Successive Premier League victories for the first time since last August have arrived in the nick of time for Tottenham Hotspur, but the relegation battle is far from won, manager Roberto de ​Zerbi warned on Sunday.

Tottenham fans must have thought they were dreaming as their side outplayed ‌fifth-placed Aston Villa for a 2-1 victory that was far more comfortable than the score suggested.

Goals by Conor Gallagher and Richarlison inside the opening 25 minutes rewarded Tottenham’s early domination, and they never looked in danger of squandering the victory that ​moved them above West Ham United into 17th place with three games left.

Former Brighton manager De ​Zerbi has now gathered seven points from his first four games in charge since ⁠replacing interim manager Igor Tudor, including last week’s 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers that snapped a 15-game ​winless run in the league, a sequence that had sent Tottenham towards a first relegation from the top ​flight since 1977.

They are now one point above West Ham with home games against Leeds United and Everton either side of an away trip to Chelsea remaining.

“We have to not forget the situation before Wolverhampton. The season is not finished yet ​, and we cannot be happy just for these two wins,” De Zerbi said.

“We have to keep working with ​the same mentality. And now I don’t want to hear the positive voice. We have to stay focused for the ‌next ⁠game. We have to feel the same pressure.

“Football can change week-by-week, and we can’t forget the position in the table and what we felt before the Wolves game. We have to push again.”

While De Zerbi lost his first game in charge to Sunderland and then suffered heartache in his second when Brighton earned a ​2-2 draw in stoppage time, ​he has quickly fuelled ⁠belief and confidence in the under-performing, injury-hit squad.

Forward Randal Kolo Muani produced one of his best displays for Tottenham on Sunday, while Gallagher chose the perfect moment ​to score his first goal for the club.

“If I say Kolo Muani, Gallagher, ​Palhinha and ⁠all our players are at a great level, high level, it’s because I feel. I don’t want to sell something if I don’t believe in my words,” he said

“I’m lucky because I’m working with good people and very good players. My job is just to transfer the confidence, to make them believe in themselves and to try to be stronger than the defeat, stronger than the position of the table, stronger than the words you normally say about Tottenham.

“To show passion, to show value, humility, pride.”

– Reuters

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Arsenal opened up a six-point lead at the top of the ​Premier League on Saturday with a ‌comfortable 3-0 win at home to Fulham, thanks to a first-half double from Viktor Gyokeres ​either side of a goal from ​Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners started brightly and ⁠with purpose, taking a deserved lead ​in the ninth minute when Saka put ​Raul Jimenez on his backside and laid the ball on a plate for Gyokeres to slot ​home.

Gyokeres returned the favour shortly before ​halftime, finding Saka, who beat former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd ‌Leno ⁠at his near post to double the lead, before Gyokeres headed in Leandro Trossard’s cross in added time.

Arsenal played within ​themselves in ​a ⁠sedate second half having wrapped up a win that puts them ​on 76 points from 35 ​games, ⁠with second-placed Manchester City on 70 points from 33 games. Fulham are 10th with ⁠48 ​points from 35 games, ​three points behind west London rivals Brentford in sixth.

-Reuters

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Arsenal arrested their slump in form with Eberechi Eze’s superb early goal securing an ugly 1-0 home win against Newcastle United to reclaim top spot in ​the Premier League on Saturday.

After successive league defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City, Arsenal were knocked off the summit for the first ‌time since October by City on Wednesday, but they responded to secure three vital points.

It was far from convincing, and the quality of Eze’s sublime ninth-minute strike was at odds with the rest of a laboured display by Mikel Arteta’s side, but all that mattered for the hosts was getting back to winning ways.

The nervousness around the stadium was apparent throughout a tight contest and ​there was relief when Newcastle substitute Yoane Wissa blazed a glorious late chance over the crossbar.

With Manchester City otherwise engaged in FA Cup semi-final action, Arsenal took the chance to ​move to 73 points from 34 games with City on 70 from 33.

“It’s never going to be a path of roses,” ⁠Arteta said. “We knew at halftime we wanted to score the second goal but we were not efficient enough. But we did the job.”

Newcastle’s fourth successive ​league defeat, and 13th in their last 14 league visits to Arsenal, left them in 14th place and with pressure mounting on Eddie Howe, although he said he was pleased with ​his side’s improved display.

“I can’t be too critical of the players today, it was a much better performance,” Howe said.

Arsenal’s stuttering run in the past month began with a tame League Cup final defeat by Manchester City followed by a surprise loss to second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup.

But it was the back-to-back league defeats and the evaporation of ​a nine-point lead in the title race that has really spooked Arsenal as they try to land a first Premier League crown since 2004.

ARSENAL SCORE FROM ​ANOTHER SET-PIECE

While Saturday’s performance will hardly have had Manchester City quaking in their boots, what is not in dispute is Arsenal’s ability to capitalise from set-piece routines.

Eze’s goal ‌was the ⁠17th Arsenal have scored from a corner this season — a Premier League record — but this was a variation on the usual routine.

Twice in the opening minutes they used a short corner rather than the usual high delivery into the area. The first two had little effect although Eze did fire a shot wide from the second.

When another corner came along soon after, the ball was played low into the area to Kai Havertz, who fed it back to Eze ​just outside the penalty area and in ​one flowing movement he curled a ⁠right-footed shot away from the helpless Nick Pope.

It should have settled Arsenal’s nerves and made for a comfortable Spring evening against a labouring Newcastle whose season has hit the buffers.

In reality, it was never comfortable. Arsenal were strangely ​passive throughout the rest of the first half and Newcastle occasionally threatened, with Sandro Tonali’s dipping low drive almost ​catching out David Raya.

⁠Havertz limped off in the first half to be replaced by Viktor Gyokeres and Eze departed early in the second half.

“Muscular niggles, we don’t think they are too much,” said Arteta, whose side face Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in a Champions League semi-final first leg.

With Arsenal seemingly unable, or unwilling, to kill off the game, the ⁠anxiety levels ​grew in the latter stages and had Wissa shown more composure with the goal gaping, Arsenal ​would have handed another gift to City.

On the plus side, they showed commendable durability, Bukayo Saka returned off the bench after a month out, and Arsenal will have the chance to open ​the gap to six points when they host Fulham next weekend before City are next in league action.

-Reuters

 Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/David Klein 

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