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Antonio Conte knows Arsenal are still in pole position to finish fourth despite Tottenham’s win against Burnley on Sunday.
Spurs leapfrogged their north London rivals after a superb week in which they picked up two league victories.
Conte closes dark chapter as Tottenham maximise Champions League advantage over Arsenal
Conte’s side brushed the Gunners aside on Thursday evening and have now put all the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s men ahead of their match against Newcastle on Monday evening.
Their win against Burnley came thanks to a Harry Kane penalty following a somewhat controversial handball decision against Ashley Barnes.
Conte has heaped praise on his team for dragging themselves back into the top-four race after their slow start under previous boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Italian told BBC Match of the Day: “To stay until the end with a possibility to take a place in the Champions League – we’ve done a really good job. My players are doing a really good job. To imagine this possibility in November was very, very difficult. I am here to thank my players, because they followed me from my first day at Tottenham, showed great desire to change the situation and fight for something.
“A Champions League place is very important in England. It’s like getting an important trophy in another league. Arsenal play tomorrow, at this moment they are two points below us. If they don’t win, the ball is in our hands – but at this moment the ball is still in their hands.
“You know very well that we face maybe the worst team to test our nerves. Burnley are fighting to avoid the relegation zone. It was positive, another clean sheet and we showed great stability. We are a very stable team. I’m always repeating that it’s not simple to play against us.
“We have to continue in this way. The last game will be very important for us. There is no easy game in England, so we need to go to Norwich to be strong and get three points. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”
Conte: ‘The ball is still in Arsenal’s hands’ ahead of Monday’s huge Newcastle clash (msn.com)