Arsenal achieved a difficult victory over Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the North London derby, reducing the gap with Liverpool, leaders of the English Premier League, to four points.
Gabriel Magalhaes’ header forced Dominic Solanke to score an own goal from a corner kick in the 40th minute to draw Arsenal level after Son Heung-min had opened the scoring 15 minutes earlier.
Leandro Trossard’s goal four minutes after the equalizer proved the difference between the two sides, as Arsenal secured the double over Tottenham, after winning the reverse fixture 1-0 in September.
Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard all missed chances to increase the home side’s lead in the second half, meaning they had to survive a nervy finish to secure victory.
Arsenal regained second place from Nottingham Forest after the win, while Tottenham ranks 13th.
How did the match go?
Arsenal dominated early, but Tottenham scored against the run of play in the 25th minute when captain Son’s side-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area went into the net after hitting Thomas Partey.
Arsenal found a way back through Rice’s corner kick, Gabriel’s run towards the far post putting pressure on Radu Dragosin, the Arsenal defender’s header going into the net from Solanke in the 40th minute.
Trossard then put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead four minutes later as his powerful low shot beat Antonin Kinski at the end of a fast break.
Arsenal’s free kicks continued to create problems for Spurs, with Havertz sending a header wide in the 53rd minute, while Kinski’s shot was later blocked by Rice.
And with Odegaard shooting wide from close range six minutes from time, the visitors had a chance to make them pay for missed chances. It almost happened when Pedro Porro’s shot in the fourth minute of stoppage time bounced off the woodwork, but the hosts held on.
Arsenal get a statement win
Arteta and Arsenal were desperate for a win over Tottenham, as they entered the derby on the back of successive cup defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester United.
With Forest’s high-scoring draw at Liverpool on Tuesday, it was also a chance for Arsenal to close the gap on the leaders and underscore their title credentials.
Gabriel Jesus became the latest striker to join Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri on Arsenal’s injury list this week and his teammates paid tribute to the Brazilian with their shirts before the match.
But the home side minimized their problems by consistently attacking from the start, pushing Tottenham back to the defense with a series of free kicks and corner kicks.
It was a test of Arsenal’s character after they fell behind but Arteta’s side took the lead at half-time.
If anything, it was their finishing that let them down in the second half and denied them a comfortable win.
They will now host Aston Villa on Saturday and hope to pounce if Liverpool, who have a game in hand at the top, stumble again.
Tottenham stumble again
Ange Postecoglou’s side struggled in the early stages at the Emirates Stadium, with Archie Gray making some important defensive tackles to keep the score level, including Trossard’s deflected shot off the goal line in the 13th minute.
Kinski also had some nervous moments against Tottenham and did enough to recover after Havertz robbed him of the ball inside the box four minutes later.
It took Spurs 22 minutes to score their first shot as David Raya made a good save from Dejan Kulusevski’s shot, before the home side surprised by going ahead through Son.
However, this was their last shot on target and their highest point in the derby
Postecoglou responded by bringing on James Maddison and Brennan Johnson for Bissouma and Pape Sarr in the second half but his side failed to create enough and were in second place for most of the evening.
The team now enters its away match against Everton on Sunday having earned only one point in five matches without a win in the league.
Club reports
Arsenal report | Tottenham report
What the managers said
Mikel Arteta: “We were fantastic today. From the first minute we were very strong. We played with a real aim to hurt them. We created an incredible atmosphere. We know how important the game is. It’s a gift we can give the fans. Very happy.”
“The way we played, not feeling sorry for ourselves, was exceptional. We played 120 minutes three days ago. We had some big chances and big situations. In the end we had to suffer more than we wanted to.”
“When you have the opportunities [to close the gap] You have to take them. We’re going really steady in the Premier League. “It’s about recovery tomorrow and Aston Villa on Saturday, home and away.”
Angie Postecoglou: “Yes, we could have gotten something, but it is so irrelevant that we were nowhere near the levels we needed to be today.
“In the first half, we were very passive and allowed Arsenal to find their rhythm. We hung in there, hung in there the whole game really. The second half was a little better but nowhere near the level we wanted.”
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Match the facts
Arsenal achieved the Premier League double over Tottenham for the fifth time (twice under Mikel Arteta and three times under Arsene Wenger). In fact, they have now achieved the double four times more often than rivals Tottenham in the competition, who only did so in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93.
Tottenham lost 11 matches in the English Premier League this season; The largest number of goals at this stage in one season in the competition (11 goals also in the 1997-1998, 2003-04 and 2008-09 seasons). The only sides who have lost more this season are the three teams currently in the relegation zone (Wolves, Leicester City, Southampton).
This was 11y While the team scored its first goal in the North London derby in the English Premier League, the team lost seven of them at the hands of Tottenham. Only against Newcastle (7) have Tottenham lost the most games in the competition after opening the scoring.
