LONDON (AP) ― Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon scored in a three-minute span late in the first half, giving Tottenham a 2-1 win over visiting Arsenal on Sunday in a North London derby that could prove to be pivotal in the race for Champions League qualification.

Bale put Tottenham ahead in the 37th minute when he beat an offside trap on a pass from Gylfi Sigurdsson and sent a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny for his 10th goal in eight games and 20th this season.

Just 140 seconds later, Scott Parker threaded a pass behind the Thomas Vermaelen, and Lennon rounded Szczesny to slot into an empty net.

Per Mertesacker scored Arsenal’s goal on a 51st-minute glancing header that deflected in off Bale.

Tottenham (16-6-6) is third with 54 points, two ahead of Chelsea (15-6-7) and seven in front of Arsenal (13-7-8), which is seeking its 16th straight Champions League berth under manager Arsene Wenger. The top four teams qualify for Europe’s top club competition.

Jozy Altidore broke Clint Dempsey’s record for most goals by an American in a European club season, scoring his 24th in AZ Alkmaar’s 2-1 loss at RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Eridivisie.

The 23-year-old tied the score in the 69th minute, running onto a pass into the penalty area and chipping goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet with a left-footed shot from about 12 yards. Altidore has 17 league goals to go along with seven in the Dutch Cup.

Spain

BARCELONA (AP) ― Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to reduce its gap with Spanish leader Barcelona to nine points when it was held to a 0-0 draw at Malaga.

Barcelona (22-2-2), which lost 2-1 at Real Madrid on Saturday, leads by 11 points over Atletico (18-5-3) and 13 over defending champion Real (17-5-4), which had trailed by 19 points after play on Feb. 16.

Italy

ROME (AP) ― Inter Milan rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second half to win 3-2 at Catania, shaking off Antonio Cassano’s latest outburst.

Cassano wasn’t dressed following a training scuffle with coach Andrea Stramaccioni. Cassano has had run-ins with authority figures throughout his career, including Fabio Capello at Roma and Real Madrid and former Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone.

Catania built a 2-0 lead on goals by Gonzalo Bergessio in the seventh minute and Giovanni Marchese in the 19th, but Ricky Alvarez head in a cross in the 51st from Rodrigo Palacio, who tied the score in the 70th and got the go-ahead goal off a pass from Esteban Cambiasso in the second minute of stoppage time.

Germany

BERLIN (AP) ― Mario Gomez made the most of a rare start to give Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich a 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Hoffenheim.

Frank Ribery headed on Javi Martinez’s header for Gomez to flick past goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes with his second touch in the 38th minute.

Bayern (20-1-3) holds a 17-point lead over second-place Borussia Dortmund (13-4-7).

American midfielder Daniel Williams created Hoffenheim’s best chances in the first half. Bayern’s Bastian Schweinsteiger hit the crossbar and a post from successive free kicks in the second half.