Soccer

Arsenal dig deep and get their reward when Gabriel powers header home from corner

Spurs in the mood to ask early questions but run out of ideas towards the end

Arsenal's Gabriel at the final whistle of the Premier League match against Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Photograph: John Walton/PA Wire
Arsenal's Gabriel at the final whistle of the Premier League match against Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Photograph: John Walton/PA Wire
David Hytner
Sun Sept 15 2024 - 17:48

Injustice. A costly suspension. Injuries. Erling Haaland. The schedule. Arsenal had watched the obstacles line up in front of them and they knew what everybody was thinking: champion teams-in-the-making find a way to cope. To Mikel Arteta’s delight Arsenal coped.

After the dropped points against Brighton, the draw shaped and scarred by Declan Rice’s controversial red card and the loss of Martin Ødegaard to injury on international duty, it was a day for a makeshift line-up to dig deep, for the collective resolve to shine through.

It was epitomised by the toughness of the centre halves Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba; they led an intimidating last line, Arsenal routinely getting men around the ball, suffocating a Tottenham team that began brightly but ran out of ideas towards the end.

Manchester City had won again on Saturday, Haaland scoring the goals against Brentford, but how Arsenal found a response, the celebrations long and loud at full time after what was a third straight win in the backyard of their fiercest rivals.

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The decisive moment had familiar trimmings. Two of Arsenal’s goals in last season’s 3-2 win here had come from corners; part of a Premier League-high 22 from set-pieces. And so when Bukayo Saka sent over a second-half corner there was a sickening sense of déjà vu for Tottenham. Guglielmo Vicario was boxed in, Arsenal’s physicality pronounced yet again and there was Gabriel to power home the header. The victory was the perfect start to a difficult week for Arsenal. After a Champions League trip to Atalanta on Thursday, they travel to City on Sunday.

For Spurs there was only frustration. Ange Postecoglou is not a man for compromise. Everybody knew how the Spurs manager would try to play and his starting XI reinforced the message, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in attacking midfield roles, looking to push behind the front three. With Yves Bissouma injured, it was Rodrigo Bentancur as the No 6. His team simply could not make it happen.

It was always going to be an afternoon when the depth of Arteta’s squad was tested, and his move was to pair Jorginho with Thomas Partey in midfield, with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard working as the central forwards in front of them. It was Jorginho’s first action of the season, and only the second time he had started a game with Partey. On both of the previous occasions Partey had played at right back.

Arsenal had to learn on the hoof, and Spurs were in the mood to ask questions of them at the outset. It was fast and furious, the passions swirling in the stands; on the pitch too. The first half flew by, the tempo high, some of the transitions dizzying. The aggro was a big part of it too. Naturally.

Spurs raged when Jurrien Timber clattered into Pedro Porro; he looked to have got his boot to the top of the ball before rolling into the Spurs full back and there would be a confrontation between Timber and a raging Vicario, which led to a melee. Timber was booked for the tackle, which was about right. There was not enough in it for a red card.

Vicario was booked for his reaction; one of five Spurs cautions in the first half. Choice cuts included Destiny Udogie on Saka and Micky van de Ven on Trossard.

Spurs almost contrived an early breakthrough. Kulusevski shot at David Raya following a Son Heung-min pullback and the former almost profited after whipping in an inswinging cross from the right which went through a crowd in a packed area. Raya had to have seen it late, which made the tip away at full stretch even more impressive.

There was frustration for Spurs when they forced Ben White into a loose pass and Dominic Solanke had a clear shooting chance. He did not unload quickly enough and Saliba was able to block.

Arsenal stabilised. Back they came and they were agonisingly close to the breakthrough. Arteta was furious when Gabriel Martinelli curled weakly at Vicario after being sent clear up the inside left channel by Trossard, while moments earlier the Spurs goalkeeper had saved smartly from a towering Havertz header. Martinelli laid on the chance after a jet-heeled burst. Arsenal looked as though they could get in around the back, their movement sharp.

Amid all of the physical stuff leading up half time there were further flickers of actual football. Maddison crossed deep for Dominic Solanke, who looped a header just past the far post. Kulusevski won the ball in a crowd and fed Brennan Johnson, who lashed high.

It was possible to track the contest in terms of big challenges won; the home crowd roared their approval at the commitment from their players, Cristian Romero an obvious example of it. But could we have a moment of quality to unlock the stalemate?

Solanke was crowded out at the start of the second half as he attacked a header; Van de Ven flashed another one straight at Raya from the ensuing corner. It was from a corner at the other end that Arsenal edged ahead. Of course it was.

Arsenal won it after a slick counter, ignited by Trossard’s volley and featuring good holdup play by Havertz and a Saka shot that was blocked. When Saka bent in the kick it was impossible to ignore the mass of bodies that engulfed Vicario. He could not get out to the ball, which Saka dropped into the perfect area. Gabriel applied a bit of gentle pressure into Romero’s back and, when he rose everybody knew what was going to happen.

What did Spurs have left? Very little. Postecoglou swapped Maddison for Timo Werner and moved Son into a more central role but the die had been cast. Arsenal would not be breached. – Guardian