Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal’s willingness to take ugly wins after Gabriel Magalhaes’ header gave them a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham in a fiery North London derby.
Tottenham’s set-piece vulnerability was again on display when Arsenal centre-back Gabriel leapt past Cristiano Romero to smash Bukayo Saka’s corner into the goal midway through the second half.
The goal came from one of few clear-cut chances in a tense, dogged game that saw eight yellow cards, including seven in the first half – equalling a Premier League record.
Tottenham started the match strongly but could not find a breakthrough as David Raya denied Dejan Kulusevski’s shot and Dominic Solanke’s looping header went just wide of the post.
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Gabriel heads Arsenal into the lead, Tottenham fail to deal with the corner
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Julian Timber and Guglielmo Vicario got into a fight on the pitch.
Their first-half chances were few and far between, with Kulusevski’s long-range shot narrowly deflected over the bar late on, but Arsenal, without the injured Martin Odegaard and the suspended Declan Rice, showed some impressive defensive work, led by goalscorer Gabriel and centre-back partner William Saliba, and Arteta praised their team’s fighting spirit.
“Our team is tougher, has more heart, loves the game and loves to win,” Arteta told a press conference.
“You have to do a lot of things to love the game and win. Sometimes people will call it ugly. To enjoy doing those ugly things is a great compliment to this team right now, and if we can make it a normal thing, we’ll have a nice gift.”
The win was Arsenal’s third consecutive victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and moved Mikel Arteta’s side within two points of champions Manchester City ahead of next Sunday’s big match at the Etihad Stadium. Sky Sports.
Raheem Sterling made his Arsenal debut as a second-half substitute.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham have picked up just four points from their first four Premier League games this season, their worst start to a season since Mauricio Pochettino’s 2015/16 campaign.
A look back at Gabriel’s triumphant moment in pictures
Arteta praises Arsenal’s resilience
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta To Sky Sports:
“The tenacity we showed made it easier because we knew it was going to be a tough game. They created an incredible atmosphere. We should have tried harder in the first half but we looked a bit more threatening from set-pieces and we knew we could make it difficult for them.”
“We weren’t the best with the ball today. We made a lot of simple mistakes and weren’t consistent. It’s difficult because they jump for every ball and put pressure on us. Our defense was very strong.”
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his team’s defensive performance.
“It’s a real compliment to the team. Every player in every area of ​​the pitch is ready to do what many call ‘ugly acts’ and they enjoy doing it. Then you start to become a complete team that can win in any situation.”
“I’m very happy because the team has to overcome many hurdles throughout the season. It was tough because we lost many important players for us. The players who were waiting for their chance trained and acted in the right way and this is the result.”
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Ange: We lacked conviction and confidence.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou To Sky Sports:
“Of course it’s very disappointing. It was an important game for us and for our supporters and we have to accept the pain as we didn’t live up to expectations. We’re all disappointed.”
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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists he is still the man to lead the Hamburgers to trophies.
“That’s the story of the season so far. We controlled the game for the most part and created chances but in the final third we lacked a bit of confidence and conviction and it’s my job to fix that. It was always going to be a tight game that was decided by split seconds. They got those moments and we didn’t.”
“Those are my instructions so I’m the one who has to try and give the feedback to the team. I don’t think the players are not working hard enough, but we are going through a period early in the season where we are controlling and dominating games but not reaping the rewards.”
Analysis: Arsenal’s greatest strength is Tottenham’s greatest weakness
Nick Wright of Sky Sports:
It was perhaps unsurprising that the game was decided by a set piece. One of Arsenal’s greatest strengths remains a baffling weakness for Postecoglou’s Tottenham.
Gabriel’s goal, a powerful header from inside the Tottenham box after receiving an inswinging pass from Saka, was Arsenal’s 24th set-piece goal in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other team in the league.
Kai Havertz of Arsenal and Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham compete for the ball
For Spurs, it was their 18th goal conceded from a set piece in that period, the second-highest total among Premier League regulars, and even worse, Postecoglou’s side have conceded 13 times from corners so far this year, the second-highest in the league.
Even before Cristian Romero had fallen asleep, Arsenal were causing themselves numerous problems from corners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the outcome was already clear when Gabriel leapt highest to smash a close-range header into the back of the net.
Following a 3-2 win in April, Arsenal have scored three of their last four Premier League goals against Tottenham from corners. That’s the same number of corners Arsenal have taken in their last 88 North London derbies, highlighting the extent of Tottenham’s problem – and Arsenal’s dead-ball threat.
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