ARSENAL lost 3-0 in their huge North London derby clash with Tottenham on Thursday night.
The Gunners have put themselves under huge pressure heading into the final two games of the season, as they sit just one point above Spurs in the race for a Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly submitted a £43m bid to lure Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus to the Emirates this summer.
The Brazilian could be surplus to requirements following the arrival of Erling Haaland, and Mikel Arteta is hoping to persuade Jesus to make the switch.
Meanwhile, Italian outfit Bologna’s sporting director, Riccardo Bigon will be in London tonight to discuss a potential deal for full-back Aaron Hickey according to reports.
Keep up to date with all of the latest updates from the Emirates in our live blog…
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Keown looking silly
Arsenal legend Martin Kewon has been left red faced after tipping the Gunners to beat Spurs in the crucial North London derby.
He predicted 2-1 to Arsenal.
Keown said: “Tottenham are dangerous and have become so much more difficult to beat under Conte.
“Their front three is different class, and I’ve been immensely impressed by their new signings, Kulusevski and Bentancur.
“But I believe this will finish 2-1 to Arsenal, with the confident Nketiah bagging the winner.”
His positivity has backfired.
Arsenal want the ‘next Martinez’
The Gunners are keen on Racing star Charly Alcaraz who has already been named the ‘next Lautaro Martinez’.
Spanish outlet Marca report that nine clubs are set to battle for the 19-year-old’s signature.
Alongside Arsenal, the teams that are ready to bid are Spurs, Wolves, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Juventus, Inter and AC Milan.
Alcaraz has a contract until 2026 but there is a release clause of £20.5million.
Saka nominated for Player of the Season
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has been nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Season award.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding season scoring 11 times in the league as the Gunners go for a top four finish.
He has been nominated along with Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrod Bowen, Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-Min and James Ward Prowse.
Wright makes Holding claim
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes that Rob Holding was “terrified” of Son Heung-Min in last night’s North London Derby.
Holding was sent off after 33 minutes after fouling to South Korean numerous times.
Wright said: “Rob Holding is terrified of Son’s pace. In each instance, we are seeing Holding trying to win the ball.
“You can’t afford to go down to ten men.
“He has got no complaints [for the red card]. That right side has been a problem for us.
“It has been a mismatch. You can see how uncomfortable Holding was.
“In the end, the way he has been sent off, he has no defence of himself there.”
Conte launches attack on Arteta
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has launched an incredible attack on Mikel Arteta after his side beat Arsenal 3-0.
The Spaniard was left raging as a result of refereeing decisions.
But Conte speaking to Sky Sports post-match said: “(Arteta) has to be focused more on his team and not complaining.
“He has just started his work. He has to be calm… To listen to a coach complaining a lot of times is not good.”
Arsenal leading the hunt for Osimhen
Italian media are reporting that Arsenal are the side most interested in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
It has been reported that it could take a bid of around £85million to get him away from Napoli.
He has scored 17 goals this season.
Man Utd are also keen on him.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal – Player Ratings – Part Three.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10
Began brightly down the left and had Emerson Royal for the taking, and perhaps should have unleashed a shot early on to test Hugo Lloris.
Became increasingly frustrated as the game wore on and it showed in his end product.
Eddie Nketiah 6/10
Looked to have Tottenham’s back three on edge but failed to influence the game in any real capacity soon after – not that he can be blamed for that.
But he did lose Kane at the far post at a corner that allowed the Spurs striker to score.
Subs:
Emile Smith Rowe – 6/10
Came on in the 63rd minute. Had the impossible task of getting Arsenal back into this game only to see his time on the ball starved.
Alexandre Lacazette – 5/10
Subbed on after 73 minutes. Provided a focal point up top at least, but barely did anything worth noting.
Nuno Tavares – 5/10
Came on in the 75th minute. The damage was already done especially with him replacing Gabriel after his injury.
Credit: Alamy Arsenal Player Ratings
Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal – Player Ratings – Part Two.
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
Was tasked with keeping Kane at bay and did well for the opening 20 minutes until Arsenal went down to ten men.
Granit Xhaka – 6/10
Attempted to marshal the troops after the red card but was mostly chasing shadows alongside his team-mates.
Martin Odegaard – 7/10
The Norwegian’s press pushed the Gunners up the pitch well in the first few minutes and looked to be dictating the game.
Was arguably their best player and the only one to leave Tottenham’s ground with any satisfaction as he had a late effort well stopped by Lloris.
Bukayo Saka – 6/10
Was running riot in the first couple of minutes and looked a real threat. Even down to ten men he led the line albeit with no real success.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal – Player Ratings – Part One.
The Gunners were dealt a huge blow in their race for Champions League qualification as Spurs ran riot with a one man advantage.
Aaron Ramsdale – 7/10
Nothing he could do about the penalty, up against one of the best 12-yard takers in world football.
Neither could he be blamed for the other two goals with the mess that was in front of him, and made decent stops to deny Emerson and Kane.
