Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 in the North London derby at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side were under huge pressure after losing to Newcastle and Manchester United in previous games in north London, but the Gunners responded with three crucial points against their fiercest rivals.
The midweek clash in January was far from a classic, but Arsenal’s win meant they finally put some pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool and inflicted even more pain on struggling Spurs.
How the game developed
The hosts were keen to put on a show before the game and there was a show of support for Gabriel Jesus, who will undergo knee surgery at the weekend after tearing his cruciate ligament. There was an energy at the Emirates that hasn’t been evident in recent games and Mikel Arteta’s side thrived in the early stages.
Similar to the game here last season, Arsenal were territorially dominant and stifled Tottenham’s build-up play. Antonin Kinsky’s coolness in possession was tested by the Gunners’ intensity and the young goalkeeper was almost caught out on a couple of occasions.
Arsenal were able to pick apart Spurs’ midfield and prevail over their north London rivals, but an early flurry of set-pieces failed to produce an opening goal. Leandro Trossard came closest after Declan Rice got ahead of Pedro Porro at the back post and fed the Belgian, but his effort was blocked by Radu Dragusin.
After sitting in their own third for the first 20 minutes, Tottenham finally escaped thanks to forays from Djed Spence and Pape Sarr. The former gave Dominic Solanke a good chance with a great Trivela cross, but Gabriel was there and skillfully denied the English striker. Dejan Kulusevski parried a shot from the resulting corner before Son Heung-min scored from a deflection from William Saliba to make it 1-0 for the visitors.
A lead is often uncertain in this game and Arsenal’s superiority from set pieces was on display again when Solanke directed a dangerous shot from Declan Rice into the Spurs goal after Gabriel challenged at the back post.
Arsenal’s turnaround was complete before half-time when Leandro Trossard scored his first goal since late November. The Gunners have rarely enjoyed high turnovers this season, but Trossard made Yves Bissouma pay for it with an emphatic finish over Kinsky’s left glove.
Ange Postecoglou was certainly in no mood to die slowly at the Emirates as he substituted James Maddison and Brennan Johnson at half-time in favor of Bissouma and Sarr. Bergvall moved to the base of the midfield. The Spurs immediately succeeded in transforming the game of soccer into a sport that is more common across the pond. At the beginning of the second half there was a basketball feeling, although neither team was able to create clear chances despite promising positions.
Arsenal regained control of the visitors after the hour and had to defend as Maddison and Kulusevski were in a precarious position in front of the teenager Bergvall and struggled to get to him. The Gunners opened up the pitch and slowed the pace. Spurs had their moments in transition against a team that had played 120 minutes on Sunday, but Arsenal proved tenacious as they settled into their defensive block.
In the final phase there was plenty of cheering from the hosts as they tried to maintain their lead. Another toothless performance in the final third ensured Spurs were only one behind. However, the guests were unable to keep up against the strongest defense in the league, which secured a 2-1 win.
Check out the player ratings for Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham here.
Liverpool put in an excellent second-half performance at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night but were only able to pick up a point thanks to some brilliant work between the posts from Matz Sels. A draw wasn’t a bad result for the Reds given Forest’s form, but it opened the door for Arsenal.
So far this season, Arteta’s side have failed to take advantage of any of the Reds’ slip-ups, of which there have been few. After Liverpool’s draw at Newcastle on December 4, Arsenal failed to win at Fulham four days later. They were played against Everton on the same afternoon, with Liverpool drawing 2-2 against the Cottagers. Arne Slot’s side also faced Manchester United two weeks ago after the Gunners picked up a point at Brighton.
This time, however, Arsenal seized the opportunity. After two defeats in the domestic cups, there was plenty of desperation in the red half of north London, but they are still unbeaten in the Premier League since November 2nd and are now just four points behind the league leaders.
Liverpool’s game against Everton next month is no walk in the park. The title race isn’t dead yet, folks!
Thomas Tuchel was in attendance on Wednesday evening and the England manager must have been impressed with the performances of the two left-backs.
Ironically, neither are left-backs by profession. Djed Spence dominated the opposition in League Two, while Myles Lewis-Skelly typically dominated in the middle of the park for Arsenal’s youth teams.
Spence has been forced into the unfamiliar role due to Destiny Udogie’s injury, but Arteta has identified Lewis-Skelly as more than just a back-up option for the injury-prone Riccardo Calafiori, who was ruled out again on Wednesday with a muscle problem.
The two were among the standout players for their respective teams in the derby, with both showing impressive composure in possession in difficult situations. While Lewis-Skelly has a pressing resistance reminiscent of Mousa Dembele, Spence is an experienced combiner with a quick burst of pace.
Neither showed fear throughout and both must be considered by Tuchel for the March internationals. There is a shortage of quality English left-backs (although Lewis Hall is having an excellent season for record-breaking Newcastle United) and although Spence and Lewis-Skelly prefer alternative roles, their current role could be their best route to England’s line-up.
A 2-2 draw in this game last season represented a boost to Tottenham’s fortunes at the Emirates and was a sign that Spurs were on the right track with their idealistic Australian coach at the helm.
The mood in the Lilywhite neighborhoods has changed significantly since September 2023, with many skeptical of Postecoglou’s ability to oversee a sustainable rebuild. The Tottenham manager has had to deal with another injury crisis and we shouldn’t overlook the amount of fitness issues the visitors are dealing with just because we’ve become accustomed to their makeshift defense over the last month.
Despite their recent profligacy and the absence of Bukayo Saka, Arsenal were heavy favorites before the game and we have seen superior Tottenham teams perform far worse in this environment.
Wednesday’s defeat means Spurs still haven’t won a Premier League game at the Emirates since November 2010. Pre-match expectations were low and the table is currently bleak. However, Ange deserves some credit for Tottenham’s ‘success’ in the cups this season and there is a belief that things will improve once he gets his defenders back.
It must.