Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points with a 4-1 win over Tottenham in the north London derby. Mikel Arteta’s side had their cushion cut to just two by Manchester City, who beat Newcastle 2-1 on Saturday night.
It was an unideal start to Igor Tudor’s interim reign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the Croat oversaw his first game in English football. Eberechi Eze returned to the side to notch his first goals since his hat-trick in the reverse fixture back in November, bagging a brace in a massive victory for the Gunners as Viktor Gyokeres also helped himself to a brace in the second half.
Spurs remain in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle as they are still sit four points clear of the drop zone after both Nottingham Forest and West Ham failed to win across the weekend. It was a huge afternoon in north London, follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, including expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri and Dom Smith at the ground.
Tottenham vs Arsenal highlights
- GOAL! Gyokeres secures victory
- GOAL! Eze on target again
- GOAL! Gyokeres puts Arsenal back in front
- GOAL! Kolo Muani equalises immediately for Spurs
- GOAL! Eze puts Arsenal ahead
Fan thoughts
18:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTotal disgrace from start to finish #COYS
— Manoj K (@sunshine311165) February 22, 2026
Fan reaction
18:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleynePiero Hincapie was also solid today. He was good in defence and pushed up well when he had to.#TOTARS
— Tomiwa Ojo (@10Qmedia) February 22, 2026
Fan reaction
18:54 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHincapie you’re one of my new favourite players love everything about him #TOTARS
— Robert Aryee (@RobertAryee4) February 22, 2026
FULL-TIME
18:38 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal win both north London derbies this season by the same 4-1 scoreline.
Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres each score twice as Gunners restore five-point lead at Premier League summit.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal | Viktor Gyokeres ‘90+5
18:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+5 min: GAME OVER!
Viktor Gyokeres at the double as Arsenal wrap up victory in the north London derby.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+4 min: Gary Neville awards Gyokeres the MOTM award.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:31 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90+2 min: Bit of a waste that Spurs free-kick, Simons just looped the ball to the back post and Saliba mopped it up.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:29 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90 min: Saka is helped back to his feet but hobbles off to be replaced by Madueke as SEVEN minutes of stoppage time is signalled.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne88 min: Simons does well in a sandwich between Saka and Zubimendi to win Spurs a free-kick. Attempts for the set-piece to be taken quickly is rejected by the referee as Saka requires some treatment.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne86 min: Yellow card for Bissouma. Much out of frustration it seems. For dissent and not the foul on Gyokeres.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne84 min: WHAT A SAVE!
Raya with a last ditch save to claw Richarlison’s effort right on the line.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne82 min: Another change for Spurs as Palhinha makes way for Tel. Pretty bold move from Tudor, replacing one of his three central defenders for an attacker.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne81 min: Tottenham fans beginning to leave the ground.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne80 min: Arsenal have managed the period since scoring the third goal really well. But it only takes one moment from Spurs and it will be game on once again. Huge final ten minutes here.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
18:17 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBig smiles from Eze as he sits down next to Madueke on the bench. Sure he will have enjoyed those boos from the Spurs fans as he went off too.
Latest delay in the match is caused by a flare being thrown onto the pitch from the South Stand.
Fair to say the early atmosphere from the home fans has faded away.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne77 min: Another stoppage, this time for a blue flare to be dealt with.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne76 min: Here comes a double Arsenal change. Odegaard and Martinelli replace Trossard and Eze.
No second north London derby hat-trick for Eze.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:11 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne71 min: Another chance for Arsenal as they pour forward with Eze. He slips the ball to Saka who tries to catch Vicario out at his near post but the effort is off target.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne70 min: Trossard has left his shooting boots at home, it seems. Wild effort from the edge of the box that does not trouble Vicario in the Tottenham goal whatsoever.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne67 min: Richarlison makes his return from injury, replacing Kolo Muani.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:06 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne66 min: Eze is on another hat-trick against Tottenham, still plenty of time for it. At the same time, the Gunners did let a two-goal lead slip on Wednesday night, so that will be in the back of their minds.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal
18:04 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne65 min: In the aftermath of Eze’s second goal, Tottenham brought on Solanke in place of Gallagher.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
18:01 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneVan de Ven did well to stop Saka getting a clean shot away, but otherwise that is a complete mess from Spurs at the back. Palhinha with a terrible bit of defending. Eze there to take full advantage against Spurs yet again.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal | Eberechi Eze ‘61
18:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne61 min: ARSENAL SCORE AGAIN!
