LONDON — A tight, fiery north London derby played out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, where Arsenal beat Spurs 1-0 to make a big statement early in the season.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had so many key absentees and Gabriel’s header secured a big win for them to take their tally to 10 points from four games. It was a resolute, professional display from the Gunners.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham created plenty of chances, dominated the ball for vast swathes of the game and will be feeling like they could’ve taken all three points. They will be happy with their performance but unhappy to slump to a second-straight defeat as they have just four points from their first four games of the season.
Here’s a look at what we learned from Tottenham vs Arsenal.
Gunners squad much stronger than we thought
Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney were all missing from Arsenal’s squad on Sunday, but they found a way to grab an impressive derby win. They weren’t at their fluid best, missing the duo of Odegaard and Rice massively in central midfield, but Arteta’s players were pragmatic as the manager dug deep into his squad and adapted his playing style accordingly as they ceded possession. The likes of Jorginho, Martinelli, Timber, Trossard and Partey, all of whom can be considered fringe players in a fully-fit squad, did a solid job to paper over the absentees. Arsenal’s bench was littered with teenagers but had Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling coming off the bench late on to help see the victory over the line. With a tricky test at Atalanta to come this Thursday followed by a massive trip to Manchester City next Sunday, Arteta’s squad will be stretched to its absolute limits this week. It’s not ideal but this early-season injury crisis has showcased that Arsenal’s squad is so much stronger than we actually thought. That will be very pleasing for Arteta given the long slog ahead as they hunt Manchester City.
Pressure is building on Solanke
Dominic Solanke played like a player who knows he cost $85 million this summer. He has yet to get off the mark for Tottenham and two moments summed up his rigidness, as Spurs’ goalscoring issues continue. In the first half Spurs won the ball back on the edge of the box and Solanke was in. He had a free shot on goal inside the box. But he had his head down, couldn’t sort out his feet and Arsenal cleared before he could get his shot away. Late in the second half Maddison slotted him in but Solanke again couldn’t sort his feet out and the chance evaporated. On both occasions huge groans echoed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and they will grow louder as Solanke continues to look like he’s running through treacle. Lofty expectations already appear to be weighing him down and it’s spreading to Spurs’ entire attack as both Heung-min Son and James Maddison looked leggy and just off it. Everything up until the final third was pretty good from Spurs but lacking a clinical edge is becoming a worrying trend at the start of this season.
Timber is perfect for this Arsenal side
Jurrien Timber is exactly the kind of character Mikel Arteta wants in this Arsenal side. He is perfect and has the ability to become their spirit animal. Timber is solid, reliable, fiery and plays right on the edge of what is acceptable. His tackle on Pedro Porro was worthy of a yellow card, nothing more. His reaction in the melee that ensued, to grab the towering Vicario and stand tall, proved that he’s up for the fight. After missing pretty much an entire season through injury in 2023-24, Timber is hungry and making up for lost time. His ability to put the team first, play in multiple positions seamlessly and keep his focus will be crucial for Arsenal, especially in the coming weeks as they navigate key injuries in areas of comfort for Timber. The Dutch back’s personality and spirit aligns perfectly with Arteta and the other key players on this Arsenal side. By the end of this season it feels like Timber will be winning plenty of plaudits for his adaptability, aggression and determination.