Cedric Soares- 4/10
Gave away the penalty with a shove on Son in the box that was not needed. Tried to make up for it with a few lung-busting runs to keep up with Kane.
Yet it was that penalty that sparked the capitulation for Arsenal.
Rob Holding 1/10
Got into a few niggly tussles with Son Heung-min and his ego of wanting to knock the Spurs forward off the ball earned him an unnecessary early yellow card.
He then completely lost the plot after a needless off the ball collision with Son earned him a 34th minute red card.
Gabriel 5/10
Hardly Arsenal’s worst defender of the night but was caught short on a few occasions and let Harry Kane nutmeg him more than once.
Ended his night on a sour note after hobbling off with an injury.
Takehrio Tomiyasu 6/10
Forced to play in an unnatural left-back role with Kieran Tierney missing.
He did little wrong and filled in at centre back after Rob Holding’s red card.
Credit: Getty
Worst defeat against Tottenham in 39 years
It was a disappointing night for the Gunners losing to North London rivals Spurs 3-0.
It was the first time in the Premier League era that Tottenham beat Arsenal by three or more goals.
Arsenal haven’t lost the derby by such a margin since 5-0 loss back in 1983.
Good morning Arsenal fans
Arsenal’s Champions League hopes have been dealt a huge blow by Tottenham.
Spurs inflicted a 3-0 loss on their London rivals in the tense Prem clash.
A Harry Kane double, along with a strike by Son was enough to give the home side a win.
Kane’s first goal was a penalty and he revealed that analysing Gunners keeper Aaron Ramsdale in England training helped him pick the right spot.
The Gunners are now just one point ahead of Tottenham with two games to go.
Arsenal’s cause wasn’t helped by defender Rob Holding who was sent off early on in the game after receiving two yellow cards for consecutive fouls on Spurs star Son Heung-min.
It’s safe to say Arteta didn’t agree with the ref’s decision to send off Holding.
The Spaniard claimed he’d be suspended for SIX MONTHS if he gave his opinion on referee Paul Tierney’s choices in the match.
Arteta fumed in his post-match interview: “If I say what I think I’ll be suspended for six months. Such a beautiful game was destroyed today.”
Holding’s dismissal, along with a hamstring injury to centre-back Gabriel Maghalaes, means Arsenal will likely have to field a make-shift defence for the rest of the season.
Elsewhere, the Gunners are eyeing Everton star Dominic Calvert-Lewin if they miss out on Manchester City ace Gabriel Jesus.
Fabrizio Romano claims the Gunners are lining up a new striker this summer.
And City slicker Jesus is at the top of Mikel Arteta’s list.
But the Spaniard is also prepared to go in for Calvert-Lewin should Pep Guardiola block Jesus’ exit.
However, Arsenal have submitted a £43million bid for Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus.
That is according to GOAL, who report that an offer has been “formalised” and that negotiations are “close to an end”.
Meanwhile, Arsenal ace Reiss Nelson will hold talks with manager Mikel Arteta over his Emirates future as Feyenoord look to keep him on loan for another season.
Nelson linked up with the Eredivisie giants last year after being deemed as surplus to requirements by the Gunners.
According to Romano, the Dutch outfit is desperate to keep him at the club for another season.
Finally, Arsenal are set to open talks with Bologna as they eye up a summer swoop to sign Aaron Hickey.
According to Corriere de Bologna, the Gunners will hold talks with the Serie A outfit imminently as they see Hickey as a possible replacement for Nuno Tavares.
Spurs star Son’s sub anger
Tottenham star Son Heung-min has spoken of his disappointment at being taken off during the North London derby win against Arsenal.
The 29-year-old scored just after half-time in the 3-0 victory against the Gunners to bring up 21 Premier League goals for the season.
He now trails Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah by just one goal in the race to win the Golden Boot.
But despite Arsenal down to ten-men and struggling to deal with the South Korea international and Harry Kane, Antonio Conte made the decision to bring Son off in the 72nd minute.
The ex-Bayer Leverkusen forward looked devastated as he walked off the pitch, with the player having to be consoled by Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, he said: “I want to play always but it is the manager’s decision. I need to accept that.
“He said we have an important game on Sunday so not a big deal. I am not angry just disappointed because I came off but I move on.”
Arsenal face defensive woes
Arsenal will be forced to field a makeshift backline with their top four charge hit by a defensive crisis.
Rob Holding was sent off for a second yellow card against Spurs, allowing the hosts to run riot.
And he will therefore be suspended when Arsenal face the Magpies.
There are further defensive problems too, with Gabriel Maghalaes needing to be subbed off late on due to injury.
The Brazilian appeared to be holding his hamstring as he limped off the field.
And Gabriel could now miss the rest of the season.
Kane explains advantage against Ramsdale
Harry Kane claims England training with Aaron Ramsdale helped him outwit the Arsenal keeper in Tottenham’s vital victory romp.
