Arsenal won the North London Derby this afternoon at Tottenham thanks to a headed goal from Gabriel.
Arsenal won the controversial North London derby at Tottenham (1-0) on Sunday to maintain second place in the Premier League, two points behind Manchester City, their great rivals and next opponents. A header from Brazilian defender Gabriel on a corner from Bukayo Saka (64th) was enough to delight the “Gunners”, who left their neighbours and enemies with a third victory in four matches. They could not have dreamed of better before two new trips, Thursday to Bergamo to challenge Atalanta in the Champions League, then next Sunday in Manchester against the four-time reigning English champion.
The Londoners will travel to the Etihad with ten points in their suitcases, two less than Pep Guardiola’s “Citizens” and one more than Liverpool, the other member of the podium, defeated on Saturday by Nottingham Forest. Tottenham are for their part 13th with only one win in four matches. Arsenal’s victory on Sunday takes on a particular flavor for Mikel Arteta, the recently renewed coach, deprived at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium of two essentials of his squad, namely the captain Martin Odegaard, injured, and the defensive midfielder Declan Rice, suspended. In their absence, the Spaniard installed Leandro Trossard and Jorginho in midfield, which somewhat reduced the usual solidity and creativity of this sector of the game.
Saka passer and injured
Arsenal sometimes struggled to contain Tottenham’s repeated incursions but they were able to count on Spurs’ lack of skill and success, a problem that has become recurrent among Ange Postecoglou’s players. At the start of the match, in particular, Dejan Kulusevski could have done better on a cross back from Heung-Min Son (5th), as could Dominic Solanke on this header that fell just wide of David Raya’s goal (28th). The spectacle also sometimes suffered from the repeated fouls that inflamed an already heated derby, surrounded by a very large police force outside the stadium.
Referee Jarred Gillett handed out yellow cards in droves in the first half (seven cautions) and he worked to calm down moments of tension, particularly after Jürrien Timber’s stamp on Pedro Porro which inflamed the supporters and players (35th). Pushed on by their fans, Tottenham laid siege to the opposing defence until the final moments, without managing to break through the barrier erected by William Saliba and his team. The Frenchman engaged in a high-level duel with Solanke, who he prevented from scoring very early on (14th), but it was his central defence partner who took the spotlight with the winning goal.
Gabriel rose above the scrum to head in a Saka corner (64th, 1-0), providing his fourth assist in as many league games this season. The England international went off injured late in the game, which is the only black mark for the Gunners. Raheem Sterling, a winger on loan from Chelsea, was brought on in the 80th minute for his first steps in an Arsenal shirt. Matchday 4 ends on Sunday (5:30pm) with Newcastle’s trip to Wolverhampton.
