If you didn’t know it already, Mikel Arteta’s side are a seriously good outfit and they proved just that in the north London derby on Sunday.
Arsenal were without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, but despite key personnel being missing, they battled and fought for the three points.
It was a very error-prone and foul-heavy encounter, with neither goalkeeper being forced into making big saves, even though there were chances and a lot of action in the final third.
In the second half, Tottenham’s achilles heel reared its ugly head again when they conceded from a corner, with Gabriel Magalhaes rising highest and powering home from close range.
The issue with Spurs here is that it was coming, Guglielmo Vicario was looking and feeling pretty nervous in between the sticks, before his worst nightmare came true.
And, in the end, Arsenal‘s attacking set-piece quality shone brightest because they secured a mammoth three points in the Premier League title race.
Alan Shearer stated that the Gunners provided the answer as to how they would perform without their ‘big hitters’ Rice and Odegaard.
The legendary striker thinks goalscorer and game-winner Gabriel was ‘outstanding’ because he was key to Ange Postecoglou’s side struggling to get past their London rivals, as he told Premier League Productions (15/09/24 at 4:00 pm).
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Arsenal only conceded 29 goals last term – the best in the Premier League – and once again, they are showcasing that fight and defensive might, with Gabriel a key reason behind it all.
Gabriel Magalhaes helps Arsenal beat Tottenham
“The talk was about their big hitters (Rice and Odegaard) missing for them and how would they cope,” said Shearer. “There is your answer.
“Without playing particularly well or having to play well. The impressive thing about him (Arteta) and his team is how hard they worked. How good they were defensively.
“They had all the right answers. I thought Tottenham were really poor, again in forward positions. Like they have been for most of the season, certainly at Leicester, Newcastle and today. They couldn’t get past that back four, especially him (Gabriel), who was outstanding.”
Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates victory after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Se...
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s side have made a 100% start to the new season and their showdown with their title rivals next week at the Etihad is going to be an early mouth waterer.
Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title last season and it will be interesting to see if they play for a win because they didn’t last time out.
Yes, Arteta can guide his players to a win against a pretty poor Spurs side, but they need their big-name players back next week.
Rice will return to the XI, but Arsenal fans will be hoping Odegaard is fit to play because his return could be a game-changer.
Arsenal signed Raheem Sterling from Chelsea on a loan deal and he made his debut against Spurs, as his next match could be against his former employers.
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