Spurs boss sore after Arsenal defeat
Mauricio Pochettino felt aggrieved with decisions in the build-up to both Arsenal goals as Tottenham suffered a 2-0 defeat in the North London derby while the goals flowed elsewhere.
Manchester City consolidated their position at the top of the table by beating Leicester 2-0. Pep Guardiola’s side remain unbeaten and have now scored 40 league goals in just 12 matches.
There was one negative for City, however, with defender John Stones set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines. The Englishman was replaced just after the half- hour mark at King Power Stadium.
‘‘He will be out for a long time, four to six weeks I think,’’ Guardiola said.
Manchester United retained second place with a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, who had stunned Old Trafford by taking the lead in the first half.
Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku scored for United.
Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez secured the Gunners a dominant 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, but there was a hint of fortune about each of the first-half goals.
Mustafi’s header came after referee Mike Dean had awarded a dubious free kick for a foul on Sanchez, while Alexandre Lacazette appeared offside in the buildup to their second.
‘‘I need to say nothing, everyone who was here or at home watching the game, they saw what happened. We have to move on. It’s not easy to accept, because we lose the game,’’ Spurs boss Pochettino told Sky Sports.
‘‘We were better than them until the goal. The freekick [should not have been given] and I think [it was] offside. The first, sure [it was offside], the second one maybe,’’ he said.
‘‘In this type of game when you play top sides like Arsenal, it’s little details. It changed the game and that disappointed me. But that’s football. We have to accept.’’
Pochettino insisted Harry Kane and Dele Alli had been fit to play. The duo pulled out of England’s two friendlies last week and produced lacklustre performances before both were substituted with 15 minutes left at the Emirates Stadium.
‘‘Yes they were OK to play of course,’’ Pochettino added. ‘‘But after 2-0, 15 minutes to finish the game, I think to not take any risks. Then we tried to put [Fernando] Llorente and Son (Heung-min) on fresh and try to score, and we had a few chances to score.’’
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger felt the free kick was the correct decision, but did not offer an opinion on the offside calls.
‘‘I haven’t seen the [offsides],’’ he said. ‘‘For me, I’ve just seen the foul again and it was a foul.
‘‘I can think of many games since the start of the season where we’ve had bad luck.’’
Chelsea beat West Brom 4-0, while Liverpool also cruised against Southampton, winning 3-0 win at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah netting a first-half double to take his season tally to 14 goals.
Burnley – without All Whites striker Chris Wood – beat Swansea 2-0 at home while at the bottom end of the table Everton and Crystal Palace fought out a 2-2 draw.
Wood only arrived back in England on Friday morning after three flights from Peru where the All Whites lost last Thursday’s World Cup playoff decider 2-0.
Aaron Mooy recovered from Socceroos duty to turn out for Huddersfield at Bournemouth but it was a day to forget for the Terriers, who slumped to a 4-0 loss.