LONDON — Arsenal overcame the absence of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard to win the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and move into second place in the Premier League ahead of next week's clash with leader Manchester City.
Gabriel's 64th-minute header was enough to seal a 1-0 victory against Ange Postecoglou's side, who now languish in 13th place after winning just once in four games this season.
The Gunners went into the game without the suspended Rice and the injured Ødegaard in central midfield, boosting Tottenham's hopes of recording their first home win against Arsenal since 2022.
But Jorginho and Thomas Partey stepped up and showed that Arsenal have the team to challenge for the title, putting in a brave and determined performance to secure victory against their local rivals.
While Arsenal have managed to secure their title credentials, the outlook looks less promising for Spurs.
Postecoglou's side have lost seven of their last 11 Premier League games, winning just three, a dismal run of form that will put the former Celtic manager under pressure unless he can oversee a rapid turnaround in results. Marco Ogden
Arsenal's set-piece speciality shines through again
The first person Mikel Arteta celebrated Gabriel's 64th-minute goal with was set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, and with good reason.
Jover has revolutionised Arsenal's set-piece record since joining the club from Manchester City in 2021; the Gunners scored 22 goals last season from set pieces, more than any other team. Standing in the corner of the technical area at every set-piece, Jover micromanages Arsenal's handling of attacking and defensive corners and free-kicks with great effectiveness.
They were without their usual corner-taker Rice and Ødegaard, but Bukayo Saka's cross was precise and Gabriel took advantage of Spurs' poor marking.
Contrast that detailed approach with Postecoglou's cynicism in appointing a set-piece specialist, explaining in April that “I always think[s] “It's better if it's someone who is part of the coaching staff because then it's an extension of how we play our football.”
However, perhaps the problem by extension is that if football is not working well (as Tottenham is not at the moment), set pieces are not as important as they could be, as was demonstrated in this case.
Perhaps the Spurs manager's attitude will change when he looks at the numbers: since the start of last season, Tottenham have conceded 18 goals from set pieces (not counting penalties). Only Nottingham Forest (23) have conceded more. James Olley
Spurs fail to capitalise on Arsenal's midfield slump
The absence of Ødegaard, Rice and summer signing Mikel Merino (who could potentially have been Arsenal's starting midfielder on another day) created an obvious opportunity for Tottenham to exploit.
Spurs were without Yves Bissouma but rather than start Pape Matar Sarr, Postecoglou opted for a wide midfield three with Rodrigo Bentancur as anchor while winger Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison operated as two No.8s.
Tottenham had 64% possession and more shots (15-7), but only managed a slightly higher expected goals figure, from 0.77 to 0.73.
Although there were times when Partey and Jorginho were unable to stem the flow of Tottenham attacks (particularly early in the first half), Spurs gradually ran out of ideas and were unable to move the ball quickly enough to dislodge the Gunners from their disciplined formation.
Postecoglou responded to Arsenal's goal by bringing on Sarr and winger Wilson Odobert in place of Bentancur and the ineffective Brennan Johnson, but by then the opportunity looked lost as the visitors could concentrate on closing down space and protecting their lead rather than chasing a second goal. Olley
Solanke needs time to become Tottenham's goalscoring threat
Dominic Solanke was all work and no reward against Arsenal. The £55m summer signing from Bournemouth missed two of the first three games of the season with an ankle injury and is still trying to find his feet in terms of fitness and match sharpness, but Spurs fans will have to accept a different type of centre-forward in Solanke than they became accustomed to under Harry Kane.
Kane was a completely reliable goalscorer, but he was also a player who often dropped back to start attacks with long balls out wide before running into the penalty area to help finish the move.
Solanke is a more traditional No.9 and was effective against Arsenal in terms of providing his teammates with a point man. He also physically tested Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba throughout the game, but his lack of pace means Spurs will have to adapt to his attributes and figure out how to get the best out of the former Chelsea and Liverpool striker.
