Alli double helps Tottenham snap Chelsea jinx
Tottenham Hotspur claimed a first victory at Chelsea for 28 years with Dele Alli scoring twice in the second half as they came back to win 3-1 and cement fourth place in the Premier League on Sunday.
It looked like being a familiar tale of woe for the north London side when Hugo Lloris's error of judgement allowed Alvaro Morata to head Chelsea in front after half an hour.
Tottenham responded in first-half stoppage time with midfielder Christian Eriksen, who had already tested home keeper Willy Caballero with one fizzing effort, dipping a right-foot shot over the bemused Argentine from 30 yards.
There was a growing sense of belief in Tottenham's play after the interval and Alli struck twice from close range in four minutes just past the hour to turn the game on its head.
Tottenham, who enjoyed a further boost when Harry Kane came off the bench having recovered from an ankle injury, moved eight points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea with seven games left.
They have 64 points, two points behind third-placed Liverpool with a game in hand.
Three late Arsenal goals leave Stoke stuck in drop zone
Arsenal dealt Stoke City's Premier League survival hopes a cruel blow on Sunday at the Emirates with three late goals in a 3-0 victory that left the visitors second from bottom with six games left to play.
After a dreary hour and a quarter of play punctuated by occasional booing from the home crowd, Mesut Ozil won a penalty when he raced into the box only to be brought down by Stoke's Bruno Martins Indi.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from the spot and then struck again from close range 12 minutes later, before Alexandre Lacazette converted another penalty, having been brought crashing to the ground by Badou Ndiaye.
It was the Gunner's first back-to-back win in the top flight since November, but until the late goalfest it often made for painful viewing, as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said at a news conference afterwards.
"We didn't play well in the first half at all. In the second half we rectified that. That's the difference basically of the attitude of the team - that explains nil-nil at halftime and three-nil at full time," Wenger told reporters.
"In the second half our pace was much better."
The home side also made numerous changes to the lineup from their previous fixture, most likely with their Thursday night Europa League quarter-final first leg at home to CSKA Moscow in mind.
But their communication and passing suffered as a result, as they gave the ball away repeatedly in the first half.
That let Stoke push them back deep into their own half, and Swiss striker Xherdan Shaqiri gave the Gunners a scare in the fourth minute when he collected the ball outside the area on the right, only to curl his shot inches outside the far post.
Stoke, who had been looking for their first victory at Arsenal since 1981 and their first double over the Gunners since 1975-76 season, are now without a win in their last eight games.
Their manager, Paul Lambert, said he was unhappy about the first penalty decision in particular, saying it changed the game and helped lead to a lopsided final score.
"In the big moments in the big games, I think you've got to be 100 per cent right to call them (penalties), especially with the magnitude of the game. It was a game changer," he said.
The loss leaves his Stoke side 19th in the league with 27 points, while Arsenal stay sixth with 51 points, 10 points off the Champions League qualification places.
