Arsenal Thrash Spurs to Restore Five-Point Lead as Liverpool Snatch Dramatic Late Win

Arsenal reasserted their authority in the Premier League title race with a statement 4-1 victory over bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur, restoring their five-point cushion at the top, while Liverpool required a stoppage-time strike to edge past Nottingham Forest and keep their Champions League hopes on track.

Mikel Arteta’s side produced a ruthless performance in the North London derby, dismantling a struggling Spurs team to claim their biggest league win away to Tottenham in nearly five decades. The result moves Arsenal to 61 points from 28 matches, opening up a five-point gap over second-placed Manchester City, who still have a game in hand.

Eberechi Eze was the star of the show, scoring twice in a commanding display. He struck in each half, giving Arsenal control and confidence in a fixture that has often been fraught with tension and fine margins. Viktor Gyökeres added a brace of his own, including a goal deep into stoppage time, to cap a dominant afternoon for the visitors and silence the home crowd.

The emphatic win comes at a crucial moment for Arsenal, who had faced questions over their consistency after dropping points in recent weeks, including surrendering a 2-0 lead against bottom side Wolves. Arteta had challenged his players to respond, and they did so in convincing fashion, showcasing both attacking fluency and a ruthless edge in front of goal.

For Tottenham, the defeat compounds an alarming slump. In Igor Tudor’s first league game in charge, Spurs were outclassed and are now winless in nine Premier League matches. The club has slid down the table into 16th place, only four points above the relegation zone, and find themselves embroiled in an unexpected survival battle.

Elsewhere, Liverpool kept their season alive with a dramatic late 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest. In a largely flat and disjointed display, Arne Slot’s side struggled to impose themselves and created few clear-cut chances against a disciplined Forest side fighting for safety.

The breakthrough came in the 97th minute when Alexis Mac Allister reacted quickest to a rebound inside the box, sweeping home to snatch all three points. The Argentine midfielder had earlier seen a goal ruled out, but his persistence paid off in the dying moments. The nature of the win was scarcely deserved on the balance of play, and Slot admitted afterwards that a draw would have been a fair result.

The victory, however unconvincing, could prove vital. Liverpool now sit sixth in the table on 45 points, level with Chelsea and Manchester United, who occupy fourth and fifth respectively, and remain firmly in contention for a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, stay 17th, hovering just above the drop zone and under increasing pressure as the season enters its decisive phase.

In other matches, Crystal Palace deepened Wolves’ misery with a 1-0 win secured by a 90th-minute strike from Evann Guessand. Wolves also finished the game with ten men after Ladislav Krejci was dismissed for a second yellow card, leaving the league’s bottom club with even more ground to make up.

Fulham enjoyed a positive afternoon with a 3-1 victory away at Sunderland, inspired by a brace from Raul Jimenez. The win lifted Fulham into the top half of the table, underlining their steady progress and providing further breathing room from the relegation scrap.

As the dust settles on a pivotal weekend, Arsenal have re-established themselves as the team to catch in the title race, while Liverpool’s late escape keeps their season’s objectives within reach. At the other end, Tottenham, Wolves and Forest face an increasingly tense run-in, with every point now carrying enormous weight.

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