Uncategories Tottenhamextended theirPremier Leagueadvantage overArsenalto seven points after completing a clinical 2-1 win in a highly-charged north London derby.First-half goals from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon were enough to take Spurs back above Chelsea to third in the top flight.Per Mertesacker pulled one back forthe visitors in the 51st minute but, despite a glut of late chances from both sides, a fiercely contested and hugely entertaining encounter finished in favour of Andre Villas-Boas’ in-form team.Tottenham’s fourth consecutive Premier League win has lifted them to within two points of second-placed Manchester City, who travel to Aston Villa on Monday night.Arsenal’s seventh league defeat of the season leaves them five points adrift of the Champions League places with less than a quarter of the season remaining.Bale set Spurs on their way in the 37th minute with his 10th goal in eight games as he once again demonstrated what a threat he is in the central role that Villas-Boas has created for him.But this was no one-man show. The home team had heroes all over the pitch as they mixed disciplined, resolute defence with some thrilling counterattacks.A strong second-half fightback proved in vain for Arsenal, who made one change from the team that beat Aston Villa last weekend, with Aaron Ramsey replacing the injured Abou Diaby.Gylfi Sigurdsson was rewarded for his equaliser in the 3-2 win over West Ham by getting the nod over Lewis Holtby, while Benoit Assou-Ekotto came in for the injured Steven Caulker. Jermain Defoe was named as a substitute following a month on the sidelines.The opening quarter of the match was played at a frantic pace, with both teams urgently compressing space to keep chances to a premium.Arsenal were marginally the more composed of the two sides, supplying spearhead Olivier Giroud with some good ammunition, but the Frenchman lacked the quick reflexes to execute effectively.Wenger’s team undid their good work of the opening 35 minutes withthe kind of statue-esque defending that has become all too familiar in recent years.In the 37th minute, Bale’s run between the centre-backs was spotted by Sigurdsson and his sumptuous pass was seized upon bythe Welshman with almost effortlesscool. Barely breaking stride,Baleslotted it to the left of Wojciech Szczesny.Chants of ‘Gareth Bale, he scores when he wants’ were followed by ‘When the Spurs go marching in’ after Lennon emerged victorious in another one-on-one with Szczesny 140 seconds later to send the home fans wild.

Tottenhamextended theirPremier Leagueadvantage overArsenalto seven points after completing a clinical 2-1 win in a highly-charged north London derby.First-half goals from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon were enough to take Spurs back above Chelsea to third in the top flight.Per Mertesacker pulled one back forthe visitors in the 51st minute but, despite a glut of late chances from both sides, a fiercely contested and hugely entertaining encounter finished in favour of Andre Villas-Boas’ in-form team.Tottenham’s fourth consecutive Premier League win has lifted them to within two points of second-placed Manchester City, who travel to Aston Villa on Monday night.Arsenal’s seventh league defeat of the season leaves them five points adrift of the Champions League places with less than a quarter of the season remaining.Bale set Spurs on their way in the 37th minute with his 10th goal in eight games as he once again demonstrated what a threat he is in the central role that Villas-Boas has created for him.But this was no one-man show. The home team had heroes all over the pitch as they mixed disciplined, resolute defence with some thrilling counterattacks.A strong second-half fightback proved in vain for Arsenal, who made one change from the team that beat Aston Villa last weekend, with Aaron Ramsey replacing the injured Abou Diaby.Gylfi Sigurdsson was rewarded for his equaliser in the 3-2 win over West Ham by getting the nod over Lewis Holtby, while Benoit Assou-Ekotto came in for the injured Steven Caulker. Jermain Defoe was named as a substitute following a month on the sidelines.The opening quarter of the match was played at a frantic pace, with both teams urgently compressing space to keep chances to a premium.Arsenal were marginally the more composed of the two sides, supplying spearhead Olivier Giroud with some good ammunition, but the Frenchman lacked the quick reflexes to execute effectively.Wenger’s team undid their good work of the opening 35 minutes withthe kind of statue-esque defending that has become all too familiar in recent years.In the 37th minute, Bale’s run between the centre-backs was spotted by Sigurdsson and his sumptuous pass was seized upon bythe Welshman with almost effortlesscool. Barely breaking stride,Baleslotted it to the left of Wojciech Szczesny.Chants of ‘Gareth Bale, he scores when he wants’ were followed by ‘When the Spurs go marching in’ after Lennon emerged victorious in another one-on-one with Szczesny 140 seconds later to send the home fans wild.

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