Tottenham lose ground to resurgent Arsenal in top-four race as goals dry up for Spurs and Harry Kane

Harry Kane volleys wide late on as Tottenham are frustrated by Brentford on Saturday.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham have lost ground to fierce rivals Arsenal in the race for fourth place after they were held to a goalless draw by Brentford on Saturday evening.

Spurs looked to be in a strong position as they led Arsenal by three points ahead of tough fixtures for the Gunners against Chelsea and Manchester United this week.

But Mikel Arteta's side secured three points in both those games, while Tottenham picked up only one from their visit to Brentford later on Saturday.

Antonio Conte's side enjoyed the greater possession in west London, but failed to carve out clear chances against the Bees and could have been punished as the home side hit the woodwork once in each half - both times through the lively Ivan Toney.

Tottenham had lost their previous five league derbies on the road in 2021-22 and did at least draw a line under that sorry statistic, but the north London side did not muster a single shot on target against Brentford.

Since hitting five against Newcastle and four at Aston Villa in big wins, Spurs have now failed to score in each of their past two fixtures and Harry Kane is without a goal in his last five Premier League matches.

All of that will be a concern for Conte and while Tottenham have dipped, Arsenal have taken advantage. Following another twist in fortunes, it is the Gunners now with a slight edge in the race for a top-four finish.

Earlier on Saturday, Arsenal beat Manchester 3-1 at the Emirates in another impressive win, having defeated Chelsea by a 4-2 scoreline at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Arsenal now have 60 points, two more than Tottenham, with five fixtures remaining for each team - including what looks set to be a crucial rescheduled north-London derby on May 12.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.