Most believed it was an opportunity for Tottenham. They had reasoned that with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, their inspiration and soul, out injured or suspended, Mikel Arteta’s team would never be more susceptible. This North London derby was Tottenham’s moment.
But Arteta disagreed. He had described the game as an opportunity for Arsenal, an opportunity to demonstrate that they could overcome their fiercest rivals despite their reduced squad, an opportunity to avoid making excuses, and an opportunity to stand up.
Arsenal answered Arteta’s call. They survived a frenetic, untidy first half in which they appeared to be outperformed in central midfield, and they were grateful for Spurs’ failure to capitalise on a couple of excellent opportunities.
In the 64th minute, Gabriel rose highest at a corner to head firmly past Guglielmo Vicario, securing the win. Spurs pushed and puffed for the remainder of the second half, but they never looked like equalising. North London was once again crimson.
The victory pushed Arteta’s side to second place in the table, putting an end to the glitch of their draw with Brighton a fortnight ago, when Rice was sent off for a second yellow card for delaying the restart.
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Gabriel rose highest to nod home a corner and put Arsenal in front just beyond the hour mark
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The Brazilian’s header sparked jubilant scenes among the travelling Arsenal supporters
This victory also boosted their team’s morale. Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli replaced Rice and Odegaard, respectively, and contributed to the victory. Gabriel and William Saliba were the top performers on the pitch.
It is too early to talk about Ange Postecoglou being under serious pressure at Spurs, despite the fact that they have only won one of their first four games. Their summer addition, Dominic Solanke, wasted their greatest chance in the first half, but they did not play poorly. They are good and ambitious enough to produce outcomes.
Tottenham had made a bright start. Solanke, returning from injury, exploited Heung-Min Son’s run as a decoy before moving down the left and sending the ball to the Spurs captain. Son’s cut-back found Dejan Kulusevski, whose shot was stopped by David Raya.
Spurs should have taken the lead as their constant high press pushed the Arsenal defence to make a costly mistake. Arsenal attempted to pass out of the back, but as the ball was diverted into Solanke’s path with only Raya to beat, he paused and afforded time for a save challenge.
Soon after, Saliba was booked for delaying the restart following an Arsenal foul. After what happened to Rice a fortnight ago, you might think Arsenal would have learnt their lesson by now.
Arsenal slowly gained a foothold in the game. Vicario flung out to his left to deflect Kai Havertz’s powerful header, and if Martinelli had squared a pass to Bukayo Saka instead of scoring himself a few minutes later, the visitors would have been up.
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Gabriel roars in delight after scoring what ultimately proved to be the winner for Arsenal
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The Spaniard delighted with his coaching team after securing their third victory of the season.
The game ran quickly and smoothly now. Son rushed at Ben White and slipped a pass to James Maddison. Maddison flicked it to the back post, where Solanke pushed himself in front of his marker and swung a header across goal that went agonisingly wide.
Jurrien Timber was booked for a foul on Pedro Porro, and Porro’s frantic reaction sparked a confrontation in which Vicario was admonished for attempting to exact punishment. It heightened an already feverish situation.
No goals were scored before halftime, but there were more bookings. Micky van de Ven and Kulusevski were cautioned in quick succession, bringing the total to seven, a Premier League record in the first half. Postecoglou lurched around in his technical area, holding his head in his hands, as if he couldn’t believe it.
The game became more attritional following the intermission. There was even a break in the bookings. Raya attempted to replicate Manchester City’s tactics on Saturday, evading the press with a long ball up front. City had Erling Haaland to target, but Raya could only identify Saka, who was marked by Van de Ven. There was no contest.
Saka quickly discovered another way to make his impact. He curled in a corner midway through the half, which was hammered hard into the six-yard box. Gabriel nudged Romero while the ball was in flight, then rose uncontested to power his header past Vicario from close range.
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Postecoglou looks on after yet another defeat for Tottenham in the north London derby
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Tottenham pushed and puffed but could not find a way through Arsenal’s backline.
Arsenal has now scored the most goals from set pieces in the Premier League since the start of last season, and it appeared for much of the match that it would be decided in the same fashion.
Raheem Sterling replaced Martinelli ten minutes from time, making his Arsenal debut and reminding everyone watching that Arsenal has recently made wise purchases to enhance their title challenge.
This was a collective triumph, the kind of result that will give momentum and steel to a challenge against a City squad that is still showing no signs of weakness. That is why Arsenal’s victory on enemy territory, and the steely manner in which it was won, was so crucial.