The title race remains open. Arsenal made sure of that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
For Spurs, however, the race for a top-four place looks less likely to be won after a crushing defeat to their north London rivals.
The derby victory put Mikel Arteta’s side four points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of second-placed Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest.
Although Arsenal deserved the victory, Tottenham could have considered themselves unlucky after a first half in which a strike was disallowed for very close offside and could have been awarded a penalty. Going back two goals meant a nervy finish and they almost got a point.
Ange Postecoglou will have a lot to think about, but his side came up against an Arsenal determined to chase the title.
Here, Art De Roche, Charlie Eccleshare and Michael Cox break down the action.
(Another) quick start key for Arsenal?
Arsenal extended their record as the Premier League’s most powerful force in the first 15 minutes when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg headed Bukayo Saka’s corner towards goal. It was their 12th goal in this period in a Premier League match this season, the most in the division, with Tottenham Hotspur’s 10 being the second highest.
These fast starts were crucial to Arsenal’s title quest in the second half of the season in particular, with only three of these goals coming in the first 19 league matches.
Equally important was the fact that their opener came from a free kick. It was their 20th set-piece goal of the season, also their most in the Premier League, and allowed them to capitalize on their best period of the first 15 minutes.
16 – Arsenal have scored 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season, the most by a team in a single campaign since West Bromwich Albion under Tony Pulis in 2016-17 (16). Strategy. pic.twitter.com/uEprfiFN4Z
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 28, 2024
Apart from those five minutes, Tottenham were in the lead. This is why it can be so important to get into the habit of players starting at the far post and coming to the near post, with Benjamin White causing a mix-up with the goalkeeper. This opens up games and gives them a platform to learn more.
The same was true for Kai Havertz’s goal in the 38th minute. The corner came from the other side, but White stayed on Guglielmo Vicario as his teammates ran across the penalty area. The combination of these actions created enough chaos for Arsenal to score their 21st set-piece goal of the season.
Rock Art
Were the Spurs unlucky?
The first half of this match was really strange.
You could be forgiven for looking at the score and imagining that Tottenham were outplayed. Or that they had been in the game but were naively surprised at the break. And although Saka’s goal saw them concede on the counter, it really wasn’t either of those two types of games.
Tottenham were right in the contest and came extremely close to equalizing on three occasions in the 12 minutes between falling behind and Saka making it 2-0.
In other words, they played much worse at times this season, but were ahead at halftime. That said, they have struggled to defend their set pieces all season and this is an area where they need to improve.
In open play, Dejan Kulusevski was particularly impressive, giving Arsenal defenders a hard time and fully justifying his selection. With better finishing and a little more luck, they wouldn’t have found themselves with such a mountain to climb.
Charlie Eccleshare
What is Kai Havertz?
Earlier this season, when Kai Havertz struggled to make a consistent impact on games, it was fair to wonder precisely what he was. Was he a natural No.8? Not really. Was he a natural No.9? Definitely not. What was its place in this system? What was he proposing?
It seems like a long time ago. Stylistically, Havertz falls somewhere between those roles and on Sunday he was both.
Few No.9s in the Premier League are able to drop deep and flick the beautiful diagonal ball past Saka for Arsenal’s second goal. And few No.8s would be able to get into the six-yard box unmarked and nod home a corner for Arsenal’s third of the game.
Kai Havertz’s first half in numbers against Tottenham:
21 keys
8 duels won
6 passes in the final third
5 aerial duels won
1 opportunity created
1 shot
1 key in opp. box
1 goal
1 assistKai clinic. 💪#TOTARS pic.twitter.com/JGaODNCuA6
– Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) April 28, 2024
Havertz’s aerial ability also came in handy when Arsenal wanted to go long, particularly in the early stages when Tottenham were trying to press, and won a few important headers in their own box as Arsenal defended kicks arrested – an area in which they had looked vulnerable in the early stages.
Other standout options – Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah – offer something different. But in this form, Havertz is unbeatable.
