Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: Match report & talking points from chaotic North London Derby | OneFootball

Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 in Wednesday night's North London Derby at the Emirates.

There was plenty of pressure on Mikel Arteta's side having succumbed to Newcastle and Manchester United in north London in previous outings, but the Gunners responded by securing three crucial points against their fiercest rivals.

The January midweek bout was far from a classic, but Arsenal's win meant they finally put some pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool while piling more misery on struggling Spurs.

How the game unfolded

The hosts were keen to put on a show pre-match, and there was a display of support for Gabriel Jesus, who's set to undergo knee surgery having torn his ACL at the weekend. There was an energy inside the Emirates which has failed to manifest in recent outings, and Mikel Arteta's side thrived in the opening stages.

Much like the fixture here last season, Arsenal were dominant territorially and stifled Tottenham's build-up. Antonin Kinsky's coolness in possession was tested by the Gunners' intensity, and the young goalkeeper was almost caught out on a couple of occasions.

Arsenal were able to pull Spurs' midfield apart and have their way with their north London rivals, but an early barrage of set-pieces failed to return an opener. Leandro Trossard came closest after Declan Rice overloaded Pedro Porro at the back post and teed up the Belgian, but his effort was blocked by Radu Dragusin.

Having been camped in their own third for the opening 20 minutes, Tottenham finally escaped thanks to surges from Djed Spence and Pape Sarr. The former created a good chance for Dominic Solanke with a sublime trivela cross but Gabriel was on hand to expertly shun the English forward. Dejan Kulusevski had a shot saved from the resulting corner before Son Heung-min found the back of the net via a William Saliba deflection to put the visitors 1-0 up.

A lead is often precarious in this fixture, and Arsenal's set-piece superiority manifested again as a wicked Declan Rice delivery was bundled into the Spurs net by Solanke after Gabriel challenged at the back post.

Arsenal's turnaround was complete before half-time as Leandro Trossard netted his first goal since the end of November. The Gunners have rarely had joy following high turnovers this season, but Trossard made Yves Bissouma pay by firing across and over the left glove of Kinsky with an emphatic finish.

Ange Postecoglou certainly wasn't keen on dying a slow death at the Emirates as he brought on James Maddison and Brennan Johnson in favour of Bissouma and Sarr at half-time. Bergvall moved to the base of midfield. Immediately, Spurs were able to turn the football match into a sport more commonly seen across the pond. There was a basketball feel to the start of the second half, although neither side were able to fashion clear-cut chances despite arriving in promising positions.

Arsenal's control returned after the hour mark with the visitors, forced to defend as Maddison and Kulusevski were precariously positioned ahead of teenager Bergvall, struggling to get close. The Gunners made the pitch big and slowed the tempo. Spurs had their moments in transition against a team who played 120 minutes on Sunday, but Arsenal proved stubborn once they settled in their defensive block.

There was plenty of cheerleading from the hosts in the closing stages as they sought to retain their advantage, with another toothless performance in the final third ensuring Spurs' deficit was only one. The visitors, however, couldn't create against the league's sternest defence, who held on for a 2-1 win.

Check out the player ratings for Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham here.

Arsenal finally capitalise on Liverpool slip-up

Arsenal are just four points behind the league leaders / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Liverpool performed superbly in the second half at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, but they could only muster a point thanks to some brilliant work between the sticks from Matz Sels. A draw wasn't a terrible result for the Reds given Forest's form, but it did open the door for Arsenal.

So far this season, any Reds slip-up, of which there have been few, has not been capitalised on by Arteta's side. After Liverpool drew at Newcastle on 4 December, Arsenal failed to win at Fulham four days later. They were held by Everton on the same afternoon Liverpool drew 2-2 with the Cottagers. Arne Slot's side also faced Manchester United two weeks ago after the Gunners had collected a point at Brighton.

This time, though, Arsenal seized the opening. There's been despair aplenty in the red half of north London after back-to-back defeats in the domestic cups, but they're still unbeaten in the Premier League since 2 November and are now just four points adrift of the league leaders.

Liverpool's game in-hand at Everton next month is no gimme. The title race is not dead yet, folks!

Full-backs making England claims

Djed Spence has been a standout performer for Tottenham since coming into the team / Gaspafotos/MB Media/GettyImages

Thomas Tuchel was in attendance on Wednesday night, and the England manager must've been impressed with the performances of the two left-backs.

Ironically, neither are left-backs by trade. Djed Spence broke through in the second tier on the opposite flank, while Myles Lewis-Skelly typically dominated in the middle of the park for Arsenal's youth teams.

Spence has been forced into the unfamiliar role by virtue of Destiny Udogie's injury, but Arteta has identified Lewis-Skelly as more than a mere cover option for the injury-prone Riccardo Calafiori, who missed out again on Wednesday due to a muscular issue.

The pair were among their respective team's standout performers in the derby, with both displaying impressive composure in possession when put in tricky situations. While Lewis-Skelly possesses Mousa Dembele-like press resistance, Spence is an expert combiner with a swift burst of pace.

Neither manifested any fear throughout, and both must be considered by Tuchel for the March internationals. There's a dearth of high-quality English left-backs (although Lewis Hall is having a superb season for record-equalling Newcastle United), and despite Spence and Lewis-Skelly preferring alternate roles, their current function may be their best route into the England set-up.

More Tottenham misery at the Emirates

Tottenham still haven't won a Premier League game at the Emirates since 2010 / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

A 2-2 draw in this fixture last season represented an uptick in Tottenham's fortunes at the Emirates and an indication that Spurs were heading in the right direction with their idealistic Australian manager at the helm.

The mood in Lilywhite quarters has shifted considerably since September 2023, with many sceptical over Postecoglou's capacity to oversee a sustainable rebuild. The Tottenham boss has had to face another injury crisis and we shouldn't overlook the volume of fitness issues plaguing the visitors just because we've gotten used to their makeshift defence over the past month.

Despite their recent profligacy and Bukayo Saka's absence, Arsenal were big pre-match favourites and we've seen superior Tottenham teams produce far worse performances in this environment.

Wednesday's defeat means Spurs still haven't won a Premier League fixture at the Emirates since November 2010. Pre-match expectations were low, and the table currently makes for grim reading. Ange, though, has some credit for Tottenham's 'success' in the cups this term, and there's a belief that things will improve once he gets his defenders back.

It has to.