How Arsenal closed the gap on Tottenham Hotspur in the space of five Premier League games in top four race

How Arsenal closed the gap on Tottenham Hotspur in the space of five Premier League games in top four race

Arsenal’s win over Newcastle United moved the Gunners into third place for the first time this season, leapfrogging Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.


Their chances of a return to the Champions League were massively boosted as they beat the Magpies 2-0 on Monday night.





Mauricio Pochettino must be fuming after Spurs were clawed back by Arsenal



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Mauricio Pochettino must be fuming after Spurs were clawed back by Arsenal



Aaron Ramsey, who will leave for Juventus in the summer when his contract expires, tucked away the opener before Alexandre Lacazette made sure of the points with a lofted finish in the closing stages.


Only reigning champions Manchester City have taken more points at home than Emery’s side this season – with their winning run at home extended to 10 games.


But just five games ago, the Premier League landscape looked extremely different.


Spurs were third in the table and just five points off leaders City, who led Liverpool courtesy of their far superior goal difference.





Arsenal’s victory over Newcastle put them in pole position to qualify for the Champions League



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Arsenal’s victory over Newcastle put them in pole position to qualify for the Champions League



Arsenal on the other hand, were fifth and a whopping TEN points off their bitter north London rivals.


So how on earth have Spurs allowed such a drastic swing to occur with Champions League qualification seemingly wrapped up?


Not only that, there were even whispers of a late surge towards the Premier League title to make it a three-horse race.


talkSPORT.com examines just what has gone wrong for Spurs at such a crucial stage of the season, as the return of ‘St Totteringham’s Day’ looms ominously like the Grim Reaper’s scythe.















Burnley 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (February 27th)





Pochettino’s outburst at Mike Dean led to the Spurs boss being banned from the touchline for two games



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Pochettino’s outburst at Mike Dean led to the Spurs boss being banned from the touchline for two games



After trouncing Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, Spurs headed to Turf Moor with supreme confidence.


Coming off the back of a home win against Leicester and with Harry Kane back from injury, the mood was positive to say the least.


But a costly 2-1 defeat, coupled with a Pochettino meltdown at full-time saw the Argentine given a touchline ban and the gap between the top two extended.


Arsenal played 24 hours later at home against Southampton and secured a crucial 2-0 win – closing the gap to seven points.





The table on February 24 after Arsenal’s win over Southampton




BBC



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The table on February 24 after Arsenal’s win over Southampton



Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (February 27th)





Kieran Trippier scored an embarrassing own goal at Stamford Bridge



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Kieran Trippier scored an embarrassing own goal at Stamford Bridge



Perhaps one of the most demoralising and damaging defeats during the Spurs slump, this defeat to bitter rivals Chelsea will have stung.


Failing to register a single shot on target, Kane appeared to lash out at an opposition player and losing to one of the most comical own goals ever seen in the Premier League made the defeat that much harder to take for the Lilywhites.


Although hindsight is a wonderful thing, Maurizio Sarri’s men have also looked poor since this game and Spurs will question why they were unable to even test Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.


Arsenal could not have enjoyed a more morale-boosting performance on the other hand, smashing Bournemouth 5-1 at the Emirates – closing the gap down to four points.





The table after Spurs’ defeat to Chelsea



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The table after Spurs’ defeat to Chelsea



Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Arsenal (March 3rd)





Aubameyang had his penalty saved by Lloris in injury time



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Aubameyang had his penalty saved by Lloris in injury time



Perhaps a warning of what was to come, Arsenal played a despondent Spurs off the park at Wembley last month.


However, the Gunners could not land the killer blow to complete a sensational league double over the bitter rivals.


Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had the chance to score a last-minute penalty and go some way to becoming an Arsenal legend.


However, Hugo Lloris kept out his tame spot kick to ensure the points were shared – keeping the gap at four points.





The table on March 2 after the 1-1 draw at Wembley




BBC



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The table on March 2 after the 1-1 draw at Wembley



Southampton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (March 9th)





Pochettino looks on from the stands at St Mary’s where he served the first of his two-match touchline ban



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Pochettino looks on from the stands at St Mary’s where he served the first of his two-match touchline ban



With Pochettino returning to his former club, the Argentine took his place in the stands after a clinical performance away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.


Spurs beat the Germans 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park and the boss would have hoped for an equally positive away performance to turn the blip in their Premier League form around.


But the Saints marched straight through the lacklustre visitors and completed a remarkable comeback with just 14 minutes of normal time remaining to win 2-1.


A day later, the Gunners struck a devastating blow to fellow top four rivals Man United with a 2-0 win at the Emirates – closing the gap to just a point and overtaking the Red Devils in the process.





The table on March 10 after Arsenal’s win over Manchester United




BBC



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The table on March 10 after Arsenal’s win over Manchester United



Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United (April 1st)





Unai Emery celebrates the win over Newcastle



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Unai Emery celebrates the win over Newcastle



The beginning of April could well be a pivotal moment in the race for Europe, and it was Arsenal fans who were left laughing.


After watching Tottenham captain Lloris literally chuck two points away at Anfield on Sunday, Unai Emery’s men knew victory would push their rivals out of the top four.


Needless to say, the Gunners got the job done on Monday night to take them to the lofty heights of third and leave Spurs staring at the very realistic possibility of playing Europa League football in their new ground.


As it stands, Spurs are two points behind their fierce rivals with just seven games of the season left to play and there is still so much to play for.





Here’s how the current Premier League table looks after Monday night




BBC



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Here’s how the current Premier League table looks after Monday night




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