Michael Cox
Did Hojbjerg’s gamble pay off?
It’s rare for Postecoglou to spring a big surprise with his team selections, but the choice to start Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on Sunday certainly falls into that category.
That meant benching Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr and choosing someone who had only started six Premier League matches this season, while others were unavailable. In eight games he had started in all competitions previously, Spurs had won just once.
Did the decision pay off? We should say no. Hojbjerg’s major contribution was an own goal to open the scoring after an even first 15 minutes, and overall it was an afternoon where his limitations were shown.
Loose touches and misplaced passes are no reason for a player, but it was an afternoon where Spurs needed to be perfect. After a loose throw-in in the first half that Saka pounced on, Hojbjerg puffed out his cheeks knowing he had to pick it up.
He improved as the match went on, but it was a difficult match for a player who had perhaps just played his last north London derby.
Charlie Eccleshare
How did Davies handle Saka?
Bukayo Saka versus Ben Davies was always going to be the key match. With Destiny Udogie out for the season, this was the match most were considering heading into the match and it was clear that Davies wanted to make a good impression from the start.
He was in contact with Saka when he received the ball during the first exchanges. The main objective was to ensure that the winger did not have time to turn around and run towards him. It worked somewhat throughout the first and second half before he became frustrated late on and was booked for a foul on the England international in the 80th minute.
The problem for Davies came in open spaces. Saka knew this, so as soon as Havertz looked up on the break, he demanded the ball. Once under control on the right, the 22-year-old used Davies to perfection, engaging him before cutting inside and finishing into the far corner.
Arsenal looking to strike quickly at Saka has been a theme against Spurs over the past three seasons. This led to the opening game of the first north London derby this season, both goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season and two of three goals in their 3-1 win against the Spurs in September 2021.
Saka’s intensification is nothing new for Arsenal. His goal also made it the best Premier League scoring season of his young career (15 goals).
Rock Art
Are Arsenal showing off their title credentials?
It was a performance that owed as much to resilience as ability.
So many details were supposed to make things even more difficult: the wild intensity of this particular derby, the hostility of the venue, the amount of football Arsenal have recorded compared to their neighbors over the past two weeks, the margin negligible error that exists. in a world of Manchester City.
Previous incarnations of Arsenal might have withered, but this Arsenal, no matter how leggy they were in the latter stages, held firm. Their determination and unity kept them under pressure in the end.
Arteta doesn’t have much confidence in his bench and the players who have become cornerstones this end of the season are the players he will live and die by.
Amy Laurent
The Tottenham vs Arsenal match scoreboard, showing threat timeline, territory, match stats, shot maps and passing networks
What did Ange Postecoglou say?
We’ll bring you that after his speech at the post-match press conference.
What did Mikel Arteta say?
We’ll bring you that after his speech at the post-match press conference.
What future for Spurs?
Thursday 2nd of May : Chelsea (A), Premier League, 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET
It’s another big London derby for Ange Postecoglou’s team and this time it’s the ‘Mauricio Pochettino-Antonio Conte-Jose Mourinho Clasico’ at Stamford Bridge.
The two sides last met in November, as Chelsea ended Spurs’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 4-1 victory which saw the home side reduced to nine men after 55 minutes. Chelsea have a superb home record against Spurs: the latter have only won once at Stamford Bridge in 34 years and that was in April 2018.
What future for Arsenal?
Saturday May 4: Bournemouth (H), Premier League, 12:30 p.m. BST, 7:30 a.m. ET
Andoni Iraola’s side travel to the Emirates on Saturday for the early kick-off. Arsenal won the second leg 4-0 in September and have never lost to the Cherries at home in the Premier League (six wins from six).
The most memorable of these encounters was undoubtedly the 3-2 victory in March 2023, in which Arsenal led 2-0 with half an hour remaining. Goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White drew Arsenal level before Reiss Nelson scored a 97th-minute winner to inspire euphoria in the home crowd.
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(Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)