Kane Cleared For Arsenal Showdown After Azpilicueta Clash

Tottenham skipper Harry Kane has been cleared to face Arsenal after it was confirmed he will face no retrospective action following his altercation with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta during Spurs’ 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.

Concise News reports that the England captain clashed with Azpilicueta during the first half of Wednesday’s Premier League encounter and appeared to move his head towards the defender.

The incident was sparked when Chelsea put the ball out of play in order to allow Tottenham defender Kieran Trippier to receive treatment for an injury.

Kane then closed down Chelsea defender David Luiz after Tottenham had given the ball back to their opponents, much to the Brazilian’s displeasure.

Azpilicueta then confronted Kane over the incident, with Luiz turning peacemaker and having to separate the pair.

However, 25-year-old Kane is not in line for punishment over the incident as the match officials saw it at the time and decided no sanction was necessary.

Kane only returned to the side for the trip to Burnley last weekend after missing the club’s last seven games with an ankle injury suffered during the home defeat against Manchester United on January 13.

The striker scored Tottenham’s second-half equaliser at Turf Moor, but a late goal from Ashley Barnes condemned the north London side to defeat.

Things didn’t improve much for Kane and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea early in the second half before Trippier’s disastrous own-goal sealed the victory.

Those damaging back-to-back defeats look to have all but ended Tottenham’s bid for the Premier League title.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are still third despite the defeat but are now nine points behind leaders Liverpool with 10 games left.

Pochettino will be desperate for his side to show some sort of reaction against their bitter rivals at Wembley on Saturday.

The Gunners beat Tottenham 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium last December, although Spurs prevailed 2-0 later that month when the sides met in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Arsenal are fourth in the table, four points behind Spurs, having thrashed Bournemouth 5-1 at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.