Arsenal emerged victorious for a third-straight time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the 196th edition of the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta brought Jorginho into the midfield with Declan Rice serving a one-game suspension while dropping Leandro Trossard deeper to fill in for the injured Martin Ødegaard. Arsenal defended in a 4-4-2 shape with Kai Havertz and Trossard up top creating a mid block of Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli.
Ange Postecoglou set his side up to take advantage of Arsenal's absences. Spurs dominated possession early on giving Arsenal no room to breath. Tottenham had a couple moments to find the opener in the first half, but some crucial saves and tackles from David Raya, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber kept it level.
Arsenal's big moment of the first half came when Martinelli was clean through on goal. Instead of squaring a ball to Bukayo Saka, Martinelli went for goal which was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Derby tensions hit a boiling point in the 36th minute when Jurrien Timber put in a challenge on Pedro Porro. Referee Jarred Gillett booked both Timber and Vicario for the challenge and coming together respectively.
Seven total bookings in the first 45 led to a tense second half. Both teams couldn't get a rhythm going coming back out of the tunnel. Arsenal finally found the opener in the 65th with a set piece goal from Gabriel. The Gunners' back line stood tall for the rest of the game to see out the victory. The loss means Tottenham's worst Premier League start in nine years with Postecoglou still chasing that first derby win.
Arsenal faces another tough Premier League test next weekend traveling to the team it tried to usurp the last two seasons: Manchester City.
GABRIEL GIVES ARSENAL THE LEAD IN THE NORTH LONDON DERBY. 💥
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 15, 2024
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Arsenal Player Ratings vs Tottenham Hotspur
Starters
GK: David Raya - 7/10 - The reigning Golden Glove winner commanded his box well and made some big saves early.
LB: Jurrien Timber - 8/10 (Man of the Match) - Navigated a first-half yellow card and was dynamic up and down the left flank.
CB: Gabriel - 7/10 - Found the opener in the 65th minute with a blasting header from a corner. Arsenal's best offensive weapon on corners continues to deliver.
CB: William Saliba - 7/10 - Made some big tackles to deny Spurs an early goal, but he managed a silly yellow card for delaying a restart early in the first half.
RB: Benjamin White - 5/10 - Sloppy in possession at times, but kept another clean sheet away from home.
CM: Thomas Partey - 5/10 - Sloppy with the ball at times and struggled to establish himself against Tottenham's midfield.
CM: Jorginho - 5/10 - Booked in the second half lacking pace in key moments.
CM: Leandro Trossard - 6/10 - Played a couple passes in the first half that deserved end product. Wasn't as instrumental as Ødegaard usually is, but remains a key part of Arsenal's squad. Substituted off in the 80th minute for Raheem Sterling.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10 - Worked hard, Arteta will be frustrated he didn't square that ball in the first half. Substituted in the 80th minute for Gabriel Jesus.
ST: Kai Havertz - 6/10 - In and out of the game, held the ball up well at points.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 6/10 - Struggled early being doubled-up on by Son Heung-min and Destiny Udogie. Played the corner to find Gabriel's opener. Substituted off in the 86th minute.
Substitutes
Raheem Sterling - 5/10 - Made his Arsenal debut in the 80th minute, but didn't have much time to establish himself.
Gabriel Jesus - 5/10 - Same case as Sterling, not enough time to have a real impact on the game.
Ethan Nwaneri - 5/10 - Came on for Bukayo Saka in the final moments of the game and had some time on the ball.
Manager
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings: Gunners Overcome Injuries for North London Derby Victory.
