Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal vs Tottenham Premier League 2020-21Getty Images

Lacazette admits he was 'lucky' to win decisive penalty for Arsenal against Tottenham

Alexandre Lacazette had admitted he was "lucky" to win Arsenal's decisive penalty against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal recorded a 2-1 win over their arch-rivals in Sunday's derby thanks to goals from Martin Odegaard and Lacazette, with Eric Lamela grabbing what ultimately amounted to nothing more than a consolation for the visitors.

There was more than a touch of controversy about Lacazette's winner, however, with the Frenchman having already fluffed his lines when through on goal before Davinson Sanchez was penalised for a late tackle.

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What's been said?

"We are lucky to get the penalty, I think, but of course, I am happy," Lacazette told reporters after the game. "Back in the days I have taken a lot of penalties against him [Hugo Lloris] but I was confident."

Arsenal paint north London red

Tottenham came into their latest clash with the Gunners on the back of five successive wins in all competitions, with Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min firing on all cylinders as an all-star attacking trio.

However, Arsenal took the game to Spurs right from the very first whistle and Jose Mourinho's side were dealt a major blow when Son was forced to withdraw early due to a hamstring issue.

It seemed like only a matter of time before the home side would score, but Tottenham landed a sucker punch in the 33rd minute when Eric Lamela produced an outrageous rabona finish to open the scoring.

The momentum did not swing in the visitors' favour though, with Real Madrid loanee Odegaard hitting a deflected equaliser for the Gunners just before the interval.

Arsenal continued to dominate proceedings in the second half and Lacazette won a penalty shortly after the hour mark, with Sanchez punished for sliding in on the striker after he miscued his initial effort when one-on-one with Lloris.

Lamela was then sent off for violent conduct before Spurs finally began to push forward, but Arsenal rode a late storm which saw a Harry Kane free-kick cannon off the post to secure all three points.

“It is stressful. This is our problem," Lacazette said of the nervy finish to proceedings. "When we are winning we struggle to manage the game at the end. We need to improve but we won. It is important to win this type of game.

What's next?

Both teams will now turn their attention to the second leg of their respective Europa League round of 16 ties on Thursday night. Arsenal will be defending a 3-1 lead when they welcome Olympiacos to Emirates Stadium, while Tottenham take a trip to Dinamo Zagreb with a 2-0 advantage.

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