September 26, (THEWILL) – After being on two different ends of the table only a month ago, Arsenal, who were at the bottom, met Tottenham Hotspur, who were the leading team, in the first North London Derby of the season at the Emirates, and with three first-half goals, Arsenal ironed out a comfortable 3-1 win over a dreadful Spurs side.
It was a game that illustrated the difference a month had made in the fortunes of both sides, as the Sunday Premier League fixture allowed Arsenal to demonstrate some of their resurgent qualities such as a more composed defense and a functionally ticking midfield admirably.
Victory for Spurs could have taken the Nuno Espirito Santo side up as high as seventh but the North London Derby was all Arsenal’s as a blend of youth, in the pair of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, and steel, in midfield control of Thomas Partey, gave the hosts the upper hand.
Arteta’s decision to give the nod to a young trio of the brilliant Martin Odegaard, flanked by Saka and Smith Rowe provided the bulkhead of support to striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang yielded fruit in abundance.
First, Smith Rowe put Arsenal ahead with a close-range finish through an assist from Saka before teeing up Aubameyang for a second. Then, it was Saka’s turn to mesmerise as he got his first Premier League goal since January when Harry Kane lost possession close to the Arsenal box, allowing a sensational solo effort from the Arsenal Englishman.
Though Arsenal’s urgency eased in the second half, referee Craig Pawson rejected what looked like a serious penalty appeal after Ben White clearly caught Kane early on in the box, with no intervention from VAR, the second such survival for White after he almost put keeper Aaron Ramsdale in trouble in the last game against Burnley.
The mostly quiet Kane had a decent strike beaten away by Aaron Ramsdale as Spurs rallied the more the second half went on and Arsenal relaxed. There was a chance for Saka in one of only a few second-half chances for Arsenal but Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris beat his effort away.
Arsenal resorted to play within themselves to make sure they were not stretched and were happy to play “keep ball” but the visitors soiled the clean sheets record of Ramsdale with a Heung-Min Son goal, which was a late consolation for Spurs.
The Mikel Arteta side, which was looking to catch up to their north London rivals after their dreadful start to the season, were the far better team compared to Spurs, whose loss left them now tied on 10 points in 9th place with their neighbours but below Arsenal on goal difference.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
