8 takeaways from Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Arsenal to clinch a massive day for Spurs

It's official: Tottenham Hotspur will finish ahead of Arsenal for the first time in 22 years.

Spurs beat the Gunners, 2-0, on Sunday at White Hart Lane, guaranteeing that Tottenham would top their rivals in the table. That's in addition to keeping the title race alive.

What did we learn from White Hart Lane?

The Gunners had almost nothing going through the center of the pitch because they couldn't find a way through Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama. The Tottenham central midfield duo didn't offer the team much in the way of passing, and it showed as they were forced to attack primarily out wide, but Dier and Wanyama completely shut down the center of the park defensively. They were simply too physical, pushing Arsenal off the ball, and always on top of any Gunners as soon as they touched the ball.

Tottenham dominated the first half, creating all of the best chances and leaving Arsenal with little, aside from one shot from distance that Hugo Lloris had to save. Dele Alli, in particular, had a golden opportunity that he somehow missed the net on, and Christian Eriksen hit the crossbar on a 10-yard volley with an open net. On most days, at least one of those is converted and Spurs would have had a deserved halftime advantage.

Tottenham battered Arsenal for the entire match and could have had five or six goals -- Petr Cech was terrific -- but it really came down to three minutes. First, Dele Alli scored and then, three minutes later, Harry Kane drew a penalty that he converted for the second.

Spurs often score in bunches. The constant pressure pays off, and that was on display against Arsenal. Three minutes, two goals and three points.

Arsenal looked most dangerous on set pieces, in part because that was the only time they really got forward. Meanwhile, Spurs racked up corner kicks too. However, neither team got a good chance away off of their set pieces because both teams defending them extraordinarily well.

Kane has played Arsenal five times in the league and he has six goals to show for it. He's an obviously magnificent striker, but it's truly impressive how he always shines his brightest in the biggest matches.

For a team that can be accident-prone at the back, and doesn't have a particularly strong central midfield, going to a three-man backline could make sense. So looking at just that, Arsene Wenger's recent change isn't completely without merit. But every time the Gunners have played with three at the back, the players have looked unsure of what they're supposed to be doing and their out-of-position wingback -- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain today -- plays so much like a winger that the system is barely functional. Yet Wenger keeps trotting it out there with no tweaks or adjustments. Why is he still bothering with this setup?

Arsenal are now six points back of fourth place and they have just one match in hand now. Their top four chances are fading, they're guaranteed to finish below Tottenham and Alexis Sanchez leads the list of those who appear to want a transfer away. All of this while Arsene Wenger's future is still undecided.

This season was bad enough for Arsenal, but now they've taken an added gut punch with this loss to Spurs. What now?

Spurs have now gone unbeaten in six straight league matches against Arsenal and their thorough dismantling of the Gunners on Sunday was a perfect way for them to guarantee they'd finish ahead of Arsenal. It was comprehensive and left no doubt as to who the better team was. It was the season in a nutshell.