Bale scores again as Spurs beat Arsenal 2-1
Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-1 in the English Premier League on Sunday.
LONDON (AP) - Gareth Bale maintained his exhilarating run of scoring form to set Tottenham on its way to a 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday, opening up a seven-point gap between the north London rivals in the race for Champions League qualification.
Bale with his 10th goal in his past eight games and fellow winger Aaron Lennon scored in a three-minute span at the end of the first half, a crucial spell that proved enough to keep Spurs in third place with 10 games left.
Per Mertesacker s 51st-minute header that deflected in off Bale gave Arsenal hope of a third straight comeback from 2-0 down in a typically absorbing and frantic derby. But the visitors couldn t avoid a costly loss that dents their chances of playing in the Champions League for a 16th straight season under Arsene Wenger.
"It s massive to go seven points clear, in a north London derby," Spurs defender Michael Dawson said. "We have a long way to go but it is a good day."
With Arsenal likely to go without silverware for an eighth successive season, Wenger has been pinning his hopes on a top-four finish to salvage something from a miserable campaign. But even that is in serious doubt now, with Chelsea five points ahead of the Gunners in fourth place. There is no more room for error.
Wenger s side came back from a 10-point deficit to Spurs last season to qualify for Europe s top competition, but Bale wasn t in such scintillating form then.
The Wales winger is virtually carrying Tottenham back into the Champions League on his own, with his latest strike buttressing his strong chances of winning English football s Player of the Year award. It also ensured he equaled the club record held jointly by Robbie Keane, Rafael van der Vaart and Teddy Sheringham of scoring in five straight Premier League games.
