LONDON — Arsenal found a way. A 3-2 win over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday took a combination of hard work, quality and a bit of luck, but Mikel Arteta’s side secured the victory they need to keep Manchester City honest in their pursuit of the Premier League title. It was necessary for.
The Gunners are determined to avoid a repeat of last season, when they ran out of steam in the final weeks of the campaign. A cavalry team ready to take on all players, anywhere, at any time, lacked the adaptability to deal with the pressure of playing with the prize at stake.
Arteta revealed in the buildup to the game that he has sought advice from former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on how to navigate the “later stages” of the title race. It may not be enough – if City win their remaining games they will remain top for the fifth time in six seasons – but Arsenal are showing clear signs of handling these opportunities with the requisite skill set, which should serve as encouragement for the future. works .
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After abandoning his principles of employing a safety-first, defensive game plan to force a 0–0 draw at City last month, Arteta said he sometimes had to “leave my ego and my ideology aside to win and Talked about the need to do what has to be done to be successful in big matches. Arsenal were similarly conservative here, although this time Arteta admitted it was a product of Tottenham’s front-foot approach rather than a pre-conceived strategy. “They forced us,” Arteta said. “We had an issue with the higher press.”
But Arsenal did it anyway. And unlike their draw at City, this time the Gunners responded with a 15th-minute own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, a wonderful counter-attacking strike from Bukayo Saka and defensive diligence to take a 3-0 lead courtesy of Kai Havertz. utilized the capacity. Header seven minutes before the break.
What happened next was a reminder that Arsenal’s development as a team capable of winning in a variety of ways with the authority regularly displayed by City is a work in progress. Spurs had hit the post through Cristian Romero and Micky Van der Veen’s equalizing goal was ruled out as offside on a VAR review, but they needed Arsenal to claw their way back. David Raya gifted the ball to Romero for an easy finish in the 64th minute, sending the disgruntled crowd into a frenzy, with another mistake further infuriating, this time Declan Rice kicked Ben Davies in the box and Son Heung-min Gave the 87th goal. -Minute spot kick he sent.
Arsenal kept their spirits up after a frantic finale to win what was one of their toughest remaining challenges. The fate of the title will certainly shape the conclusions, but it seemed fair to at least ask Arteta the question of whether Arsenal are showing real development from the team that fell short last April.
“I think so,” Arteta said. “It always happens when you win. Last season we didn’t do that, because we wanted to win against West Ham and we missed a penalty (and drew), and against Liverpool we conceded a goal in the 91st minute. Supposed (to draw) and then you unable.
“In the end, the decision will be based on that result. If they had got a goal in the last minute to make the score 3-3 we would not have been ready. The margin is very small. Don’t think we have got carried away, we want to be better. Are.”
Arteta’s side understand that his opposite number, Anze Postecoglou, may be missing out on Tottenham. The Australian has never employed a dedicated set-piece specialist among its staff, and has handed the responsibility to an existing member of the backroom setup. There is no surefire way to success, but on days like these it feels as if the 58-year-old is missing a trick when compared to Nicolas Jover. Captured from City in July 2021, the Frenchman searches the touchline in every dead-ball situation and sets a record that has now seen Arsenal take more shots from corners in a season than any other team since Tony Pulis’s West Indies Premier League side Seen scoring league goals (16). The Bromwich Albion side in 2016–17.
Yet Postecoglou focused more on Arsenal’s maturity in their game management as a key factor in explaining why Spurs are struggling – and potentially losing – in the race for fourth place, while Arsenal are aiming for a second consecutive title. Is presenting a challenge.
“If I thought fixing defensive set-pieces was the answer to closing the gap, I would put all my time and effort into it, but that’s not where we are,” the Spurs boss said. “For us, it’s about… We’re not focused as much on the details, not just on the set pieces. There are a lot of moments in the game where we don’t understand that if you’re good Give your opponent time and space to do things that are going to hurt you.
“We’re still not focused on the little things that take you from where we are to being a team that competes. Credit to Arsenal. They’re there now. They’re a team that’s good at details. There are thousands of little things to deal with. You can’t give time and space to good opposition, you can’t lose focus at any moment.”
When asked specifically about Romero’s contribution, Postecoglou was definitive in his answer, “He was excellent. He’s a World Cup winner, and I just have to bring some of that to the others.”
Arsenal and Arteta appear to have already done this, making use of Havertz’s big-game experience, Rice’s personality and Saka’s tireless willingness to commit defenders and push the fight forward. Gabriel and William Saliba continued to provide a solid foundation, while Thomas Partey’s physicality was a welcome addition to the midfield.
This combination may not get them the title they crave, but Arsenal look set to lead City to an outright win.