Arsenal have three and Eberechi Eze has his second of the afternoon. The attacking midfielder is alert after Saka is denied and gives the Gunners a two-goal cushion.
Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
17:59 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne59 min: Good football between Saka and Eze, the latter shoots but is denied by Vicario.
Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
17:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne57 min: Acres of space for Rice on the left to drive into but his cut back only finds Sarr who concedes a corner.
Timber makes way for Mosquera.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThat's a highly contentious call, and I'd say a poor one. There is contact made by Kolo Muani on Gabriel's back, but it's nowhere near enough to warrant a foul and the disallowing of the goal.
Tudor on the touchline was gesturing that it was a dive by Gabriel. Spurs can feel very hard done by.
Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
17:53 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne53 min: GOO....NOOO!
Muani thinks he has equalised for Spurs again but his joy is cut short for a push on Gabriel.
Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
17:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne51 min: Eze has a shot charged down after doing so well to glide past Palhinha on the touchline. Trossard is unable to pounce on the rebound and Vicario dives onto the ball.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:48 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneVicario absolutely furious with the space his defenders give Gyokeres there. Space is what the Arsenal striker thrives on and he took full advantage there. Brilliant finish.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal | Viktor Gyokeres ‘47
17:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne47 min: ARSENAL BACK IN FRONT!
Viktor Gyokeres restores Arsenal's lead less than two minutes into the second half.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne46 min: Almost a dream start to the second half for Spurs as Simons forces Raya into a good save.
KICK-OFF!
17:44 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAfter yet another delay sorting out the refereeing equipment, we are back underway in the north London derby!
Tottenham vs Arsenal highlights
17:39 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal’s lead, however, did not last long as Randal Kolo Muani equalised 24 seconds later with his first Premier League goal.
"You CANNOT believe that" 🤯
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026
Randal Kolo Muani snatches the ball off Declan Rice and fires in an equaliser for Spurs! pic.twitter.com/cgL9LiIHnv
Tottenham vs Arsenal highlights
17:36 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEberechi Eze now has six goals in his last two and a half appearances against Tottenham.
Ebere Eze loves scoring against Spurs! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LvIoKeXOFG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 22, 2026
Fan thoughts
17:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneKolo Muani under Igor Tudor is inevitable. #TOTARS
— Andrews Sefa ⚽️ (@Sefaa_b) February 22, 2026
Fan thoughts
17:32 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal with another defensive error...
Arsenal are the only ones who can stop Arsenal from winning the league.
— Red Cannon Passion (@CannonPassion) February 22, 2026
Mentality issue ✅#TOTARS
Fan reaction
17:29 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDeclan Rice’s error is dominating the chatter on social media...
Sometimes it’s had to listen to the preacher when the irony of the situation is the preacher DECLAN RICE #TOTARS
— Richmond Andoh (@FairGuyyyy) February 22, 2026
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:26 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneSpurs will be relieved to hear the whistle I think. Arsenal were building towards the end of that first half. Intriguing game, finely poised at 1-1.
HALF-TIME
17:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThere goes the whistle.
Arsenal were ahead for all of 24 seconds as Randal Kolo Muani cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s opener.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45+5 min: Arsenal just a little bit guilty of not taking more care with their final ball. First Rice fails to play a simple pass to Gyokeres and then Trossard delays a shot in the box and loses the chance.
Anyway, corner to the Gunners with three minutes of the half remaining.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45+2 min: Really good battle between Spence and Saka. The former does superbly to block the latter’s cross and gets the added bonus of winning a goal kick as the ball rolls out of play.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:16 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45 min: Into EIGHT minutes of stoppage time.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne44 min: Hincapie concedes a soft corner after heading Dragusin’s long throw behind. Think the ball was going out of play anyway.
Raya punches the delivery from Simons away.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne42 min: A moment to catch our collective breaths after a frantic two-minute spell involving both goals. Would imagine there will be a lengthy amount of stoppage time added on.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal
17:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne40 min: CHANCE!
