Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon on target in Spurs' 2-1 win over Arsenal

London: Gareth Bale maintained his exhilirating run of scoring form to set Tottenham on their way to a 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday, opening up a seven-point gap between the north London rivals in the race for Champions League qualification.

Bale - with his 10th goal in his past eight games - and Aaron Lennon scored in a three-minute span at the end of the first half, proving enough to keep Spurs in third place with 10 games left.

Per Mertesacker's 51st-minute header that deflected in off Bale gave Arsenal hope of a third straight comeback from 2-0 down in a typically absorbing derby.

Bale scored his 10th goal in last eight games.

But the visitors couldn't avoid a costly loss that dents their chances of playing in the Champions League for a 16th straight season under Arsene Wenger.

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