Arsenal closes in on Premier League leader Liverpool after 2-1 win over Tottenham

Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leader Liverpool to four points after a 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta’s team took advantage of Liverpool’s draw with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, with Leandro Trossard firing the winner in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

“Everybody knows you need to win these games, the fans are buzzing and it’s a great night for us,” Trossard said. “It’s an amazing feeling, especially to get the winner as well, it had to come and now we need to look forward.”

Arsenal was runner-up to Manchester City in the last two seasons and is in contention for the title again this year. But it was given a fright by Spurs when Son Heung-min opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute.

A Dominic Solanke own goal when trying to defend a corner leveled the game in the 40th and Trossard struck low from just inside the box four minutes later to put Arsenal ahead.

Liverpool still has a game in hand on second-place Arsenal but has dropped points by drawing its last two league matches and is on a run of just one win in four in all competitions. That was against fourth-division Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.

Arsenal bounced back quickly after the disappointment of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on penalties and opened up a two-point lead over Forest in third.

“Less than 72 hours ago we played 120 minutes in another competition that we went out of — that is not easy psychologically. So the way we performed and played today was exceptional,” Arteta said.

Tottenham has won just one of its last nine games in the league.

“The losses hurt me but they aren’t acceptable. We have had too many losses this year and too many games that have got away from us. That needs to stop,” head coach Ange Postecoglou said.

Alexander Isak scored for the eighth straight league game to propel Newcastle into the top four.

The Sweden international struck twice in a 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton to take his season total to 17 in all competitions. He became the fourth player to score in eight consecutive games in the Premier League, following Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge.

Vardy scored a league record 11-straight games.

“Like most strikers, Isak wants to practice his finishing. It is an art form. He is there after training every day trying to do more,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.

Isak's form has pushed Newcastle into Champions League contention. He's scored 12 in his last 10 games in all competitions and Newcastle is on a nine-match winning streak.

Isak opened the scoring in the 34th against relegation-threatened Wolverhampton at St James' Park. He got his second in the 57th and Anthony maintained his own scoring form with his fourth goal in successive games.

Howe's team is now one point ahead of fifth-place Chelsea.

David Moyes' return to Everton didn't get off to the start he wanted after a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

In his second spell at the Merseyside club, Moyes took charge of his 519th game as Everton manager and was welcomed by the Goodison Park crowd.

But he couldn't inspire his relegation-threatened team to victory as Ollie Watkins' goal six minutes into the second half sealed Villa's win.

Everton is 16th in the standings and a point above the bottom three.

Moyes' immediate priority is to find goals from somewhere. Everton has failed to score in nine of its last 11 league games.

The hiring of Ruud van Nistelrooy hasn't paid off for Leicester yet.

A 2-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace leaves the 2016 champion second from bottom of the standings and without a league win since Van Nistelrooy's first game in charge at the start of December.

It's now six straight defeats in the league, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guehi scoring for Palace in the second half at the King Power Stadium.

“Six without a win is not good enough. You can’t keep talking about performances. We need to win and that needs to happen soon,” Van Nistelrooy said.

Manchester United doesn't play until Thursday, but Palace's win saw the record 20-time champion slip to 15th in the standings.

Ruben Amorim's team plays last-place Southampton at Old Trafford.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Leandro Trossard, centre, scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, London, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Leicester City's Stephy Mavididi reacts after the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium, Leicester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's manager Unai Emery, right, and Everton's manager David Moyes react during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Aston Villa at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Everton's manager David Moyes gestures to the fans ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Aston Villa at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James' Park, Newcastle, England, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James' Park, Newcastle, England, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, London, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, London, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Gabriel celebrates after Tottenham's Dominic Solanke scored an own goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, London, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Gabriel celebrates after Tottenham's Dominic Solanke scored an own goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, London, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)