Arsenal secured a much-needed 2-1 win at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta has called the north London derby “the most beautiful game of the season to watch”. Neutrals – if there is such a thing in the modern game – will certainly enjoy this midweek chaos-ball offering, a contest full of more moments of misfortune than quality.
Arsenal started the brighter of the two sides, charging at their formidable rivals against the backdrop of a raucous crowd that Arteta had spent all week rooting for. But Son Heung-min silenced Emirates in the 25th minute.
The Tottenham captain was first to reach a half-cleared corner, controlling a low volley into the crowded box that flew away William Salibathumbs up still David Ray.
The Gunners, fresh from back-to-back cup defeats in front of their own fans against Newcastle and Manchester United in the past week, it could have been very easy to waver. 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 – must have been aware of the threat that Arsenal, and Gabriel in particular, posed from corners. However, the Brazilian centre-back – who scored the winner in the reverse fixture – still found space at the back post to head the ball over the line over Dominic Solanke’s midfield in the 40th minute. Before the half-time whistle, a trio of Tottenham mistakes gave Arsenal the lead when Leandro Trossard broke through the visitors’ soft centre.
Ange Postecoglou it is nothing but a manger that lives by the sword and dies by the sword. Half-time saw the arrival of James Maddison and Brennan Johnson, hollowing out Tottenham’s midfield in search of the all-important equaliser.
That dramatic change served to expose, not revive, the Spurs. The visitors did not force Ray to make any saves in the second half, and remained equally vulnerable to bizarre lapses of concentration with the ball in their own half.
Arteta – who responded to Postecoglou’s all-out attack by turning to a two-left-back system – watched his side once again miss an abundance of chances. Unlike Arsenal’s last two opponents, Spurs could not punish the wastefulness of the Gunners and were condemned to their second derby defeat of the season.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: David Ray |
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 |
|
UNDER: Gabriel Martinelli (61′ for Sterling) |
6.3/10 |
|
UNDER: Kieran Tierney (77′ for Trossard) |
6.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Oleksandr Zinchenko (87′ for Lewis-Skelly) |
ON |
|
UNDER: Mikel Merino (87′ for Rice) |
ON |
Unused substitutes: Neto (GK), Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, Ismeal Kabia, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
*Ratings are 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 Gray |
5.9/10 |
|
LB: Grandpa Spence |
5.8/10 |
|
CM: Pope Sarr |
5.4/10 |
|
CM: Yves Bissouma |
5.0/10 |
|
CM: Lucas Bergvall |
7.3/10 |
|
RW: Dejan Kulusevski |
6.8/10 |
|
ST: Dominik Solanke |
5.2/10 |
|
LW: Heung-min’s son |
7.1/10 |
|
UNDER: James Maddison (46′ for Bissoum) |
6.7/10 |
|
UNDER: Brennan Johnson (46′ for Sarr) |
6.0/10 |
|
UNDER: Richarlison (78′ for Son) |
6.1/10 |
Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Malachi Hardy, Callum Olusesi, Sergio Reguilon, Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear
Man of the match – Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
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