LONDON — Arsenal came from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.
Son Heung-Min gave Spurs a 25th-minute lead against the run of play after his shot from the edge of the box deflected off William Saliba and past Gunners goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal responded 15 minutes later when Gabriel Magalhães tried to meet Declan Rice’s corner at the back post, only for Radu Dragusin’s header to hit Dominic Solanke and find a way past Antonin Kinsky.
Tottenham goalkeeper Kinsky, making his league debut after a £12.5m move from Sparta Prague, endured a shaky first half and was culpable in failing to stop Leandro Trossard’s low drive from outside the box a minute before the break, which turned out to be the match-winner.
A tense second half followed in which Arsenal created the better chances before Spurs defender Pedro Porro hit the post deep into stoppage-time, but Mikel Arteta’s side secured a win which takes them above Nottingham Forest into second place. Leaders Liverpool, however, still have a game in hand: their rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton on Feb. 12. — James Olley
Arsenal chip away at Liverpool’s lead…
Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest a day earlier will only have given Arsenal more motivation here, if any was required for the visit of their fierce local rivals. Last time Liverpool dropped points — against Manchester United on Jan. 5 — Arsenal had already been held at Brighton & Hove Albion.
This match-week, however, they took full advantage.
Self-belief had wavered a little in these parts after successive cup defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester United and, while this was far from the complete performance, they got a precious victory which turns up the pressure on Arne Slot’s side ahead of the Reds’ tricky trip to Brentford on Saturday. — Olley
… yet striker doubts persist
Despite the result, Arsenal were once again not at their best in front of goal.
They ended with an expected goals figure of 1.70 — significantly down on their games against Newcastle and United — requiring an own goal from a set-piece and a goalkeeping mistake to beat Spurs. Arteta shuffled his forward line here, handing a rare start to Raheem Sterling — just his third in the league since signing on loan from Chelsea last summer — while Trossard occupied the left flank with Gabriel Martinelli dropped to the bench.
Judgements should not be overly critical on a night where Arsenal showed spirit and fight to get themselves over the line, but their overall play in the final third did little to silence longstanding concerns that they may need to sign another player to bolster their forward line this month. Kai Havertz endured another unconvincing night in goal, while Sterling was better without the ball than with it. The clamour to sign a striker this month would have grown exponentially had their failed to win here and while they avoided that fate, the conversation will undoubtedly continue.
Set-pieces came to the rescue for Arteta’s side once more: Arsenal have scored four league goals from corners against Tottenham since the start of last season — the most any team has netted against an opponent in this period. — Olley
Kinsky’s Premier League baptism of fire
It’s been quite the introduction for Kinsky to Tottenham life. Having joined on Jan. 5, he’d already kept clean sheets for Spurs in their Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool and on Sunday in their FA Cup third round match at Tamworth. But on his Premier League debut, the North London derby was a different kind of challenge for Kinsky, and a proper acid test of his mentality and composure. He had Havertz constantly hustling every touch he took, ensuring he was forever rushed as he sought to play out from the back.
While his distribution was largely sound, he was caught twice by Havertz as he dawdled on the ball. While he did well on their constant bombardment of corners into his six-yard box, for Solanke’s own-goal he was trapped by a teammate as he looked to punch clear. The Czechia under-21s star would have hoped to have got at least a glove on Trossard’s strike in the 44th minute as it threaded through his out-stretched arms.
But to his credit, Kinsky stuck to his guns. In the second half he saved superbly off Martin Odegaard to keep Arsenal’s lead at a single goal. He looks a shrewd signing by Spurs, and able competition for Guglielmo Vicario as their first-choice keeper continues his recovery from a fractured ankle, but this was a mixed performance from him. — Tom Hamilton
Is Son still Spurs’ main man?
As Tottenham searched in vain for an equaliser in the final throes of the match, their talismanic forward and club captain Son watched on from the bench. It was jarring to see him substituted in the 78th minute for Richarlison.
For so long Son has been irreplaceable at Spurs, and rightly so. He’s a club legend, a wonderful player, and someone who can turn the balance of the match in a blink of an eye, but his substitution suggests he’s no longer untouchable. It started so well for Son, as he opened the scoring for Spurs after 25 minutes with a deflected effort. It was his first Premier League goal since mid-December, when he scored in their 5-0 dismantling of Southampton.
For the rest of his time on the field, he was hovering on the halfway line, looking to counter, but Spurs’ transitional play was let down by their midfield constantly coughing the ball up. He had just 24 touches of the ball — his second lowest total in the league this season, just exceeding the 18 he managed in 33 minutes against AFC Bournemouth. Eventually his number was held up, and in his place Richarlison failed to make a dent on the left-flank as Spurs treaded the tight-rope of pushing for an equaliser while trying to nullify Arsenal’s counter-attack.
Son’s substitution means he has completed just one Premier League match for Spurs in their last eight — on that occasion he played the full 90 as Tottenham fell 4-3 at home to Chelsea. — Hamilton
Pressure on Postecoglou remains
It is difficult not to have a degree of sympathy with the injury problems Ange Postecoglou is contending with at Tottenham. Robbed of both first choice centre-backs, two left-backs and two goalkeepers, Spurs’ patched up defence was always prone to looking vulnerable.
But this is a result that leaves Tottenham in 13th place after an 11th league defeat of the season. Only the three teams in the relegation zone — Wolverhampton Wanderers (13), Leicester City (13) and Southampton (16) — have lost more. Postecoglou has two cup competitions to fight for — and the prospect of a Carabao Cup semifinal second leg next month against Liverpool, in which they hold a first-leg lead, should insulate him from any immediate danger, but there will surely soon come a point when the pressure will begin to build on the Australian.
They are now 14 points off fifth place — which is likely to be enough to secure UEFA Champions League football — and just eight points above the relegation zone. Results have to improve, even accounting for the mitigating factors. Like Arsenal, Spurs are also under pressure to act in the market, but for a completely different reason. — Olley
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