ARSENAL cannot hit a barn door – but they have somehow given Liverpool something to think about in this Premier League title race.
The Gunners displayed yet more of their attacking frailties in a North London Derby bereft of much quality or spark.
ReutersArsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates the win[/caption]
GettySpurs Ange Postecoglou looks on in frustration[/caption]
Fourteen shots against Tottenham and just one 40th minute goal from Leandro Trossard, and another – a Dominic Solanke own goal – from a corner that should never have been given.
It cancelled out Heung-Min Son’s deflected 25th minute opener that briefly sent shivers down the spines of a nail-biting Emirates.
The gap at the top is now just four points to Arne Slot’s fumbling Reds, who still have that game in hand. Arsenal continue to trip over their own feet, but moving forward they continue to do.
If Mikel Arteta’s men can cling on like this playing this averagely, just imagine the sort of run they can put together when Bukayo Saka makes his hero’s return from a hamstring injury.
Not that Ange Postecoglou’s injury-plagued Spurs put up much of a fight, now just eight points off the bottom three in 13th without a win in their last five league games.
After being taken to extra-time by part-timers Tamworth in the FA Cup, Ange ripped up his starting XI with four changes, bringing back old faithfuls Son, Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.
Arteta went one better with five changes – Declan Rice and Thomas Partey returned to the midfield while Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling sandwiched Kai Havertz up top.
Clearly, this was not an attacking threesome brimming with confidence. Sterling was making just his third Prem start since joining the club – his last coming in October in a defeat to Bournemouth.
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Havertz lead the line again despite still being shaken by the vile abuse his pregnant wife received on Instagram in the wake of his shoot-out miss in the shoot-out loss to Manchester United.
Gabriel Jesus ruptured his ACL in that FA Cup third round exit, joining Saka in the medical room – the England star watched his side warm-up from the sidelines on crutches as he recovers from hamstring surgery.
The Arsenal players walked onto the pitch donning a shirt with his name and No.9 on the back with the message ‘Stay Strong Gabby’.
And the hosts started strong, sticking to the script of their last two outings – producing 49 shots and one goal – of dominating proceedings, wasting half-chances before giving the opposition hope.
Inside a fizzing and crackling atmosphere at the Emirates, Havertz went into full derby-mode straight away, flying in with a sliding tackle as Myles Lewis-Skelly nearly put in Sterling through the middle.
Then came the set-pieces. Three corners inside the ten minutes was a real test for this put-together Spurs back four, but they dealt with it well, especially new keeper Antonin Kinsky.
Martin Odegaard crossed for Rice at the far post and Trossard had an attempt blocked by Archie Gray.
Ange was left frustrated by ref Simon Hooper with a few 50-50 fouls, but in truth, this young Spurs group were getting battered and bullied by Arsenal’s burly giants.
ReutersSon Heung-Min opened the scoring[/caption]
ReutersSon’s opener went against the run of play[/caption]
Kinsky started to look nervy, charged down by an onrushing Havertz before smothering well. The Czech then nearly did the same way out of his box minutes later.
But the tide was turning. Djed Spence stormed down the left and with the outside of his boot picked out Solanke but for a brilliant Gabriel interception.
Arsenal were ragged and loose. Pape Sarr was allowed to run over 60 yards to win a corner, and from there, the visitors pounced with an unlikely but completely inevitable opener.
Gabriel headed away a short corner to Son, so unmarked that he was able to watch the looping ball onto his boot and cushion a shot off the foot of William Saliba and past a helpless David Raya.
Son shushed the crowd, and the home supporters obliged, collapsing into nervy silence.
Yet the answer came from Arsenal’s seventh corner of the game. Rice’s in-swinger targeted the far post.
Kinsky on this occasion was blocked and Gabriel evaded Radu Dragusin to nod in off Solanke.
PAGabriel levelled the game from another corner[/caption]
GettyThe derby was back on[/caption]
It should not have counted of course. Trossard’s cross bounced off Pedro Porro and back onto the leg of the winger before trickling out.
Ange was seething. He also felt Sarr had been fouled by Lewis-Skelly in the build-up.
Four minutes later, Yves Bissouma then lost the ball in his own half to Partey.
Odegaard broke and fed Trossard, that tricky little Belgian involved again, this time doing what his teammates have not done in a long time: whack a ball towards goal with anger and see what happens.
It smacked the side-netting through a weak, flappy Kinsky wrist and Trossard celebrated by cupping his ears to an unwelcoming away end.
Surprisingly, but not really, Ange went for broke at the break. James Maddison and Brennan Johnson were thrown on leaving his side top heavy and exposed.
It led to a disjointed, end-to-end second half, like two groggy boxers throwing biggun’s without really landing anything.
Havertz had a header straight at Kinsky and Odegaard missed a sitter late on. Spurs had a few decent counters that left Raya unmoved.
Arsenal, incredibly, are still alive. Spurs’ season is on life support.
GettyLeandro Trossard won the game for the Gunners[/caption]
AFPArsenal took home North London bragging rights[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
