In the first of two top of the table clashes, Arsenal closed the gap on Leicester with a 2-1 win thanks to a last minute Danny Welbeck victor at the Emirates.
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Despite the loss Leicester remain top of the Premier League standings, with the north London duo of Spurs and Arsenal lurking two points behind and Manchester City six points off the pace.
Harry Kane put Spurs ahead with a penalty in the 53rd minute after referee Mark Clattenburg penalized Raheem Sterling for handball from Danny Rose’s cross, despite the ball seeming to strike his flank.
Ajax won with goals by Anwar El Ghazi and a Lasse Schoene penalty but had to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men after a second yellow card for defender Mike van der Hoorn.
After scoring the 95th minute victor with the last kick of a 2-1 triumph over the 10-man league leaders, England forward Welbeck, back after 10 months out with knee problems, was given an emotional tribute by his team-mates.
Per Mertesacker says Arsenal’s quest for the Premier League title has been boosted by their big players returning from injury, reports Sky Sports.
“To find yourself down 1-0 at half-time against a team that defend so well, you have to keep going in your head”.
“Players who stepped in for other players gave us great energy but now we need players to come back and make the difference, which is very important as we saw against Leicester”.
“After that bad spell, still being in with a chance is a good result”.
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“For a while, I thought eight points would be too much”, Wenger said after the dramatic 2-1 win. Many Arsenal supporters believe that this is the best chance they have to win the trophy, they have been craving for the past decade.
While Liverpool climbed to eighth, three points off fifth-place Manchester United in the Europa League berth, sorry Villa was left eight points adrift of safety. “It would have been massive for us to lose”.
“It’s been hard. My friends and family know what I’ve been through, so to get that winning goal is a handsome feeling”.
Danny Welbeck’s victor deep into stoppage time punctured the rapidly building excitement around Leciester’s unlikely bid for glory that was bolstered by impressive triumphs against Liverpool and fourth-placed City.
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Arsenal could have scored in the first minute had Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shot instead of crossing but the Foxes offered a reminder of their threat on the counter when Vardy’s header forced a save from Petr Cech. “We need it, if you want to challenge for anything in this league you need to win”. “When we came back to five (points), I thought “OK, it will not be completely over”. “We proved it on the pitch today and when we look at training sessions everyone is focused on what is coming up”.
