Arsenal survived a late scare at Tottenham to stay ahead in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday.
A 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured Mikel Arteta's team will remain at the top of the standings after the latest round of fixtures and kept the pressure on defending champion Manchester City, which played at Nottingham Forest later Sunday.
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But Arsenal had to endure a nervous finish despite powering to 3-0 lead in a London derby that was supposed to be one of its biggest tests in the title chase.
“The last 20 minutes wasn’t nice, but it was worth it," Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka said afterward. “We know it is a big derby and they don’t want to lose 3-0 at home. Momentum shifted their way, but I am proud of the boys — we managed to get the three points."
An own-goal from Pierre-Emile Hojberg and further strikes from Saka and Kai Havertz put Arsenal into a commanding position at the break. But in the face of a potential rout, Tottenham responded in the second half through Cristian Romero and a penalty from Son Heung-min in the 87th minute.
Under pressure, Arsenal held on to extend its lead over second-place City to four points. After the match against Forest, City will still have a game in hand.
The advantage is still with City, which will clinch a fourth-straight title if it wins its remaining games this season.
With Liverpool's title hopes further diminishing after dropping five points in two games this week, it is down to Arsenal to challenge Pep Guardiola's domestic dominance.
Having collapsed late on in last season's title race, Arteta's players look more capable of going the distance this time around.
An away fixture against its fiercest rival, Tottenham, was a major test of its credentials at this stage of the campaign. And while Arsenal was guilty of letting Spurs back into a game that should have been killed off much earlier, victory when tension was high was a test of character.
“Maybe last season that could have ended in a draw and we showed we have the experience,” Saka said. “We know City are an amazing team, but they are not perfect, we just need to do our job.”
BOURNEMOUTH RECORD
Without a win in its first nine league games this season, Bournemouth is now in the top half of the table and has set its own Premier League points record.
A 3-0 win against Brighton moved Andoni Iraola's team up to 10th and on 48 points. Bournemouth's previous best in the top flight was 46 points in the 2016-17 season under former manager Eddie Howe.
Goals from Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert secured victory against a Brighton team that is going in the other direction after six games without a win.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer