Tottenham Hotspur slumped to their second home defeat of 2022 at the hands of fierce rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening.
The hosts made a host of changes from last weekend’s FA Cup victory over Portsmouth, including the return of Dejan Kulusevski from injury, yet were no match for the visitors, who wrapped the game up with a dominant first half display.
The warning signs that Spurs were in the mood for self-inflicted damage arrived as early as the sixth minute, when some faffing about at the back from Hugo Lloris and Clement Lenglet resulting in an opening for Eddie Nketiah, who was thwarted from close range by the Spurs keeper.
However, the Frenchman was to have no lucky escape 7 minutes later, when he parried Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross into his own net.
That goal sapped the energy right of the stadium and the home players, and Arsenal, smelling blood, kept coming onto their hosts, and we’re unlucky not to double their advantage when Thomas Partey’s wicked long range effort crashing off the post with Lloris and all those around him beaten.
However, the hosts’ relief was short-lived, and Arsenal doubled their lead ten minutes before the break when Martin Odegaard had the freedom of North London to lash in a long-range effort past Lloris.
Spurs had the chance to reduce the deficit through Harry Kane, but his glanced header was beaten away by Aaron Ramsdale, who made an even better save after the interval to deny Ryan Sessegnon when Kane played him in on goal.
Ramsdale made a decent stop from Kane and Lloris thwarted Nketiah once more, but the match eventually fizzled out to see three points head to the red side of North London to increase the Gunners’ lead at the top of the league to 8 points.