- Arsenal scores pair in 1st half
- Mustafi stars at both ends
- Gunners 1 pt back of second
- Shots finish 14-14
Not so fast, Spurs.
Arsenal recalled North London Derbies of old with a strong 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Shkrodan Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez scored, while Mesut Ozil and Petr Cech also starred in the victory.
The fifth-place Gunners are a point behind Spurs and second-place Manchester United.
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Alexandre Lacazette cut a chance well wide and high of the bar in the first five minutes, while Spurs’ Harry Kane forced Petr Cech into a sixth minute save.
There were chances at both ends and a frenetic pace of play as the match approached the 20-minute mark, with Hector Bellerin’s inviting cross unanswered by Arsenal.
Mustafi provided the derby breakthrough at the back post off a sweeping free kick to boost the Gunners into a 37th minute advantage.
GOALLLL! Shkodran Mustafi with a superb header from Mesut Ozil's free kick. What a way to mark his return to fitness. Arsenal deservedly lead in the #NorthLondonDerby | #AFC 1-0 #THFC #PLonNBC
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 18, 2017
And Alexis used great work from a lively Hector Bellerin to make it 2-0 before the break, belting an in-tight effort near the upper 90.
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11 - Arsenal have won 11 home Premier League games in a row, their best run since winning 13 consecutively at Highbury between February and November 2005. Fortress. pic.twitter.com/KrP9hMAl8c
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 18, 2017
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The second half saw Spurs come out with an edge, no doubt buoyed by Mauricio Pochettino’s vexed appearance, and Harry Kane burnished a dirty tackle to earn a yellow card.
Ozil set up Sanchez for a would-be third goal in the 76th minute, but Hugo Lloris quickly closed down the angle.
Mustafi had a fine intervention to block a late Kane shot, while Cech stopped Eric Dier from pulling one back late.