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LONDON: and kept and under pressure from Oxlade- Tottenham Hotspur in the Chamberlain-Alli nodded wide from point- title hunt as their side torpedoed Arsenal 2-0 blank range. in ’s last yesterday. Leaders Chelsea extended their CECH ACROBATICS advantage to seven points by winning 3-0 at Three minutes later another chance went Everton earlier in the day, but Mauricio begging. After nutmegging Oxlade- Pochettino’s Spurs cut the gap back to four Chamberlain, Son Heung-Min dispatched a points with a thrilling display. shot that fell kindly for Eriksen, but from sev- The two goals arrived within 146 seconds en yards out and with the net gaping, his left- of each other in the second half, Alli polishing volley clipped the crossbar. The half ended off a rebound and Kane netting a penalty to with Cech scrambling to turn a low Jan take their respective goal tallies to 17 and 21 Vertonghen effort behind, but prior to that for the campaign. Spurs will finish above Arsenal had threatened to land a sucker- Arsenal for the first time since 1995, ending punch. obliged Spurs goal- 22 years of “St Totteringham’s Day”-the day keeper to palm a curling attempt marked by Arsenal fans when their team can wide, while Kieran Gibbs slashed over and no longer be overtaken by their local rivals. Alexis Sanchez billowed an effort off-target. Spurs will play at Wembley next season The pattern continued in the second half, before moving into their new stadium which Cech saving from Victor Wanyama and Kane is being built on the site of their current and Son hitting the side-netting from the home-in August 2018. They have now won corner that followed Wanyama’s effort. nine league games in succession and pre- provided a moment of alarm vailed in 13 successive league matches at by volleying over at an Arsenal corner, but in home within the same season for the first the 55th minute Spurs’ pressure told. After time. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s 50th jinking into the six-yard box, Eriksen was north London derby ended in a fifth defeat in thwarted by Cech, but Alli followed up to six away games, leaving his side six points off slide in the rebound, with Oxlade- the Champions League slots in sixth place. Chamberlain completely miscuing an Arsenal retain a game in hand, however, attempted goal-line clearance. and their disappointment was mitigated by The Lane was rocking and three minutes the fact top-four rivals City and later the home fans had a second goal to Manchester United both dropped points ear- cherish. Kane drew a clumsy swipe from lier in the day. shook off a Gabriel and then wrong-footed Cech with an knee injury to take his place in an Arsenal emphatic, drilled penalty into the bottom- back three that swiftly found itself under left corner. Arsenal looked to respond, examination. It took the hosts less than a Giroud and Sanchez shooting tamely at minute to register a shot on target, Kane Lloris, before Danny Welbeck and Hector working Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech at his Bellerin were pitched into the fray from the near post after Alli hooked the ball on. bench. But Spurs continued to look the more headed wide from an likely scorers and it was only because of corner and Ben Davies saw a Cech’s acrobatics that they failed to run cross deflected into the side-netting by Alex away with the game. The former Chelsea Oxlade-Chamberlain before Alli spurned a goalkeeper produced flying saves to deny gilt-edged chance. Kane’s shot from the right Vertonghen and Alderweireld and raced out LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, front, celebrates with Dele Alli after scoring a penalty during the English Premier League soccer match between flicked up off Koscielny and looped towards smartly to thwart Kane, who also headed Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane. —AP the back post, but with the goal at his mercy- into the side-netting. —AFP