Arsenal secured a much-needed 2-1 home win against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta called the North London derby “the most beautiful game of the season to watch”. The neutral – if there is such a thing in the modern game – would certainly have enjoyed this midweek Chaos Ball offering, a contest full of moments of misfortune rather than quality.
Arsenal started much better than either side and stormed towards their formidable rivals against the backdrop of a raucous crowd that Arteta had been pumping up all week. However, Son Heung-min silenced the Emirates in the 25th minute.
Tottenham’s captain got there first from a half-cleared corner and controlled a low volley into a crowded penalty area that bounced off William Saliba’s toe and past David Raya.
The Gunners, who had just suffered consecutive cup defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United in front of their own fans last week, could well have faltered. In reality, Arsenal just had to hang on long enough for Tottenham’s own insecurities to take hold.
Spurs – and the rest of the division – will be keenly aware of the threat that Arsenal and Gabriel in particular pose from corners. But the Brazilian centre-back, who scored the winning goal in the first leg, still found space at the back post in the 40th minute to head the ball over the line through Dominic Solanke’s stomach. Before the half-time whistle blew, three mistakes from Tottenham meant Arsenal took the lead as Leandro Trossard fired through the visitors’ soft centre.
Ange Postecoglou is nothing but a manager who lives by the sword and dies by the sword. The half-time break saw the arrival of James Maddison and Brennan Johnson, who hollowed out Tottenham’s midfield in search of the crucial equaliser.
This dramatic change served more to expose Spurs than to invigorate them. The visitors didn’t force Raya to make a single save in the second half and remained just as susceptible to bizarre lapses in concentration with the ball in their own half.
Arteta – who responded to Postecoglou’s all-out attack by switching to a two-left-back system – watched as his side once again missed a flood of impressive chances. Unlike Arsenal’s last two opponents, Spurs were unable to punish the Gunners’ profligacy and suffered a second derby defeat of the league season.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 7.3/10 |
RB: Jurrien Timber | 7.5/10 |
CB: William Saliba | 7.5/10 |
CB: Gabriel | 7.2/10 |
LB: Myles Lewis Skelly | 7.5/10 |
CM: Martin Odegaard | 8.4/10 |
CM: Thomas Partey | 7.2/10 |
CM: Declan Rice | 7.3/10 |
RW: Raheem Sterling | 7.0/10 |
ST: Kai Havertz | 6.3/10 |
LW: Leandro Trossard | 8.2/10 |
SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (61′ for Sterling) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Kieran Tierney (77th for Trossard) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (87th minute for Lewis-Skelly) | N/A |
SUB: Mikel Merino (87′ for Rice) | N/A |
Substitutes not used: Neto (TW), Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, Ismeal Kabia, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Antonin Kinsky | 6.6/10 |
RB: Pedro Porro | 6.5/10 |
CB: Radu Dragusin | 6.1/10 |
CB: Archie Grey | 5.9/10 |
LB: DJed Spence | 5.8/10 |
CM: Dad Sarr | 5.4/10 |
CM: Yves Bissouma | 5.0/10 |
CM: Lucas Bergvall | 7.3/10 |
RW: Dejan Kulusevski | 6.8/10 |
ST: Dominic Solanke | 5.2/10 |
LW: Son Heung-min | 7.1/10 |
SUB: James Maddison (46′ for Bissouma) | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Brennan Johnson (46′ for Sarr) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Richarlison (78′ for Son) | 6.1/10 |
Substitutes not used: Brandon Austin (TW), Malachi Hardy, Callum Olusesi, Sergio Reguilon, Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear