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Paul Merson has insisted that James Maddison must improve his level of performance after another flat display for Tottenham against Arsenal.

Despite facing an Arsenal side without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, Spurs failed to find a breakthrough and were ultimately punished by Gabriel’s second-half header.

Spurs’ blunt attacking display is in sharp contrast to their free-flowing start under Ange Postecoglou and Merson believes that key players must hold themselves responsible.

‘Last season was better than this season,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘They were mind-blowing. As a neutral, I do like watching Tottenham, I like Ange, they play entertaining football – but some of the big players need to step up.’

Merson earmarked Maddison as one name, in particular, who must improve. The 27-year-old has two assists and no goals so far this season and is yet to return to the same electric form seen before a lengthy ankle injury midway through last season.

‘James Maddison wasn’t great on Sunday, he has got to step up. He’s got to be better. He’s playing in a position where you’ve got to make things happen,’ the former Arsenal midfielder added.

‘I don’t personally think he did that on Sunday and looking at who he was playing up against, he has to be better.

‘I’m not digging him out because I’m a huge fan of his, but I’ve played that position and know that he needs to do better.’

Merson though, remained positive about Postecoglou’s side and backed them to hit their attacking stride if they improve in one key area.

‘There’s not a lot wrong, but if you look at them and look at Newcastle, Tottenham have been playing better over the first three games – but Newcastle have more points than them. These are fine lines,’ he added.

‘If they get top four, that would be amazing. They will need Solanke to get 20 goals, and you only get 20 goals if the crossing improves.

‘If that doesn’t improve, you could put Haaland up there and he wouldn’t get 20.’

Spurs will look to get back to winning ways in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday when they face Championship side Coventry City.

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Gabriel was fortunate to see his goal stand in the north London derby on Sunday, believe Arsenal hero Paul Merson and former Tottenham star Les Ferdinand.

The Brazilian defender scored the only goal of the game as the Gunners picked up a vital away win despite being without key players Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Spurs as they had plenty of possession and efforts on goal, but struggled to break down a disciplined Arsenal side and didn’t create many clear-cut chances.

It was also a frustration for the home fans as they conceded a straight forward goal from a set-piece as Gabriel headed in the winner and frustrations will have turned to anger after seeing the replay.

The Arsenal man clearly shoved Spurs defender Cristian Romero in the back to make room for himself before the header, which even Gunners icon Merson admitted was a foul.

‘I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get a foul,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘He [Romero] is in the wrong position, everything is wrong about his defending.

‘He’s a centre half international, even I know and I don’t even play at the back you got to be side on. You got to see the ball and your player.

‘To start off you have to be a hand length away and he’s standing with him. I’d expect a foul.’

Ferdinand agreed, saying he was surprised that VAR didn’t have something to say on the issue.

‘I think if a centre forward does that, the referee gives a foul against him,’ said the former Spurs striker.

‘They don’t even look at it . He does need to be stronger. It’s poor defending but he does get a shove in his back.’

Arsenal legend Ian Wright was not quite so clear cut on the decision, but admitted it could have been given as a free-kick to Spurs.

‘I was very surprised with Romero, it feels very easy for a defender of his calibre to be moved out of the way,’ Wright told Premier League Productions.

‘I think it could have been a foul but not enough maybe. That just seems very simple when you look at the proximity from the goal and where he headed it in, It’s a very easy goal for Arsenal to score.’

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Ange Postecoglou insists he always wins silverware in his second seasons at clubs and he expects the exact same for this campaign at Tottenham Hotspur.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Spurs on Sunday as they were beaten 1-0 at home by fierce rivals Arsenal thanks to a goal from Gabriel.

The season so far has been a frustrating one, with just four points from their first four games despite being very competitive in all the matches they dropped points in.

The north London derby was the same, with little between the sides but Spurs coming away with nothing to show for their efforts.

The Australian is undeterred, though, having mentioned over the summer that he ‘usually’ wins things in his second season in charge of a club.

Asked if he still has that confidence he doubled down on his words, saying he ‘always’ wins things in his second year and he expects the same at Tottenham.

