Home ›› 14 May 2022 ›› Sport

Spurs crush 10-man Arsenal to keep top-four bid alive

AFP . London
14 May 2022 00:00:00 | Update: 14 May 2022 00:49:38
Spurs crush 10-man Arsenal to keep top-four bid alive
Spurs striker Harry Kane (L) celebrates their first goal in the PL match against Arsenal with teammates in London on Thursday – AFP Photo

Mikel Arteta launched a scathing attack on referee Paul Tierney after Tottenham beat 10-man Arsenal 3-0 on Thursday to keep alive their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four.

Antonio Conte’s side would have been eliminated from the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League if they had lost to their bitter north London rivals.

But Harry Kane tormented Arsenal once again as the Tottenham striker opened the scoring with a controversial penalty.

Crucially, Arsenal’s Rob Holding was sent off for two bookings in seven minutes.

Kane netted again before the interval and Son Heung-min bagged Tottenham’s third goal in the second half.

Arsenal still hold a slender advantage, but the end of their four-match winning run leaves them just one point ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, with both sides having two games left.

Gunners boss Arteta was furious with both the penalty and red card, saying: “If I say what I think I’m suspended for six months. I don’t know how to lie so I prefer not to say what I think.

“I cannot give my opinion. I think you can read my body language very clearly. I’m not unhappy with my players. I’m proud of my players. 

“I want the referees to come in front of the camera and explain his decisions. It’s a shame because such a beautiful game was destroyed today.”

Tottenham host struggling Burnley on Sunday then travel to relegated Norwich, while Arteta’s men visit Newcastle on Monday and entertain Everton.

Having masterminded Tottenham’s largest league win over Arsenal since 1983, Conte called on his players to maintain the momentum against Burnley.

“We won an important derby and now we are close to them in the table. For sure, we need to recover very well because we will play on Sunday against a team that has beaten us,” he said.

×