Arsenal Triumphs 1-0 Over Spurs in North London Derby
Arsenal won 1-0 against Tottenham on Sunday, overcoming the absences of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to maintain their north London derby dominance. Gabriel Magalhaes scored the winning goal.
Mikel Arteta’s side were missing skipper Odegaard due to an ankle injury sustained on Norway service, while Rice was suspended for his red card against Brighton.
Arsenal’s loss of two such crucial players appeared to leave them vulnerable on their trip up the Seven Sisters Road to face their bitter rivals.
However, the Premier League title hopefuls dug deep with a tough performance, benefiting from Tottenham’s latest show of wayward finishing before Gabriel scored the winner in the second half.
The Brazilian defender’s first goal since February extended Arsenal’s unbeaten streak to three wins in four league games as they seek their first trophy since 2004 after finishing second twice.
Arsenal has now won their previous three visits to Tottenham, losing only once, in May 2022, in their last eight meetings with their bitter rivals.
The second-placed Gunners are two points behind Manchester City as they prepare for their Champions League opening against Atalanta on Thursday before flying to face Pep Guardiola’s champions next weekend.
The 196th north London derby demonstrated Arsenal’s toughness and determination, but they also required a dose of good fortune after Tottenham let them off the hook in the first half.
Tottenham’s inability to convert dominant stretches into goals has become a recurring theme this season, as Ange Postecoglou’s side was once again let down by a lack of cutting edge.
Tottenham’s second consecutive defeat leaves them with only one win in four games, a concerning start to the season for Postecoglou after their late collapse last season denied them a top-four spot.
Turning to Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli to replace Rice and Odegaard, Arteta had urged his team to show the “resilience, depth and hunger” needed to overcome their selection issues.
– Set-Piece Specialists –
Arsenal had to call on all those qualities during a vibrant start from Tottenham, with David Raya making a fine save at his near post after Son Heung-min’s pass picked out Dejan Kulusevski for an instinctive strike.
Raya had to make an even more agile stop when Kulusevski’s cross flashed through a crowd of players toward the far corner until the Spaniard clawed it away at full stretch.
William Saliba had to make a crucial, last-ditch tackle to deny the unmarked Dominic Solanke, who took too long to shoot inside the area after Son pressured Arsenal into conceding possession.
Tottenham’s profligacy gave Arsenal encouragement and Kai Havertz rose highest for a close-range header that forced a superb save from Guglielmo Vicario, who was also equal to Martinelli’s curler moments late.
Picked out by James Maddison’s cross, Solanke did well to hold off Gabriel but his looping header dropped narrowly wide.
Amid a flurry of aggressive challenges, the simmering derby tension boiled over after Jurrien Timber’s tackle on Pedro Porro left the Tottenham right-back writhing on the turf.
Vicario confronted the Arsenal defender, with both players booked after a melee featuring a plastic bottle thrown from the stands.
By the time Kulusevski crudely up-ended Jorginho on the stroke of half-time, seven players had been booked in a fractious clash, including five from Tottenham.
Micky van de Ven’s looping shot challenged Raya just after the break, but toothless Tottenham were dealt a nasty sucker punch in the 64th minute.
With 23 goals from set pieces since the start of last season, Arsenal has become dead-ball specialists, and this was another expertly executed routine.
Saka’s in-swinging corner found Gabriel, who escaped with a shove on Cristian Romero before smashing his header past Vicario from five yards.
Tottenham trapped Arsenal in the closing stages but were unable to get through as Kulusevski shot narrowly wide.
AFP