Trossard drags an effort just wide of the far post.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:08 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneA good goal from Eze is followed by an even better goal by Kolo Muani. Some life in the north London derby after a limp first half an hour.
Some response by Tottenham, who are level almost immediately after conceding a fourth goal this season to a player who U-turned on joining them and then signed for their bitter rivals.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:07 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAwful goal for Arsenal to concede. First the timing of it, straight after taking the lead. And then the manner - had to just clear their lines there.
GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal | Randal Kolo Muani ‘34
17:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne34 min: TOTTENHAM EQUALISE!
Tottenham hit back straight away as Randal Kolo Muani punishes a defensive error.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal | Eberechi Eze ‘32
17:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne32 min: ARSENAL LEAD!
Arsenal strike first in the north London derby and it's Eberechi Eze once again.
Sheer determination from Saka down the right and Eze does the rest.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
17:02 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne31 min: Kolo Muani thinks he is away from Gabriel but the whistle halts any potential progress.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
17:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneSo needless from Timber, who gives the ball away under no pressure and then gets himself booked by dragging Sarr down.
With White not in the squad, Timber probably has to play the full 90 minutes but he's made it much harder for himself now.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne27 min: Timber loses the ball, cheaply, then tries to make amends for his mistake by fouling Sarr and that earns him the first yellow card of the derby.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne24 min: Bissouma gets a round of applause from the Spurs fans for robbing Trossard of the ball and then winning a free-kick after being bumped in the back by Hincapie.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:53 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne22 min: A couple of mistakes from Arsenal players, notably Zubimendi, has given Tottenham some encouragement here. Though Spence is furious with the referee after being adjudged to have fouled Saka.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne20 min: Gray needs some treatment after being struck, accidentally, in the face by Gyokeres.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:49 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDragusin applauded for a sliding challenge-cum-clearance on Gyokeres, and rightly so. He's made a decent start here, the Romanian. Spurs survive a good chance for Saliba from a corner. It's been a pretty evenly-contested start here.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne17 min: First Arsenal corner of the afternoon is swung to the back post by Saka, Gyokeres heads it down for Saliba but the Frenchman’s glancing effort drops just wide.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:47 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWe can chalk that long and confusing delay down as a win for Tottenham. Tudor called his players over for a chat and they've had their first spell in the Arsenal half now we're up and running again. A fairly brief spell, though.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:44 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne13 min: Finally, we are back underway.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:42 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne11 min: “Absolute shambles” says Gary Neville on commentary regarding this delay which has gone on for four minutes now. Hard to disagree with him.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:41 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne9 min: A two-minute delay because the referee is having some issues with his equipment.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThat's probably the sharpest bit of play Gyokeres has had in weeks. Worked the space really nicely and flashes an effort just wide of the far post. Spurs have barely had a kick so far - really good start from Arsenal.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:38 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne7 min: Lovely play from Gyokeres in the channel, he gets a yard ahead of Dragusin but flashes an effort just wide.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:36 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne5 min: Bizarre piece of goalkeeping by Vicario as he races off his line to make a clearance but gifts the ball straight to Trossard who can’t get enough power on his attempted lob.
Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
16:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne4 min: First chance falls to Arsenal as Gyokeres heads Timber’s cross back across Vicario but Dragusin is there to make the block and then the clearance.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:32 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal fans go over to the away end for their pre-match huddle - they'd have done very well to hear each other. Home fans bang up for this as you'd expect and it's seriously loud. Up to Arsenal to calm things down as quickly as possible.
KICK-OFF!
16:31 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAway we go in the north London derby!
HERE WE GO!
16:27 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe teams are out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:24 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJust under five minutes to kick-off and the vast majority of fans are already in their seats. "Champions of Europe, we know what we are" ringing around the stadium from the Spurs supporters.
White and Havertz absences explained
16:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBen White and Kai Havertz are not involved for Arsenal against Tottenham today.
Neither the Gunners defender or German international are in the Arsenal matchday squad for the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Kick-off approaching
16:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne15 minutes to go until kick-off in the second north London derby of the season.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16:14 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe stadium is filling up gradually here as kick-off approaches. Sense of anticipation, and as I mentioned earlier, a lovely day for it.