‘Yeah absolutely,’ Postecoglou told Sky Sports. ‘I’ll correct what I said, I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year, nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now, I don’t say things unless I believe it.’

The 59-year-old has indeed had successful second seasons with the likes of Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos and Brisbane Roar, but Scotland, Japan and Australia are very different challenges to competitions in England.

Postecoglou recognised that difference, but was confident when he made the claim over the summer.

‘Usually in my second season I win things,’ he told Sky Sports in August. ‘That’s the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going onto win things.

‘Of course it’s easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competition we’re in. That’s always the way I’ve looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone.

‘Last year we had some really good moments, obviously we had some tough moments. I think we learnt as much from the tough moments as we did from the good stuff and hopefully that means we’re in a good place.

‘We’re definitely a better-prepared team than we were last year.’

Tottenham’s last piece of silverware came in 2008 when they won the League Cup, with their last FA Cup triumph in 1991.

Spurs are also playing in the Europa League this season, with their last European glory coming in the 1984 UEFA Cup final when they beat Anderlecht on penalties.

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Gary Lineker described Arsenal match-winner Gabriel as a ‘warrior’ after he starred in the north London derby victory over Tottenham.

In a hard-fought and tight derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gabriel’s second-half header earned Arsenal three points and bragging rights over their fierce rivals.

A gentle push on the back of Cristian Romero gave Gabriel the room to power home a header past Guglielmo Vicario, who several pundits felt should have come off his line to claim or intercept Bukayo Saka’s corner.

Spurs pushed for an equaliser in the remaining half an hour but created little as Arsenal’s impressive defence stood firm to ensure Mikel Arteta’s side got back to winning ways following a 1-1 draw with Brighton before the international break.

Lineker ‘expected more’ from Sunday’s north London derby but was impressed by Arsenal’s defensive resolve and particularly the performance of goalscorer Gabriel.

‘It wasn’t a great game or a great spectacle actually,’ the ex-England striker said on The Rest is Football podcast.

‘I was expecting it to be a bit more end-to-end but Arsenal are so hard to beat, they defend so well, they really do.

‘We often talk about [William] Saliba but that partnership with Gabriel is very strong. Gabriel is a warrior, isn’t he?

‘He’s a player you’d really want on your side. And he does chip in with the odd goal. He’s tough to mark in the box and a real threat.’

Arsenal’s victory saw them climb to second in the Premier League table, two points behind defending champions Manchester City who are the only team to boast a perfect record after four games.

Liverpool were tipped by many to challenge for the title after their emphatic win over Manchester United at the start of the month but Arne Slot’s side suffered a shock home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

That has left the Reds fourth – one point behind third-placed Newcastle United and three adrift of Man City, who continued their formidable run with a 2-1 win against Brentford.

Even at this early stage Lineker believes Manchester City and Arsenal are threatening to pull away from their rivals and engage in yet another title race.

‘It’s already looking like Arsenal v Manchester for the title again,’ he added as the two clubs prepare to meet at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.

Gunners boss Arteta, meanwhile, was full of praise for his side after they battled to a narrow victory over their nearest rivals.

‘After the international break, we had a few blows,’ he said. ‘How the team reacted was magnificent. It showed a lot of maturity from the team.

‘When they get into the final third, it’s very difficult because they have a structure. We were missing vital players and we had to react to that. I’m very pleased.

‘We had to adjust and use different players and qualities. I was hoping they would do something with the ball and we did it. Sometimes better than others. They are a really good side.

‘When we have to defend in deeper areas, we did it really well. There are things to improve but we have another victory here and it’s huge. I know how our supporters will feel about this so enjoy it.’

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Cristian Romero claimed he was tired during Tottenham’s defeat against Arsenal and blamed the club’s travel arrangments for the issue in a since-deleted social media post.

Romero was partially to blame for Tottenham’s 1-0 home defeat to Mikel Arteta’s side when he was easily shrugged aside by Gabriel who rose highest to power home a second-half header.

However, the Argentine seemingly believes that the club was also culpable for his disappointing display after they did not provide a private jet to return him from international duty.

Unlike other clubs, Spurs do not often lay on private transport to bring players back quicker from international duty and instead leave it to the various national federations.

