Gabriel was the hero for Arsenal as they secured bragging rights over Tottenham in the north London derby.
The Brazil international nodded a powerful header past Guglielmo Vicario in the 64th minute after he had managed to easily break free from Cristian Romero.
In the absence of several key players, namely Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, the Gunners were forced to show their defensive resilience throughout the match in a performance full of heart and courage, which certainly will please Mikel Arteta.
Express Sport looks at five key talking points from a fierce encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
Arteta sent Spurs warning ahead of corner goal
Arsenal’s set-pieces have been vital in their progress over the past few seasons, and Arteta warned Tottenham ahead of kick-off that his side would continue to focus on exploiting their height in those areas – even without usual taker Rice. The Spaniard was proven right too, with Gabriel’s header evidencing his claims.
Speaking earlier this week, he said: “It’s a very specific phase of play but if we were only dependent on one player, then we would have a problem. We haven’t built our methodology or our way of attacking or defending any phase of play in that way. So we are going to adapt to whatever players that we have and we will still be very efficient.”
Three stars struggle for Arteta
Arteta will be very pleased with how his side performed on the whole against Spurs, though three players did struggle throughout the clash. Gabriel Martinelli continues to appear drained of confidence and wasted several key opportunities to create openings on the counter-attack with sloppy passes, and his tame shot from close-range in the first-half highlighted his general lack of belief.
Leandro Trossard and Jorginho were tasked with replacing Odegaard and Rice in the derby but both struggled to make their mark, with the latter slowing down the match at key times and losing possession inside his own half on several occasions. With Odegaard expected to be sidelined for a matter of weeks, Trossard will need to improve if he is to retain his spot in the Gunners’ starting 11.
Saka injury fears raised
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka limped off of the pitch late on in his side’s victory in a sight which will worry Arteta. The England international dropped to the ground in pain as the clock ticked past the 85th minute and ultimately vowed that he could not continue, with youngster Ethan Nwaneri, 17, coming on in his place.
Timber fortunate, twice
Jurrien Timer was fortunate not to have been given his marching orders by referee Jarred Gillett after his high challenge on Pedro Porro. The Arsenal star crunched into a 50/50 with the Spurs fullback but made contact high up the shin of Porro after going over the ball, prompting a furious reaction from the Tottenham team.
Many deemed Timber’s challenge to have been dangerous, though his decision to grab Guglielmo Vicario with both hands whilst scuffling with the Spurs goalkeeper may have warranted a second yellow card – especially as Vicario was booked for his role in the commotion.
Dejan Kulusevski impresses in midfield
With Yves Bissouma ruled out through injury, Postecoglou rolled the dice by playing Kulusevski centrally, and the Sweden international took the opportunity with both hands. The playmaker created several chances from deep areas and also worked hard defensively, and he could be the ideal fit for Spurs’ attacking-minded system by being deployed in a midfield three.