Fan reaction
16:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDoes Arteta not see the game standing on the sidelines? Timber still. Why??? #TOTARS
— NiR. (@NirupamDeria) February 22, 2026
Wilson chance
16:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneNew Tottenham signing James Wilson has been named on bench for the first time against Arsenal in the north London derby.
The 18-year-old striker joined Spurs on loan from Hearts in January after also having talks with Arsenal.
Wilson scored his first goal in a Spurs shirt when he found the net for their Under-21s against Norwich this week and was included on the bench against Arsenal after impressing Igor Tudor.
Team news reminder
16:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is how both teams will line-up today.
Tottenham XI: Vicario, Dragusin, Palhinha, Xavi, Bissouma, Gray, Gallagher, Spence, Sarr, van de Ven, Kolo Muani.
Substitutes: Austin, Rowswell, Souza, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Tel, Richarlison, Solanke, Wilson.
Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Odegaard, Jesus.
Arsenal changes
15:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt is also two changes for Arsenal from their draw with Wolves on Wednesday night as Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard return for Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.
Captain Martin Odegaard is on the bench but Kai Havertz and Ben White miss out.
Tottenham changes
15:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIt's two changes from Tottenham's last game against Newcastle as Randal Kolo Muani and Joao Palhinha come in for Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert.
James Wilson, signed from Hearts on transfer Deadline Day, makes the bench for the first time.
Fan thoughts
15:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneNot sure which Tottenham player is in the firing line here, but this supporter is clearly unhappy with the XI.
Why are we starting with 10 men?#totars #coys #nld
— TomTraubert (@TomTraubert2009) February 22, 2026
Fan reaction
15:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe nerves are already playing a part...
I am feeling scared for this game #northlondonderby #TOTARS #TottenhamHotspur #Arsenal
— Abel_Talks_football (@Abel_talkFutbol) February 22, 2026
Dom Smith and Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
15:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneDom Smith and Matt Verri are in position for us at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to deliver their reaction to the team news!
🗣 "That is probably a bit of a surprise."@MrDomSmith and @MattVerri react to today's north London derby team news!
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) February 22, 2026
LIVE: https://t.co/HQKqfYdodc#TOTARS | #NLD pic.twitter.com/I2oZKPrIuU
Arsenal team in full
15:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Odegaard, Jesus.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
15:26 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneMikel Arteta decides to end the Bukayo Saka at No10 experiment for now, as Eberechi Eze comes into the midfield.
He hasn't scored in the Premier League since that hat-trick against Tottenham in November - now would be a decent time to rediscover some form.
Tottenham team in full
15:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTottenham XI: Vicario, Dragusin, Palhinha, Xavi, Bissouma, Gray, Gallagher, Spence, Sarr, van de Ven, Kolo Muani.
Substitutes: Austin, Rowswell, Souza, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Tel, Richarlison, Solanke, Wilson.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
15:23 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTo my mind, the only real surprise in that starting line-up from Tudor is that Dominic Solanke doesn't start. The Englishman has been suffering from a sore throat and illness this week but was in training on Friday and he was expected to be fine.
He is well enough to be involved but is only on the bench, with Randal Kolo Muani starting up front.
It looks a 3-4-2-1 system, which has always been Tudor's favoured formation as a head coach.
CONFIRMED ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
15:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLining up for the visitors this afternoon...
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 22, 2026
💡 Eze our creative spark
©️ Saka skippers the side
😤 Gyokeres leads the charge
We know what this fixture means - let's do this Gunners 👊
🤝 Presented by @deel
CONFIRMED TOTTENHAM TEAM NEWS
15:16 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is today's Tottenham XI...
Our North London Derby line-up 👊
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 22, 2026
🔢 @krakenfx pic.twitter.com/9WOT7DyTj7
Odegaard arrives
15:12 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneArsenal captain Martin Odegaard has arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!
Will he start in the north London derby?
We are about to find out...
Tottenham vs Arsenal live - team news imminent
15:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe teams for the north London derby will be announced shortly!
Stay tuned...
Dele return
15:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTottenham have announced the return of Dele Alli this afternoon for the north London derby showdown with Arsenal.
Described by Spurs as “one of the most popular players of the modern era”, Dele returns to N17 as a special guest on Sunday and will speak with pitchside presenter Paul Coyle at half-time.
Matt Verri at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
15:00 , Giuseppe MuroFair to say they weren't decked out in red on their way to Tottenham Hale but I was next to a couple of Arsenal fans on the tube here.
