Acc 2288b trắng

FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM - Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a nervy 3-2 win at north London rivals Tottenham.

The Gunners raced into a three-goal lead before the break having weathered an early Spurs storm, but Ange Postecoglou's men rallied in the second half and came bitterly close to claiming an unlikely point.

Second-place Manchester City play later on Sunday and can reduce the gap on Arsenal back to one point with victory at Nottingham Forest, but it's job done for Mikel Arteta's side for now, clearing the hardest of their final hurdles to end the season.

How the game unfolded

Arsenal had the ball in the net after 13 minutes through Kai Havertz, but the flag went up for offside against Martin Odegaard in the build up.

But a couple of minutes later, the visitors took the lead from a corner. Bukayo Saka's delivery towards the near post was headed into his own net by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Soon after falling behind, Tottenham hit the post through Cristian Romero, whose header from a few yards out following a James Maddison corner could only find the upright.

On 22 minutes, Spurs thought they were level. Arsenal's clearance from a corner fell to Pedro Porro, who fired into a crowded box and the ball fell kindly for Micky van de Ven to sweep in beyond David Raya. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out for the most marginal of offsides against the Dutchman.

Instead, Arsenal then went two up. Spurs were denied two penalty appeals at one end before the Gunners went down the other and scored, with Havertz picking out Saka with a wonderful ball over the top, and the winger cut inside Ben Davies before slotting home.

Before the break, Arsenal made it three, with Havertz getting in on the act, heading home from a Declan Rice corner.

Tottenham tried to pull one back at the end of the first half when Porro threaded a ball beyond William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes to Son Heung-min, but the South Korean skied his effort much to the frustration of the home support.

In the second half, the hosts sought to get a foothold again and went close through Romero, who beat Raya to a Dejan Kulusevski cross but couldn't keep his attempt down.

Spurs wanted a penalty when Kulusevski fell under a challenge from Gabriel before Arsenal went straight down the other end and went close to a fourth, with Guglielmo Vicario's toe denying Saka.

Tottenham pulled one back in comical fashion just after the hour mark. Raya's poor kick from the back was snuffed out by Romero, who this time found the back of the net with a bobbling half-volley.

Spurs were again denied a penalty when Davies received a kick to the groin from Rice but were handed one after a VAR review. Son stepped up and found the top corner to set up a grandstand finish.