Arsenal pump in three past Stoke to gear up for Europa clash
Tottenham’s wait for Chelsea win ends as Aubameyang double sparks Arsenal’s late show
Dele Alli scored twice in four second- half minutes as Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 3- 1 yesterday to end a 28- year wait for a Premier League win at Stamford Bridge.
Defeat for the hosts all but ends Chelsea’s hopes of Champions League football next season as Spurs opened up an eight- point lead over their closest challengers for fourth place.
In an earlier match, Arsenal warmed up for their crucial Europa League quarter- final with a flattering 3- 0 victory against relegation- threatened Stoke. Three goals in the final 15 minutes put a gloss on a largely soporific performance at a well- below capacity Emirates Stadium.
Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang scored the first two, including a penalty opener. Substitute Alexandre Lacazette netted the third, also from the spot, after he had been fouled.
Arsenal clinched back to back league wins for the first time since November.
But the result left both clubs in the same positions in the Premier League table, with Arsenal sixth and Stoke second bottom. The Gunners will have to play better in the first leg against CSKA Moscow on Thursday in Europe.
Ending their long wait for a win at their London rivals is just the latest sign of the progress made under Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs look set to seal a place in the Champions League for a third straight season.
And it was even more impressive as they rallied from huge error after captain Hugo Lloris gifted Alvaro Morata the opening goal.
Christan Eriksen’s wonder strike levelled in first- half stoppage time, before Alli took centre stage to end a barren run by his standards with two smart finishes just after the hour mark.
Spurs could even afford the luxury of doing the damage without Harry Kane, who made his return from a three- week layoff with ankle ligament damage 16 minutes from time.