Two-goal hero Kane sent Ramsdale the wrong way for his penalty opener as Spurs won 3-0 to move just a point off the fourth-placed Gunners.
Kane explained: “I haven’t gone that side for a while.
“My regular side is to my left but I practice in training all week and I like to feel where I am feeling good and felt better on the day.
“I have taken a few against Aaron for England in training and thought he would go that way.”
Arteta makes shock ref claim
Mikel Arteta has sensationally claimed he’d be suspended if he gives an opinion on the refereeing during Arsenal’s loss to Spurs.
Ref Paul Tierney was in charge of the game and gave Gunners star Rob Holding a red card early on.
And it’s safe to say Arteta didn’t agree with Tierney’s decision.
Arteta fumed after the game: “If I say what I think I’ll be suspended for six months. Such a beautiful game was destroyed today.”
Harry Kane breaks record
Harry Kane just loves playing against Arsenal.
Two goals for the Tottenham talisman against the Gunners on Thursday evening saw the England skipper break yet another record.
The 28-year-old has now scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal than any other player in the competition’s history.
Kane has netted an incredible 13 goals in just 15 Prem games against his arch-rivals.
Goal-machine Kane started the night on 11 league strikes against the Gunners, level with Jamie Vardy.
But his penalty on 22 minutes saw him leapfrog the Leicester forward’s number of strikes in games against Arsenal.
Arsenal receive Champions League blow
Arsenal’s Champions League hopes have been dealt a huge blow by Tottenham.
Spurs inflicted a 3-0 loss on their London rivals in the tense Prem clash.
A Harry Kane double, along with a strike by Son was enough to give the home side a win.
The Gunners are now just one point ahead of Tottenham with two games to go.
Morgan blasts Arsenal’s poor display
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan was left fuming by his team’s miserable showing in tonight’s north London derby.
Morgan vented his frustration on Twitter, questioning his trust in Mikel Arteta as a manager.
He blasted: “Can Arteta-crazed Arsenal fans remind me again why I should trust a process that involves spending £250m in 2yrs, giving our best striker to Barcelona, and losing 5 of our last 10 League games in crucial run-in with nothing else to play for? I’m struggling.”
Arsenal legend stuns fans
Arsenal fans were left baffled after former Gunner Theo Walcott said he wants the north London derby to finish a DRAW.
Despite spending 12-years playing for Arsenal, Walcott revealed he wanted to “sit on the fence” when picking a winner for the match.
The 33-year-old, now playing for Southampton, left some fans furious while appearing as a pundit for the game on Sky Sports.
Walcott revealed he wanted the crunch game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to end with the spoils shared.
He said: “Hopefully tonight, I’m playing on the fence, it’s going to be a nice little draw.”
Fan-flare at White Hart Lane
Emerson Royal celebrated with a FLARE against Arsenal after Harry Kane put Tottenham 2-0 up in the North London derby.
He ran to the corner to celebrate with the Spurs faithful, with one supporter throwing a flare onto the pitch.
And Royal was quick to pick it up before holding it in the air as he revelled in the atmosphere.
Fans were loving it as they took to social media to comment on the ex-Barcelona right-back.
One tweeted: “Iconic. Emerson Royal holding Tottenham flares.”
Another posted: “Absolutely incredible.”
Tottenham take 3-0 lead
Tottenham are running riot against Arsenal this evening.
The Lilywhites have trebled their lead against the Gunners.
This time, it’s Harry Kane’s partner Son who’s added a goal for the North Londoners.
Arteta reveals close Pochettino relationship
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that he sees ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino as a father figure in the sport.
Arteta and Poch got to know each other at PSG back in the day.
And Arteta revealed that the pair are still extremely close despite their club allegiances.
Arteta said: “My relationship with Mauricio comes out since I was 18 years old and I always said that for me he was like a football father.
“I have an extraordinary relationship with him, but unfortunately for my experience as a player he was a coach of Spurs and I was here at the time. And that relationship doesn’t change, but that wasn’t the case [of me being close to joining Spurs].”
Get a Hold of that
It was the second time Holding tussled with Son during the game.
Holding’s evening got off to the worst possible start after he was the butt of the jokes on social media for wrestling Son to the ground early on.
One user wrote “Holding thinks he’s auditioning for WWE” as he dragged Son to the floor and manhandled him on the deck.
Not Holding up well
Rob Holding dealt Arsenal a blow in their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by being SENT OFF within 33 minutes.
A cynical elbow on Tottenham star Son Heung-Min, while already on a booking, saw Holding shown a second yellow card and his marching orders.
Gary Neville summed up the incident as “madness” while on commentary duty for Sky Sports.
Spurs double the lead
Spurs have made it 2-0 against Arsenal.
Harry Kane has hit the net once again in the Prem clash.
And to make matters worse, Gunners defender Rob Holding has been sent off.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