Against Arsenal he created a couple of good chances and almost scored with a header in the first half, but he needs to improve his fitness and movement if he is to be the solution to Tottenham's goalscoring problems. Ogden
Timber proves it was worth the wait
Jurriën Timber was signed for £34m as the final piece of the defensive puzzle when he joined Arsenal from Ajax in the 2023 summer transfer window, but a cruciate ligament injury sustained on his Premier League debut forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
But the Dutch international is now back in top form and showed against Tottenham exactly what Arteta's side lacked last season when the Gunners failed to beat Manchester City to the title.
Arteta had signed Timber to play on the left of Arsenal's defence, and his absence was never satisfactorily resolved, with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko proving solid if unspectacular replacements.
Timber made a huge difference against Spurs with his energy and tenacity down the left flank. He also showed a toughness that will only serve Arsenal well in games against title rivals City and Liverpool.
Timber was booked in the first half after a clash with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following a harsh but fair foul on Spurs defender Pedro Porro. The yellow card kept him on the ropes for the rest of the game but it did not affect his form and he continued to provide Arsenal with solid reliability at left-back. Ogden
Arsenal start a great week in the best possible way
Three away games in eight days, starting with a visit to their bitter rivals and ending with a game against the Premier League champions, offer a preliminary test of Arsenal's credentials. It was an ideal way to start.
Without influential midfielder Rice and captain Ødegaard, Arsenal fielded Partey and Jorginho in midfield and Leandro Trossard as No 10. They were rarely at their best, but Arsenal held firm and secured a result that will give them confidence for the challenges ahead.
The Gunners were lucky with injuries last season. Saliba was one of only two outfield players to play every minute of their Premier League campaign, while Ødegaard and Saka were regular starters and Rice was tireless alongside Ben White and Gabriel.
Arteta was right to say that “a lot of work has been done” to achieve that level of availability, but the current demands on players always make it unlikely to be repeated. So overcoming the absence of several players – also missing new signings Riccardo Calafiori and Merino – will be a useful boost ahead of two important games at Atalanta and Manchester City.
Rice will return from his suspension. The prognosis for the rest is unclear, but extended absences should not cause the fears that may exist ahead of Sunday's result. Olley
North London derby breaks disciplinary record
Referee Jarred Gillett set a record during the first half of this game by showing seven yellow cards, the most ever shown in the first 45 minutes of a Premier League game.
At one point it seemed like every foul or infringement deserved a warning, but Gillett slowed down in the second half and only showed one yellow card after the interval.
But less than 24 hours after 14 yellow cards were shown during Chelsea's 1-0 win at Bournemouth, the sight of so many cautions in the early stages of the north London derby hinted that referees are being urged to crack down on every area of rule-breaking this weekend.
Over the course of the first and second round of matches this season, there were 38 yellow cards in each weekend, but that figure rose to 57 the weekend before the international break. However, before a ball had even been touched in Sunday's two games, 58 yellow cards had already been handed out in the previous eight games of the weekend.
VAR controversies have been remarkably few and far between, but yellow cards are definitely on the rise. Ogden
Arsenal get the result they wanted, but in the wrong colours
For the first time in recent history, Arsenal played Tottenham in a colour other than their traditional red, and it didn't look good.
The Premier League announced ahead of the match that Arsenal would not be able to wear their home colours (red with white sleeves) because there was too much white on the shirt and it could therefore clash with Tottenham's predominantly white shirts. As a result, Spurs will have to wear their light blue away kit when they play at the Emirates in January.
The decision left both clubs and their supporters baffled, but it meant Arsenal played their traditional rivals in an unfamiliar all-black kit (or black with a big rip if you're Trossard, who had to change his shirt late at night after the front of his original shirt had a square torn in it).
The North London derby is one of the biggest games in the Premier League and has global appeal, so it should look similar to the North London derby.
Can you imagine Everton-Liverpool and Manchester United-Manchester City being played with teams wearing different colours? That wouldn't happen, so maybe the Premier League should stick to tradition instead of a little kit clash next time. Ogden
