Paul Merson believes that Arsenal's winning goal in the north London derby should have been disallowed for a foul on Tottenham defender Cristian Romero. The Gunners beat their bitter rivals 1-0 on Sunday to bank three vital points for Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal had fewer shots, shots on target and less of the ball but Gabriel Magalhaes' 64th-minute header proved decisive in a tense affair at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Brazilian powered in from the edge of the six-yard box, but only after a shove in the back of his opposite number, Romero. Merson, who played over 400 games for Arsenal, slammed the Argentine's defending but believes the Spurs man was unlucky not to be awarded a foul, which would have seen the goal chalked off.
"I would be disappointed if I didn't get a foul," Merson said on Sky Sports. "(Romero) is in the wrong position, everything is wrong about his defending. He's an international centre-half.
"Even I know, and I don't play at the back, that you've got to be side-on, seeing the ball and your player. To start off with you've got to be a hand-length away (from him), and he was standing with him. I do think... I'd expect a foul. I would expect a foul."
Arsenal have now won three consecutive matches on their sworn enemy's turf, and the victory was made even sweeter by the fact Arteta was forced to reshuffle his midfield due to Declan Rice's suspension and Martin Odegaard's injury.
Jorginho and Thomas Partey anchored the middle of the park, but it was in defence where Arsenal shone brightest, restricting Spurs to speculative crosses and shots from distance.
"We were missing key players but we have a total team, the whole squad," Jorginho told Sky Sports after the game. "We know whoever comes on is going to be ready to help the team. Everyone was ready today and we’re really proud.
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"We had to work really hard but we knew it would be difficult. We know we can count on each other and that’s what we do. We stick together. At the end it paid off, and I’m so happy for this guy (Gabriel) who scored the winning goal."
Arsenal are now second in the Premier League table and only two points behind title rivals Manchester City ahead of their hotly-anticipated showdown at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.