- author, Phil McNulty
- role, Chief Football Writer at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Arsenal have been plagued by painful flashbacks of the nightmarish moment last season when a bump in the road threatened to turn into a giant boulder for Tottenham, knocking their Premier League title challenge off course.
The Gunners never recovered from losing a two-goal lead for several weeks in a row against Liverpool and West Ham in April last season, a result that sparked the collapse that led to Manchester City winning the title. Ta.
Arsenal were now in danger of having their 3-0 half-time advantage undone in impossible fashion, but they pulled together to secure an important win that would keep them top of the table with three games remaining. Ta.
And the fact that Arsenal have crossed the line this time could be the difference between winning their first Premier League title in 20 years or finishing second.
Mikel Arteta's side showed Spurs' frightening fragility in the corners, scoring their second goal with a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal, a Kai Havertz header and a smooth finish from Bukayo Saka on the counter. He was getting good results.
Not wanting to make things easy, Arsenal keeper David Raya's frightening clearance gave Cristian Romero a goal, and Son Heung-min converted a penalty three minutes from the end of normal time in a nerve-wracking finish.
The away fans, who had carried out a full repertoire of taunts against the Spurs, suddenly fell silent, fearing the worst, especially when the boards went up for another six minutes.
However, things have been different for Arsenal this season, as they grabbed all three precious points without much alarm and celebrated enthusiastically when the final whistle blew.
The scene that unfolded in the corner of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a mixture of elation and relief, as it would have been unbearable to let victory slip away at this stage in these circumstances.
image source, Getty Images
The Gunners may have been able to turn up the volume to the max in this most hostile of territory last season, but that wasn't the case this time. That frenetic finale may not have been pleasant, but they did their job and that's all that matters.
After losing at home to Aston Villa and losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, their character was again called into question. There's no arguing that Brooks is pissed heading into this game, a reaction to three straight wins under pressure.
When not at their best, especially when the final line is in sight, is always posted as a sign that potential champions will win, but Arsenal, despite that 3-0 lead, were not up to their usual standards. did not.
At this stage of the season, we need to look at the results without worrying about quality. Arsenal achieved victory against their north London rivals in difficult circumstances. They would have wanted nothing more than to damage their title challenge while strengthening their team. Their own hopes of making it into the top four.
Despite their attacking prowess, Spurs look lackluster when defending under manager Ange Postecoglou, particularly at set-pieces, and Arsenal benefit from a lack of organization. I was very happy to be able to do that.
image source, Getty Images
Spurs appear to have been unaware of Arsenal's ability in the corners this season, with the two players who contributed the goals here taking their tally to 16 this season, the most of their total in the West under Tony Pulis in 2016. This is the most for a team in a single season since Bromwich Albion achieved the same figure. /17.
This was a complete oversight, with Havertz's unaccompanied header being a particularly notable example.
Arsenal are currently three games away from glory, while Manchester City remain favorites to win a fourth successive title, but regardless of this season's results, the team remains on the upswing under Arteta. There is no doubt that it is.
Declan Rice may have been hurt by mistimed a challenge on Ben Davies and conceded a penalty, but otherwise he was arrogant and showed exactly what he brings to this team. . The £105 million paid to West Ham is no longer a matter of debate, apart from fans chanting at him: “They bought me Declan Rice for half the price.”
It's not perfect, but there's no doubt that Arteta has spent that huge amount of money to sign players of the highest quality and influence.
So, we are entering the final stages of the season. Arsenal and Manchester City will play against each other while Liverpool are at a disadvantage.
There was plenty of drama in this North London derby. And there's more drama to come as the Premier League season approaches its climax.
