Arsenal recovered from Erik Lamela’s astonishing rabona opener to beat 10-man Tottenham 2-1 in a dramatic north London derby despite the absence of exiled captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on Sunday.
Lamela scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history with an audacious strike in the first half at the Emirates Stadium.
But the Tottenham forward went from hero to villain when he was sent off for a second booking after Jose Mourinho’s side blew the lead.
Martin Odegaard had equalised with a deflected effort just before half-time and Alexandre Lacazette sealed the points with a second half penalty.
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Lamela’s moment of genius was ruined by his red card and it was Arsenal’s day as they beat Tottenham for the first time in six games.
Denting Tottenham’s bid to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish in the Premier League was an added bonus for Arsenal, who hadn’t defeated their neighbours since 2018.
It was an even more impressive success given Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta caused a storm by dropping Aubameyang as punishment after he reportedly turned up late for a pre-match team meeting.
It is believed Arteta had grown frustrated with Aubameyang for similar offences in the past.
“He was going to start the game, but we had a disciplinary issue. We’ve drawn the line. We keep it internal,” Arteta said before leaving Aubameyang as an unused substitute for the entire match.
Tottenham suffered a blow when Son Heung-min was replaced by Lamela in the 19th minute after the South Korea forward pulled up sharply while chasing a long pass.
After being out-played for the first 33 minutes, Tottenham took the lead in outrageous style with their only shot of the half.
When Lucas Moura found Lamela in the penalty area, the Argentine flicked his back foot behind his standing front leg to guide an audacious finish through Thomas Partey’s legs and past Bernd Leno into the far corner.
“This is one of the best goals I’ve ever seen in the Premier League. We’ve never seen anything like this,” former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports.
MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 WEST HAM UTD
West Ham missed the chance to move into the top four as former Man Utd boss David Moyes remains winless in 15 visits to Old Trafford as the opposition manager.
The Hammers’ conservative approach was punished by one moment of misfortune eight minutes into the second half as Dawson turned a Bruno Fernandes corner into his own net.
Mason Greenwood also hit the post either side of half-time for United, who close the gap on runaway league leaders Manchester City to 14 points.
LEICESTER CITY 5-0 SHEFFIELD UNITED
Leicester showed no mercy to bottom-of-the-table United in the visitors’ first match since Chris Wilder’s departure on Saturday.
Wilder, who led United from third-tier League One to the Premier League, left by mutual consent after several days of speculation about his future.
The Blades, managed by interim boss Paul Heckingbottom, look destined for relegation, 14 points from safety with only nine games left.
Nigerian striker Iheanacho opened the floodgates in the 38th minute at the King Power Stadium with a close-range finish from Jamie Vardy’s pass after a flowing move.
Iheanacho’s third goal in his last three games was followed by Ayoze Perez’s fine strike from the edge of the area in the 64th minute.
Vardy was the provider again for Iheanacho’s second before the former Manchester City man completed his treble with a 25-yard blast past Aaron Ramsdale.
Ethan Ampadu’s own goal from Vardy’s effort in the 80th minute sealed the rout for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
SOUTHAMPTON 1-2 BRIGHTON
Brighton improved their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League with a vital 2-1 win against Southampton.
Graham Potter’s side moved three points clear of third bottom Fulham with a game in hand after a frenetic south-coast derby at St Mary’s.
It was Brighton’s first win in eight games in all competitions since they beat Tottenham in January.
The Seagulls are one point above fourth-bottom Newcastle, who travel to Brighton for a crucial clash in the relegation battle next weekend.
Brighton took the lead through Lewis Dunk in the 16th minute. Fraser Forster made a fine save to keep out Neal Maupay’s shot but Dunk’s towering header from the resulting corner flashed past the Saints keeper.
Southampton drew level in the 27th minute when Dunk could only help Ryan Bertrand’s header into the path of Che Adams, who volleyed home at the far post.
But Brighton went back in front in the 56th minute as Leandro Trossard produced a fine finish from Danny Welbeck’s lay-off.
