Spurs pip Arsenal to Europe, but Pepe’s form an encouraging sign ahead of next season

By Conor Laird


Published: May 23, 2021 6:01 pm

Last Updated: May 23, 2021 9:21 pm

A remarkable final day of action played out in the Premier League this evening, with Tottenham, when all was said and done, having booked a spot at the inaugural Europa Conference League.

Spurs sneak into Europe

Heading into proceedings on Sunday, all of Spurs, north London rivals Arsenal and Everton were in with a shot of securing a 7th-place finish.

It was Spurs who held the advantage ahead of kick-off, occupying the aforementioned Conference League berth, having seen their top-6 hopes go up in smoke in a costly defeat to Aston Villa last time out.

Everton, meanwhile, were locked on points with Ryan Mason’s men, albeit in 8th due to their inferior goal difference.

And Arsenal sat a point back, amid an encouraging upturn in form over recent weeks.

The Gunners faced the most straightforward assignment this evening, in the form of a meeting with Brighton at the Emirates, whilst Tottenham and Everton prepped for crunch showdowns with Leicester and Manchester City respectively.

ENFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Ryan Mason, Tottenham Hotspur interim manager during the Tottenham Hotspur training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on May 05, 2021 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

And Arsenal, when all was said and done, went on to do their part.

A 5th-straight victory was secured courtesy of a brace from the in-form Nicolas Pepe, early in the 2nd-half:

“Perfect from Pepe!” ?

The Emirates erupts for a second time as Pepe makes it five goals in his last three games.

Are Arsenal heading to the Europa Conference League? ?

? Watch live on SS Arena
? Follow #ARSBHA here ? https://t.co/kzwLaPoYIM
? Download @SkySports app pic.twitter.com/xlbF483CC3

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 23, 2021

Upon Pepe’s 2nd versus Brighton finding the net, as things stood, the Gunners were actually in line to climb all the way to 7th.

This came with Everton having been absolutely picked apart by a rampant Man City side, who saw Sergio Aguero bid farewell to the Etihad with a brace off the bench:

AGUEROOOOO! WHO ELSE? ??

Sergio Aguero hits the back of the net on his final ever Manchester City appearance. It was written in the stars! ?

? Watch #MCIEVE on Sky Sports PL pic.twitter.com/LzT4fEYolI

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 23, 2021

Tottenham, meanwhile, trailed by two goals to one at home to Leicester, after a pair of Jamie Vardy spot-kicks cancelled out Harry Kane’s effort shortly before the interval.

Ryan Mason and co., though, simply refused to lie down.

First, a Kasper Schmeichel own goal 15 minutes from time dragged the Lilywhites level, guiding them back clear of Arsenal.

Then, with just minutes remaining in north London, Gareth Bale broke Leicester City hearts across the globe, slotting home Harry Kane’s pull-back to not only ensure their own spot in the first-ever Europa Conference League, but also push Chelsea back into the top-4.

And there was even time for the Welshman, on potentially his final appearance for Spurs, to grab a 2nd.

GARETH AGAIN!

? #LCFC 2-4 #THFC ⚪ pic.twitter.com/5tiWXs7HNi

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 23, 2021

Pepe dazzling

In turn, on the back of a hectic final day full of twists and turns, it is Arsenal who have missed out on the Premier League’s final European berth, in altogether disappointing fashion.

The capital giants, though, must attempt to take the positives from their impressive late-season form.

And one aspect of this stretch which stands out above all others is the production of Nicolas Pepe.

Ivorian wide-man Pepe has of course endured an altogether underwhelming stint on the books of the Gunners to date, since arriving for a club-record fee in the summer of 2019.

The last couple of weeks, though, have seen the evidently talented wide-man finally come to life, over an extended spell.

In fact, his brace this evening made it not only five goals in his last three Premier League appearances, but also ensured that Pepe finishes out the campaign as the leading goal contributor in Mikel Arteta’s squad:

Nicolas Pepe has more goal involvements in all competitions this season than any other Arsenal player – 21

— Orbinho (@Orbinho) May 23, 2021

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This article was edited by
Josh Barker.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City FC	38	51	86
2	Manchester United FC	38	29	74
3	Liverpool FC	38	26	69
4	Chelsea FC	38	22	67
5	Leicester City FC	38	18	66
6	West Ham United FC	38	15	65
7	Tottenham Hotspur FC	38	23	62
8	Arsenal FC	38	16	61
9	Leeds United	38	8	59
10	Everton FC	38	-1	59
11	Aston Villa FC	38	9	55
12	Newcastle United FC	38	-16	45
13	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	38	-16	45
14	Crystal Palace FC	38	-25	44
15	Southampton FC	38	-21	43
16	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	38	-6	41
17	Burnley FC	38	-22	39
18	Fulham FC	38	-26	28
19	West Bromwich Albion	38	-41	26
20	Sheffield United FC	38	-43	23

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Player	Team	Goals
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	23
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	22
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	17
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	17
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	17
Calvert-Lewin, Dominic	Everton FC	16
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	15
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa FC	14
Gundogan, Ilkay	Manchester City FC	13
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	13
Wilson, Callum	Newcastle United FC	12
Ings, Danny	Southampton FC	12
Wood, Chris	Burnley FC	12
Iheanacho, Kelechi	Leicester City FC	12
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	11
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	11
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	11
Bale, Gareth	Tottenham Hotspur FC	11
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace FC	11
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	10

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
McGinn, John	Aston Villa FC	0	12
Gallagher, Conor	West Bromwich Albion	0	11
Maguire, Harry	Manchester United FC	0	11
Phillips, Kalvin	Leeds United	0	10
Hojbjerg, Pierre	Tottenham Hotspur FC	0	9
Milivojevic, Luka	Crystal Palace FC	1	8
Lundstram, John	Sheffield United FC	1	8
Luiz, Douglas	Aston Villa FC	0	8
Holgate, Mason	Everton FC	0	9
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	1	8
Soucek, Tomas	West Ham United FC	1	7
Shaw, Luke	Manchester United FC	0	8
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	7
Bellerin, Hector	Arsenal FC	0	8
Andersen, Joachim	Fulham FC	1	7
Egan, John	Sheffield United FC	1	7
Hayden, Isaac	Newcastle United FC	0	8
Dallas, Stuart	Leeds United	0	7
McGoldrick, David	Sheffield United FC	0	7
Reid, Bobby	Fulham FC	0	7

Player	Team	Assists
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	14
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	12
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City FC	11
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	10
Grealish, Jack	Aston Villa FC	10
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	9
Raphinha	Leeds United	9
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	8
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	8
Harrison, Jack	Leeds United	8
Werner, Timo	Chelsea FC	8
Gross, Pascal	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	8
Cresswell, Aaron	West Ham United FC	8
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	7
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	7
Firmino, Roberto	Liverpool FC	7
Ward-Prowse, James	Southampton FC	7
Eze, Eberechi	Crystal Palace FC	7
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	7
Robertson, Andrew	Liverpool FC	7