It seemed that a familiar pattern was set to emerge at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 14 March, as Tottenham Hotspur’s Erik Lamela audaciously gave his side the lead with their first shot of the game in the 33rd minute.
Having struck the bar and registering ten shots, Mikel Arteta’s side looked set for another loss that was not reflective of their performance. Not only that, but club captain and top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was relegated to the bench for ‘disciplinary reasons’.
Alexandre Lacazette, who led the line for Arsenal, missed a handful of golden chances which the Gabon stiker may have done better with.
Ultimately, however, the Gunners’ performance bore fruit as they pressed Spurs high and were able to command possession in dangerous areas.
Matt Doherty at right-back was the obvious weak link in the Spurs backline, receiving very little cover from Gareth Bale.
It was along this channel that Kieran Tierney was able to fashion the chance which Martin Ødegaard fired in, via a deflection off Toby Alderweireld, minutes before half-time.
Tottenham did grow into the game, with Tanguy Ndombele and Bale hauled off for Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli, enjoying more possession and limiting Arsenal’s ability to exploit the right-hand side.
What an absolutely outrageous goal from Erik Lamela ? pic.twitter.com/stdEmbY4uw
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 14, 2021
A strange moment of good fortune enabled Arsenal to take the lead. After slashing at a good chance following Nicolas Pepe’s pass, Lacazette was cleared out by the onrushing Davinson Sánchez, allowing Lacazette to fire in from the penalty spot.
Things went from bad to worse for Spurs. Lamela picked up a second yellow card after a litany of fouls, which left referee Michael Oliver with little choice but to send the midfielder off.
Tottenham did manage to fashion chances when down to 10 men. Harry Kane – who had been quiet in the first half – slotted one home but from an offside position.
Then, in the last minute, Kane came close again, rattling the post with a free-kick. Defender Gabriel steered the rebounded chance wide from the goal-line.
This performance comes after a string of inconsistent results for the Gunners, which saw them draw with Burnley last weekend but cruise to victory in their Europa League first-leg tie with Olympiacos.
Arteta was full of praise for his players: “We had a really strong performance right from the beginning. We created many chances and went a goal down with their first shot.”
He added: “I love the reaction of the team, we stayed composed and in the end, we won the game.”
You. Beauty. ?#ARSTOT | #NorthLondonDerby pic.twitter.com/7sC1jlU9J6
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 14, 2021
Tottenham boss José Mourinho was less complimentary about his side. “The first half was very poor,” he said. “Defending bad, no intensity, no pressing. In terms of attacking football, some important players [were] hiding. Really bad.”
With North London bragging rights secured, Arsenal will be hoping they can make a push for a top six finish to secure European football. The team currently lie tenth in the Premier League with ten games left in the season.
