Arsenal won a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham in a fiery North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This helps the Gunners stay close to Man City in the league points table.
Tottenham started the game strongly but couldn’t make any inroads – as both Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke came close to scoring in the first half. It was a fiery and dogged encounter that featured eight yellow cards, including seven in the first half, equalling a Premier League record. In the exact fixture last season, Spurs were 3-0 down at half-time. Getting to the break with a clean sheet intact can be considered a better performance for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but they should have been in front.
However, Spur’s intensity dropped in the second half of the match with Arsenal being able to play more to their strength.
Leading up to the match, Arteta had faced a sudden lack of midfield options. New signing Mikel Merino is out with a shoulder injury, and then in midweek Martin Odegaard suffered an ankle injury on international duty with Norway. Also, Declan Rice was suspended due to his red card in the previous match.
Arteta had to get creative with his team selection for the match and Arsenal profited from a set-piece play in the 64th minute to win. As Bukayo Saka’s perfect cross picked out Gabriel, who struck a free header over Vicario with loose defending from Cristian Romero costing Tottenham dearly. Spurs had opportunities to level the score with a late charge but unfortunately failed to convert.
Tactics Zone
Arsenal and Tottenham both played with a 4-3-3 formation.
Arteta’s solution to the gunners’ midfield woes was to shift Thomas Partey to the right, allowing Jorginho to slot in the deeper lying role, with Martinelli providing extra width on the opposite flank. Arsenal’s strategy involved high press to disrupt Spur’s build-up play from the back. The Gunners also defended robustly, with Raya producing some outstanding saves.
Tottenham had the majority of the possession and they looked to attack more. Especially, in the first half of the match they looked to have the edge. Postecoglou stated in the post-match interview, “We lacked belief and conviction in the final third”. Given the number of scoring opportunities they had, it must be frustrating. To add insult to injury, Tottenham’s other vulnerability to set-pieces came back to bite them; ultimately costing them the derby. Spurs have only one win from four so far this season. They need to find their best form soon as they welcome Brentford to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next week.
Arsenal, on the other hand, has a ‘Saka scare’ as he went off late in the match after receiving treatment. With a trip to champions Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday, another injury to one of their best players will be the last thing the Gunners need.
