Harry Kane Penalty Steals Draw for Tottenham vs. Arsenal in North London Derby

Tottenham Hotspur's winless run stretched to three matches on the bounce, as they snatched a 1-1 draw against north London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

Hugo Lloris saved a last-minute penalty from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to ensure the spoils were shared at Wembley Stadium after the Gabon international was felled in the area by Davinson Sanchez.

The Gunners earlier looked to be easing to a deserved victory against a poor Spurs side after Aaron Ramsey had put them ahead after 16 minutes.

But the hosts were thrown a lifeline in the 74th minute, when they were awarded a penalty for Shkodran Mustafi's foul on Harry Kane, despite the fact that the Englishman should have been flagged for offside.

Kane duly stepped up to slot home before a frantic close, during which substitute Lucas Torreira was also shown a red card. 

Recent back-to-back defeats to Burnley and Chelsea had dashed Spurs' Premier League title hopes for the season, and a win was required on Saturday for Mauricio Pochettino to ensure his side were not dragged into the battle for the top four.

A draw means the gap to Arsenal in fourth place remains four points, but Manchester United could close to within three if they beat Southampton at home later in the day. 

Unai Emery Can Make Arsenal Title Challengers Again

After 29 games of the 2018-19 Premier League season, Arsenal have 57 points—12 more than they had at the same stage last term.

That is a remarkable improvement under any circumstances, but it is all the more impressive given Unai Emery is only in his debut season as Arsene Wenger's successor.

The Spanish coach's starting XI on Saturday that raised plenty of eyebrows, as he left out Mesut Ozil, Aubameyang, Torreira and Sead Kolasinac on the bench:

When Alexandre Lacazette scuffed a brilliant chance wide in the second minute, there were suspicions the widespread scepticism of Emery's choices may be well-founded. 

But the Frenchman was then on hand to release Ramsey in acres of space after Sanchez's mistake in the 16th minute, and the Juventus-bound Welshman expertly rounded Lloris before slotting home.

With a squad still largely made up of players he inherited from Wenger, Emery has proved himself superbly flexible this season.

His gambles on Saturday largely paid off, and he has every right to feel aggrieved that his side did not collect all three points:

The few signings he has made largely produced against Spurs, with Sokratis Papastathopoulos making some crucial interventions in defence and Bernd Leno pulling off a fantastic double save late in the first half:

Arsenal have long been out of the title race this season. But they are only likely to improve even more next term and beyond, when Emery has had more time at the helm and made necessary additions in defence.

It was a fine away performance on Saturday from Arsenal, and Emery is proving he has the ability to return them to the upper echelon of English football.

Tottenham Least Equipped for Top-4 Battle

As recently as February 23, Tottenham were a win against Burnley and a Liverpool defeat at Old Trafford away from having the title in their own hands.

Now they are in a battle to finish in the top four and look the side least equipped to last the distance.

As against Chelsea on Wednesday, Spurs looked toothless in attack, and Arsenal were happy to let them have most of the ball.

Many of Tottenham's stars were below their best, including Kane, whose baffling decision not to shoot from a terrific position ended up leading to Arsenal's first-half goal.

The England captain took his penalty superbly, but he should not have had the opportunity:

In contrast, Aubameyang's effort from the penalty spot was weak, but Lloris did well to atone somewhat for his calamity against Chelsea on Wednesday. 

Sanchez's performance at centre-back will surely be a concern for Pochettino because he nearly cost his side all three points on two occasions.

Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images

Given Spurs haven't made a signing since Lucas Moura arrived in January 2018, the fact that they stayed with the Premier League leaders for so long this season was quite remarkable.

Tottenham's small squad could now count against them, though.

They looked laboured against the Gunners, and it may well be they are finally tiring as the season nears its end.

But Spurs still have nine games of the Premier League season to go, and they also look like making it to the last eight of UEFA Champions League.

Tired or not, with trips to Liverpool and Manchester City on the horizon, Spurs have to rediscover their best form or risk falling out of the top four altogether.