Sports

Gunners get London bragging rights: Arsenal beat Spurs to go eight points clear top of table

Published

3 years ago

January 15, 2023

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Arsenal dispatched Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in a one-sided North London Derby and went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners took the initiative from the off, probing Spurs’ backline and finding joy. It didn’t take long for Antonio Conte ‘s side to crumble, as Hugo Lloris flapped a cross-come-shot from Bukayo Saka into his own net in the 14th minute, a howler from Tottenham’s formerly reliable goalkeeper.

Martin Odegaard then doubled Arsenal’s lead before half-time, whizzing in an effort from 25 yards out to all but kill the contest. Spurs mustered a fightback in the second half but couldn’t sustain much, unlike Mikel Arteta ‘s rampant Gunners.

Spurs, so poor in the first half, did have their chances but found visiting keeper Aaron Ramsdale in top form as he saved twice either side of half-time from Harry Kane and also stopped Ryan Sessegnon’s angled effort.

Arsenal were handed a huge opportunity to take a stronger grip on the title race after closest rivals Manchester City were beaten at Old Trafford, but with the expectation also came pressure in the hothouse of a north London derby.

The Gunners, as they have so often this season, rose to the challenge by over-running Spurs to take control in the opening 45 minutes, then hold their nerve in the face of an expected rally from Antonio Conte’s men after the break.

Arsenal were simply irresistible in the first half as they outclassed Spurs – the own goal from Lloris and captain Odegaard’s strike scant reward for their vast superiority.

Odegaard was class personified in midfield, while Saka ran Spurs ragged down Arsenal’s right flank, creating the first goal and posing constant problems.

And the visitors showed they were prepared to do the dirty work when Spurs tried to mount a recovery. Keeper Ramsdale was outstanding and his defenders prepared to throw themselves in front of everything to protect the lead.

There was some ill-feeling and ugly scenes at the end when Ramsdale and Richarlison had a flare-up, before a Spurs fan appeared to aim a kick at the England keeper.

Arsenal’s players were eventually dragged away to enjoy their thoroughly-deserved celebrations with their own ecstatic supporters.

Spurs may have created chances and moments of anxiety for Arsenal, especially in the second half, but this was a sobering game for Conte and his players as they looked well off the pace until it was too late.

They were trailing once again at half time for the ninth time this season, the seventh in the Premier League, after a first period in which their mediocrity was a sharp contrast to the excellence of their rivals.

Spurs have made a habit of slow starts and occasionally been able to dig themselves out of the hole, but they left themselves too much to do against this super-confident Arsenal outfit.

Kane was attempting to equal Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 goals for Spurs, but found Ramsdale at his best. At the other end, though, Lloris produced yet another of those errors that happen far too often to a goalkeeper of his reputation.

Saka’s cross took a deflection of Sessegnon but the French keeper had to do so much better than just let the ball drop behind him into his own net.

It summed up Spurs’ first-half display and they remain in fifth place, five points behind Manchester United in the Champions League places having played a game more.

Related Topics:Arsenal TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

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Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2026

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Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.

Sports

WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

Published

2 months ago

April 20, 2026

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Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

Sports

BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

Published

3 months ago

March 17, 2026

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.