London, Sep 15: Gabriel’s second-half header earned Arsenal a crucial 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in a feisty north London derby on Sunday to keep pace with early Premier League leaders Manchester City.
The Gunners were without captain Martin Odegaard and key midfield Declan Rice through injury and suspension respectively and survived a stern examination from Ange Postecoglou’s side to spark ecstatic scenes at the final whistle.
Arsenal keeper David Raya excelled in the early stages to keep Spurs at bay with fine saves from Dejan Kulusevski while Spurs opposite number Guglielmo Vicario had to be at his best to keep out Kai Havertz’s header.
Tempers boiled over late in the first half as players from both sides clashed following Jurien Timber’s challenge on Pedro Porro, setting the stage for a tense second period.And it was Gabriel who made the vital contribution after 64 minutes, escaping the attentions of Cristian Romero to rise and power Bukako Saka’s corner high past Vicario.Arsenal always relish any derby victory at Spurs but this one will taste especially sweet as it was achieved without two such significant figures in Odegaard and Rice while providing the perfect platform for next weekend’s visit to champions Manchester City.The Gunners, in the modern football parlance, suffered at moments in an occasionally bad-tempered encounter but – as at Aston Villa earlier this season – they dug deep and showed real grit to stay in the game before Gabriel’s thumping header settled the game.
Arsenal then defended with determination to close out the three points, match-winner Gabriel and goalkeeper Raya delivering towering performances as Spurs eventually ran out of ideas.
Such are the fine margins in the Premier League because of Manchester City’s supremacy, any failure to win is seen as a slip and after drawing at home with Brighton, Arsenal’s victory assumes greater importance because they go to the champions in their next league game.Manager Mikel Arteta will take extra pleasure in the way Arsenal coped without the quality and calming influences of Odegaard and Rice in the engine room – a fact reflected by the joyous reaction of players, management and supporters at the final whistle.
Tottenham’s old failings returned to haunt them as they squandered the opportunity to put a marker down in front of their own supporters against depleted Arsenal.
They were reflected in the goal as Spurs once again failed to defend a set-piece, a constant Achilles heel in the Ange Postecoglou era.
Last season, excluding penalties, Spurs conceded 16 goals from set-pieces out of 54 conceded. Including penalties it was 23 from 61.
Postecoglou appeared unconcerned by this obvious weakness but another crucial goal leading to a defeat from a routine corner poorly defended should focus the manager’s mind. (Agencies)