They were saying how much they wish this match had have been played a few weeks ago, when Thomas Frank was still at Spurs and Arsenal were in more confident mood.
The Gunners' recent poor form has made an already big derby absolutely huge.
Tottenham vs Arsenal stats
14:55 , Giuseppe Muro- Tottenham are the only side without a Premier League win so far in 2026, drawing four and losing four of their eight games.
- Mikel Arteta has won 41 of his 68 Premier League London derbies as Arsenal manager, the best win rate (60.3 per cent) of anyone to take charge of at least 20.
- Tottenham are winless in their last eight Premier League games (D4 L4).
- Arsenal have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Spurs (D1), including each of the last four.
Dom Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
14:53 , Giuseppe MuroFinally a break in the rain today. The sun is out and hopefully it indicates we're in for a good afternoon of football in north London.
I travelled to the ground on the tube today, and along the journey there were plenty of Spurs fans dusting off all the usual chants.
Sixteenth in the Premier League but it's the beginning of a new era today with Igor Tudor in charge. You sense a level of hope has returned following the end of the Thomas Frank era.
Here’s an early look at the Tottenham tifo this afternoon
Tottenham in ‘emergency’ but Tudor convinced of survival
14:42 , Giuseppe MuroIs this a good omen for Tottenham?
New Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor has won his first match in charge at his last five clubs.
Tudor started with wins at Hajduk Split, Verona, Marseille, Lazio and Juventus.
The Croatian has acknowledged Spurs are in an "emergency situation" but believes the quality of the squad can steer them clear of Premier League relegation worries.
"Style of play comes from pre-season when you have 50 days and you have 20 players,” said Tudor, who declared to be "100 per cent" confident of survival.
“Of course when you have the style, very concrete, but now this is an emergency. An emergency situation when you need to find fast what suits the 10 (outfield) plus three players and it's totally different.
"You have to go day by day, week by week. Let's see what we can do. If you ask me what we are going to see against Arsenal? Then I believe something concrete, good that the people will like, but it's also about working, doing your best and then you will see."
Tottenham vs Arsenal match odds
14:35 , Giuseppe MuroTottenham to win: 6/1
Arsenal to win: 40/85
Draw: 17/5
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Arteta tells Arsenal players: Join another club if you can’t handle ‘noise’
14:30 , Giuseppe MuroManchester City have closed to within two points of Arsenal and ramped up the pressure in the title race after their 2-1 win over Newcastle yesterday.
Arsenal are facing fresh accusations of being "bottlers" after their setback at Wolves on Wednesday, but Mikel Arteta has told his Arsenal players to join another club if they can't handle the "noise and bullets" that comes with fighting for the title.
Addressing claims that the external noise could become too overwhelming for his players, Arteta replied: "You ask them the question: Do you want to be part of the noise? Or not? If not go and do something else.
"Be part of a different club or do you want to be Arsenal? And everybody has been demanding for 10 years, 15 years that we need to go back there (fighting for the title) and now we are there, and now what? You don't want noise?
"Noise is part of it and the bullets are part of that and we try to deal with it in the right way and achieve what we are looking for.
"We have to do what we have to do. I don't think it is going to change for anybody. At the end you have to win the next match and if you do that, you are going to be in a much stronger position and that is the only thing we can control."
Head to head history and results
14:24 , Giuseppe MuroArsenal are unbeaten against Spurs since May 2022, winning all but one of the last seven meetings which includes three straight victories at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham wins: 67
Arsenal wins: 90
Draws: 55
Prediction
14:20 , Giuseppe MuroThe appointment of Igor Tudor makes this game difficult to predict.
Tottenham have been poor at home this season and continue to be decimated by injuries, but Spurs should be lifted by the arrival of Tudor.
Arsenal have stumbled in the Premier League recently and a run of two wins in seven suggests the wheels are beginning to fall off.
Draw, 1-1.
Arsenal hope to be boosted by the return of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.
Odegaard has missed the last two matches with a knee injury, while Havertz has not played since the win over Sunderland earlier this month due to a hamstring issue.
But both players could return for the north London derby, as Arsenal bid to bounce back from their midweek setback at Wolves and respond to Manchester City’s win over Newcastle on Saturday.
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