Derby victory in North London has Arsenal firmly back in the title frame

LONDON – Arsenal came from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.

Son Heung-Min gave Spurs a 25th-minute lead against the run of play after his shot from the edge of the box deflected William Saliba and past the Gunners goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal responded 15 minutes later then Gabriel Magalhães tried to meet Declan Rice‘s corner at the back post, only for Radu Dragusin‘s header to hit Dominic Solanke and find a way past Antonin Kinsky.

Tottenham goalkeeper Kinsky, making his league debut following a £12.5m move from Sparta Prague, endured a shaky first half and was at fault for failing to stop Leandro Trossard‘s low drive from outside the box a minute before the break which proved to be the winner.

A tense second half followed, with Arsenal creating the better chances before the Spurs defender Pedro Porro hit the post deep into stoppage time, but Mikel Arteta’s side secured a win that moves them above Nottingham Forest in second place. However, leaders Liverpool still have a game in hand: their rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton on February 12. — James Olley

Arsenal breached Liverpool’s lead…

Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest a day earlier will only have given Arsenal more motivation here if any were required for the visit of their bitter local rivals. The last time Liverpool dropped points – against Manchester United on January 5 – Arsenal had already been held at Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, they took full advantage of this match week.

Confidence had faltered a little in these parts after successive cup defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester United, and while this was far from the complete performance, they got a precious win which turns up the pressure on Arne Slott’s side ahead of the Reds’ tricky trip to Brentford on Saturday. — Ollie

…yet the forward doubt persists

Despite the result, Arsenal were once again not at their best in front of goal.

They finished with an expected goal figure of 1.70 – significantly lower than their games against Newcastle and United – requiring an own goal from a set piece and a goalkeeping error to beat Spurs. Arteta shuffled his forward line here and gave a rare start to Raheem Sterling — just his third in the league since being loaned from Chelsea last summer — while Trossard occupied the left flank with Gabriel Martinelli fell to the bench.

The verdicts shouldn’t be overly critical on a night where Arsenal showed spirit and struggled to get over the line, but their collective play in the final third did little to quell lingering concerns that they might have to pick up another player to strengthen their forward line. month. Kai Havertz endured another unconvincing night in goal, while Sterling was better without the ball than with it. The demand to sign a striker this month would have grown exponentially had they not won here, and even if they had avoided that fate, the conversation will no doubt continue.

Set pieces came to Arteta’s side’s rescue once again: Arsenal have scored four league goals from corners against Tottenham since the start of last season – the most any team has scored against an opponent this term. — Ollie

Kinsky’s Premier League baptism of fire

It has been quite the introduction to Tottenham life for Kinsky. Having joined on January 5, he had already kept a clean sheet for Spurs in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and on Sunday in their FA Cup third-round tie at Tamworth. But on his Premier League debut, the North London derby was a different challenge for Kinsky and a proper acid test of his mentality and composure. He made Havertz constantly pressure every touch he took to ensure he was forever rushed as he looked to play out from the back.

While his distribution was largely sound, he was caught twice by Havertz as he dawdled on the ball. While he made good on their constant bombardment of corners into his six-yard box, for Solanke’s own goal he was caught by a team-mate as he looked to break free. The Czech Under-21 star would have hoped to have at least got a glove on Trossard’s strike in the 44th minute as it went through his outstretched arms.

But to his credit, Kinsky stuck to his guns. In the second half, he superbly saved Martin Odegaard to keep Arsenal’s lead at a single goal. He looks to be a shrewd signing by Spurs and he can compete for Guglielmo Vicario as their first-choice keeper continues his recovery from a broken ankle, but this was a mixed performance from him. — Tom Hamilton

Is Son still Spurs’ main man?

As Tottenham searched in vain for an equalizer in the final stages of the game, their talismanic striker and club captain Son watched from the bench. It was jarring to see him substituted in the 78th minute for Richarlison.

For so long, Son has been irreplaceable at Spurs, and rightly so. He is a club legend, a wonderful player and someone who can turn the tide of a game in an instant, but his substitution suggests he is no longer untouchable. It started so well for Son as he opened the scoring for Spurs after 25 minutes with a deflected effort. It was his first Premier League goal since mid-December, when he scored in their 5–0 dismantling of Southampton.

For the rest of his time on the pitch, he hovered on the halfway line and looked to counter, but Spurs’ transition play was let down by their midfield constantly coughing up the ball. He had just 24 touches of the ball – his second-lowest total in the league this season, just above the 18 he managed in 33 minutes against AFC Bournemouth. Eventually his number was held up and in his place Richarlison failed to make a cut down the left flank as Spurs walked the tightrope of pushing for an equalizer as he tried to nullify Arsenal’s counter-attack.

Son’s substitution means he has made just one Premier League appearance for Spurs in their last eight – on that occasion he played the full 90 as Tottenham went down 4-3 at home to Chelsea. — Hamilton

There is still pressure on Postecoglou

It’s hard not to have some sympathy with the injury problems that Ange Postecoglou is struggling with at Tottenham. Spurs’ patchy defense was always likely to look vulnerable if pillaged by both first-choice centre-backs, two left-backs and two goalkeepers.

But this is a result that leaves Tottenham in 13th place after an 11th league defeat of the season. Only the three teams in the relegation zone – Wolverhampton Wanderers (13), Leicester City (13) and Southampton (16) – have lost more. Postecoglou has two cup competitions to fight for – and the prospect of a Carabao Cup semi-final next month against Liverpool, where they have a first-leg lead, should insulate him from any immediate danger, but there will surely come a time soon, where the pressure will begin to build on the Australian.

They are now 14 points off fifth place – which is likely to be enough to secure UEFA Champions League football – and just eight points above the relegation zone. The results must improve, even taking into account the mitigating factors. Like Arsenal, Spurs are also under pressure to act in the market, but for a completely different reason. — Ollie