Pain In The Arsenal

Arsenal boss was left impressed again with another stellar performance from Myles-Lewis Skelly in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.

There were many bright spots for Arsenal in the 2-1 win over Tottenham at the Emirates, but the performance of Myles Lewis-Skelly might be the pick of the bunch.

In his first north London derby, in what is always a pressure-packed and tense contest, Myles looked in complete control from the outset, dealing with anything and everything put in front of him.

His was progressive with his passes, got forward several times, and marshalled Dejan Kulusevski with aplomb, along with winning back possession and kickstarting moves forward.

One could say that the left-back is his spot to lose now and what that means for Riccardo Calafiori is unknown, but Myles has hit the ground running since being given his chance by Mikel Arteta.

But what more is there to be said of a teenager who, in what could be described as the most important game for the club, simply looked like he was having a Sunday kick with his friends against Premier League opponents?

"I think it’s very rare to see 18-year-olds playing against Kulusevski and Johnson in a big London derby for the first time to perform with that composure, attitude and that control emotionally," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "It's very rare to see."

Myles rarely seems to get flustered and panic and in spots where seasoned veterans crumble, he doesn't, not to mention his thirst for the physical side of football which the Emirates faithful absolutely loved.

Lewis-Skelly has barely put a foot wrong since being given the opportunity by Arteta and it is yet another feather in the cap of our famous Hale End academy to have yet another star in the making.

And Arteta has also praised the academy's work in getting Myles ready for the big stage.

"I think it makes everybody at the club very proud because he's been in our system for a long time and we know the kind of education that the academy is giving to our boys to get prepared," Arteta added. "We have to pick them at the moment that we believe they are ready, and with him, it was very, very early and in a different position because he's never played as a full-back before, but he responds in the manner that he's on, which is a enjoy to watch."

The task for Myles now is to keep this up for as long as possible. Yes, there will be down moments given he's just 18 years old, but he's off to a flying start and the fact that he's one of our own, makes all the success he's having, much sweeter.

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Trossard reminds us of his quality

Say what you want about Leandro, but against Spurs, in what was a rare start, he gave the front line something that had been missing - a bit of trickery.

The piece of skill to put his Spurs defender on the ground, which would then result in a corner that the Gunners equalized from, was a thing of beauty and is something we don't often see.

Let's not forget his ruthlessly efficient goal that gave the Gunners the lead. All the team needed was one to go in to release the shackles...and they got it.

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Title charge has a pulse

With Liverpool being held by Nottingham Forest, the chance to reduce the huge gap between themselves and the Reds was there for the taking...and Arsenal took it.

The gap is now four points, but Liverpool have a game in hand. However, we have seen how quickly the perception can change, as four points seem really gettable now.

Arsenal finally got over its doom and gloom, with the Spurs win hopefully being the catalyst in a big form surge that will be needed to reel in Liverpool.

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Arsenal moved to within four points of league leaders Liverpool after a 2-1 win over Tottenham

Well, that's more like it, isn't it?

Arsenal found its goal-scoring boots in a 2-1 win over Tottenham, which eased the pressure on Mikel Arteta and brought his team closer to league leaders Liverpool.

After going behind to Son Heung-min's strike after 25 minutes as the Gunners dominated the opening stages, Arteta's team clicked into gear and scored twice in four minutes in the first half to overturn the deficit and take a lead into halftime they wouldn't relinquish.

Dominic Solanke's own goal and Leandro Trossard's well-taken effort saw the Gunners finally get the rewards for their forward half dominance.

Here are three takeaways from Arsenal's 2-1 win over Spurs.

Lewis-Skelly impresses yet again

Right, is it time to have a conversation that Myles is the first-choice left-back? Because it feels like it's heading that way, even when Riccardo Calafiori is fit.

Against Spurs, Lewis-Skelly was again at his best as he handled the pressure and occasion of a north London derby with ease, something that can't be said for some players over the years.

The biggest positive for Myles is that he isn't afraid to get forward, and he was progressive with his passes and was supremely efficient with the ball at his feet.

We haven't "just" found another one, we might have found "the" one, folks.

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Arsenal's win over Tottenham was much-needed, but did it move the needle in the belief that Mikel Arteta's side can overtake league leaders Liverpool?

Arsenal's 2-1 win over Tottenham was just what the doctor ordered for a host of reasons, and perhaps the best one was that it moved Mikel Arteta's team to within four-points of league leaders Liverpool.

After a tumultuous period that saw Arsenal lose 2-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg to Newcastle and then lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup, the club left with a dark cloud hanging over Arteta's side.

But that has lifted with the stirring win over Spurs and now that once insurmountable Liverpool lead doesn't seem too hard to chase down.

Of course, it is important to remember that Liverpool has a game in hand, and if it wins that match, the gap will move out to seven points, but there is a mental element to it now, and four points seems like the Reds are gettable.

Not only that, but does the win over Spurs give Arsenal a little confidence boost in its title charge?

Arteta thinks that the win only gives the team momentum that lasts until Aston Villa in a few days.

"The result gives us the chance to enjoy the moment instead of momentum because momentum starts tomorrow to prepare us for Villa," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "Three days later, that's all the momentum that we have until tomorrow morning when we see our faces and we start to talk about how we're going to beat Villa."

So, the poor momentum has been stopped, and now it can begin moving forward in a positive fashion as we know all too often, it doesn't take long for that to get sucked away, and with Villa coming to the Emirates, that's a big advantage for the Gunners.

With the goal-scoring woes seemingly fixed for this game at least, the Gunners will now surely be in a more confident mood the next time they get in front of goal, and against Villa, a team that sits seventh in the league table and has won its last two games, they will have confidence that they can roll into the Emirates and get a positive result.

Arsenal has done so much good with the win over Tottenham, but it can all be wiped away with a poor performance against Villa, and that must be what Arteta has to guard against happening in a few days.

There's positive momentum building. Don't let it slip away.

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