks off at 16:30 on Sunday 30th April.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 16:15. Highlights will be shown at 23:00 on Sky Sports 1.
It’s a big game for…
Theo Walcott. After another disappointing display as a central striker against Leicester, the 28-year-old, supposedly in the prime of his career, has failed to cement a starting birth. Should he be granted another opportunity, he has no bigger stage to prove his worth.
Best stat…
Wenger has never finished below Tottenham in the Premier League in 20 years in charge. The last time Spurs finished above Arsenal was in 1995.
Remember when…
Tomas Rosicky’s second-minute strike from an acute angle proved to be the decisive goal at White Hart Lane during the 2013/14 campaign. Tottenham lost on three separate occasions to Arsenal that season, including a 2-0 loss in the third round of the FA Cup.
Player to watch…
Christian Eriksen. The Dane produced the assist of the season during Spurs’ FA Cup defeat last Sunday and followed it up with a precious goal from 25 yards against Palace when it looked like the match (and his team’s title aspirations) might fizzle out. Eriksen has produced 12 assists this season and will be a key figure if Tottenham are to overcome Arsenal.
Past three-meetings…
Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1, Premier League, November 2016
Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2, Premier League, March 2016
Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1, Premier League, November 2015
Form guide…
Tottenham: WWWWLW
Arsenal: DWLWWW
Odds…
Tottenham to win: 5/6
Arsenal to win: 31/10
Draw: 29/10
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)
46 min: Tottenham starting positively as they set about working the ball towards the Arsenal box. Harry Kane eventually receives the ball at feet but with his back turned to goal, and with a number of red shirts swarming him, he feeds it back to Eriksen on the right flank. Arsenal hold strong and Tottenham are eventually forced back into their own half.
48 min: Chance for Tottenham! Dele Alli skips past a number of Arsenal players and manages to get the ball away to Son as he's eventually hacked down. The South Korean squares it to Wanyama on the edge of the box who lets loose with his first touch. It dips dangerously towards Cech's goal but he reacts well and dives backwards to push the effort over his bar.
51 min: Kane with the shot this time. He bounces off two Arsenal challenges near the edge of the visitors' box, spins and sends a low-driven effort towards the centre of the goal. Cech gets his body behind it to deny Tottenham an opener.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal (Dele Alli, 55 min):
It was Alli who first broke into the box from the right but he was unable to find his way past the wall of red shirts. Instead, he handed play to Eriksen who, following some quick feet, found the space to take a shot on goal from four yards out. His effort was saved but only cleared as far as the six-yard box. Alli pounced on the loose bar and guided it in to the bottom left-hand corner. A scrappy goal but well deserved.
Tottenham penalty!
The floodgates have been opened! Gibbs brings down Kane in the box!
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal (Harry Kane, 58 min):
Calm as a cucumber, Kane buried that right in the bottom left-hand corner. Cech had no chance. What a crushing couple of minutes for Arsenal fans.
61 min: Wow, what a breathless couple of minutes that was. White Hart Lane has erupted into a cacophony of chants as the home fans sing the praises of their players. Arsenal look lost at sea.
65 min: Alli really has the bit between his teeth now as he charges down the left flank before cutting inward. He races towards the byline but Koscielny is on hand to block his path and succeeds in forcing an Arsenal goal-kick.
67 min: Tottenham corner from the right. Eriksen delivers but Nacho gets there first to clear the cross. Spurs are first to meet the clearance though and it's recycled before falling to Vertonghen. The defender lines up the goal and sends a deliciously struck effort hurtling towards the top right corner but Cech once again saves Arsenal's bacon.
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