Sports
North London derby: Gabriel gives Arsenal win over rivals Tottenham
Arsenal continued their north London derby dominance as Gabriel headed home their second-half winner at Tottenham.
It had looked as if the game may meander towards a goalless draw before the Gunners centre-half stepped up with 25 minutes of the game remaining.
A frantic first-half saw both teams have periods on top, but neither were clinical enough to make the most of their opportunities. Dominic Solanke and Gabriel Martinelli were among those to get sights of goal, only to be denied as they remained goalless at the interval.
Not since 1988 has Arsenal won three successive trips to the white half of north London, but they have dominated this fixture in recent seasons and continued that trend despite being without Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice for the trip.
An attritional affair saw eight yellow cards dished out – less than 24 hours after Chelsea’s win at Bournemouth had seen the highest number of yellow cards in Premier League history.
Not since 2009 had an Arsenal-Tottenham clash in the league ended without a goal but the amount of goal mouth action remained brief before a corner in front of the away end saw Gabriel head home just after the hour mark. The Gunners have thrived on set pieces and that trend continued, keeping them within touching distance at the top.
1 Gabriel steps up
The centre-half does love a goal in a big game and there are few bigger. Much was made of the way Arsenal excelled from corners and free-kicks last term, owing to them employing a set piece coach. Gabriel has been among those to prosper from deliveries into the box and that was the case once more.
Over the past two years the Brazilian has scored goals at Stamford Bridge and Anfield. Now he can add the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to that list. Gabriel managed to lose Sergio Romero in the box and his header from point blank range was never going to be stopped. He, his team-mates and the travelling faithful were united in that corner of the stadium as they rejoiced.
2 Issues staring Tottenham in the face
Another killer of an afternoon for Ange Postecoglou’s side. So much to like about them, but the things that hold them back seem to be a constant issue. Go back to their other loss at Newcastle and Tottenham looked much the better team, producing some impressive patterns and periods.
Again on their own patch they worked some good positions, but were undermined by their end product. Set pieces have also been an Achilles heel and that area proved to be the defining moment of the game. Postecoglou has received plaudits for some of his work in the capital – but the same conversations are happening time and time again.
3 Questions will hang over Solanke
The summer signing has been somewhat billed as Harry Kane’s replacement, just 12 months late, but he’s got someway to go before that happens. Still waiting for his first Tottenham goal, Solanke is in danger of being the striker who does every well but score and take those big chances, even if he did enjoy a prolific year last time out.
The ex-Bournemouth man began the game impressively, running the channels, grafting off the ball and rushing the Arsenal backline. He also seemed to ruffle William Saliba’s feathers – which is something few manage to do. Solanke though – as well as Tottenham – will be left to rue his missed chance in the first-half, where he just took too long and failed to get a shot off with the goal at his mercy. Easy to say so, but Kane at least gets an effort on goal in that scenario.
4 Lacking a cutting edge
Talking of strikers, whilst Tottenham got one in the summer, Arsenal didn’t. For several supporters it was the one issue with their summer business – the failure to land a prolific frontman. Kai Havertz continues to be the answer for now with Gabriel Jesus on the bench.
Arsenal though are up against City and Haaland, who now has nine goals in four games. There were scenarios at Tottenham that a clinical frontman may have prospered from. Neither side were overly efficient in front of goal, but given the Gunners have title ambitions, it remains a concern that will rear its head in big moments. Easy to look at their goal column last term, but their crucial loss against Aston Villa came after a wasteful afternoon in north London – and the problem is yet to be addressed.
5 The need to be perfect
Arsenal have been unable to hold off Manchester City over the past two years. Despite holding a lead the champions have chased them down so those at the Emirates know they can ill afford to give Pep Guardiola’s outfit a head start, even at this early stage of the season.
Going into Sunday’s derby the Manchester outfit held a five point lead over Arsenal having played 24 hours earlier. It meant that, even going into the fourth game of the season, a win felt like it was essential. You need to be near perfect to overhaul the winning juggernaut that is City – which means their win at Tottenham was just what the doctor ordered.
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