However, Romero was seemingly not left happy by the decision and voiced his disapproval by sharing a post from Argentinine TV reporter Gaston Edul which said: ‘Tottenham lost to Arsenal again. They weren’t able to fight until the end because they weren’t across the details.

‘It was the only Premier League club that made their international players return, on their own and without proper logistics, on the decision of the club’s leadership.

‘They gave away the advantage because their players arrived with less rest than the others: Cuti Romero played with tiredness.’

Romero later deleted the repost before sharing his own message after the defeat.

‘It hurts to lose a derby, but I have no doubt that we will turn this bad start to the season around. Let’s all be together, also at this moment. Thanks to all the fans for always supporting us,’ the post read.

While Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou sought to defend his side’s worrying set-piece record, Ian Wright insisted that Romero should have done more to contest Gabriel in the air.

‘I was very surprised with Romero, it feels very easy for a defender of his calibre to be moved out of the way,’ Wright told Premier League Productions.

‘I think it could have been a foul but not enough maybe. That just seems very simple when you look at the proximity from the goal and where he headed it in, It’s a very easy goal for Arsenal to score.’

Alan Shearer meanwhile was even more scathing in his criticism, insisting there was ‘only one player’ winning their duel.

‘There was one player that really wanted that to get onto the end of that and another who was happy to be shoved off it,’ the Newcastle legend added.

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Glenn Hoddle slammed Guglielmo Vicario’s inability to command his penalty area after Gabriel Magalhaes’ header secured a 1-0 win for Arsenal against Tottenham on Sunday.

Despite going into the north London derby without key duo Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, Arsenal dug deep to secure a vital win away from home.

The winner came courtesy of centre-back whose thumping second-half header secured the Gunners’ third successive win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It also continued Spurs’ sorry defensive record at set pieces, with only Nottingham Forest conceding more goals from dead-ball situations than Ange Postecoglou’s side since the Australian’s arrival.

Hoddle was quick to point the blame at Spurs’ keeper Vicario who he insisted remains lacklustre when trying to deal with set pieces.

‘The goalkeeper has an Achilles heel,’ the former Tottenham manager told Premier League Productions. ‘Other clubs have seen it – it’s any ball in that inswinging area into that six-yard box

‘His instinct is to go backwards. He’s never looking to come out. He’s involved in the battle up but he’s got to detach himself away from that and think to himself: ‘Where is my intent?”

‘His body is always going backwards – he’s got to come and punch some of those balls,’ Hoddle continued.

‘Arsenal have played that corner because time and time again he’s conceded from that situation. He flapped at one in the first half, he wasn’t convincing.

‘He’s a good shotstopper but he has got to come and make himself more physical, come and get more balls and punch more balls.

‘He’s not got to catch it there but clear the area. And until he does, they are going to concede even more goals.’

Postecoglou, meanwhile, sought to defend his training methods as he continues to come under fire for their leaky record from set pieces.

‘I know, for some reason, people think I don’t care about set pieces and it’s a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that,’ he said.

‘Like I said, we work on them all the time like we do for every other team. You know that they’re a threat, as I said, for the most part, we handled them really well today, but we switched off for one and we paid the price and you learn from that and you move on.’

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A tense north London derby on Sunday was narrowly won by Arsenal, with Gabriel’s headed effort the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for the away side at Tottenham.

The Gunners overcame the absence of key players Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to battle to the huge victory, their third on the spin away at Spurs.

It was a tetchy game, mostly in the first half as seven yellow cards were shown before the break, although things calmed down a little after the interval.

It was more frustration than anything in the air in the second stanza, with Arsenal producing a steadfastly solid display and holding Tottenham at bay.

Mikel Arteta’s side were not wonderfully expansive or easy on the eye, but a set-piece winner did it for them as the game plan came off.

Here’s how the players performed…

Tottenham

Guglielmo Vicario – 5

Not always the most composed, flapping at crosses and shown a yellow card for getting in the face of Timber. A better goalkeeper at dealing with crosses may well have cut out Arsenal’s opening goal.

Destiny Udogie – 7

A booking for a late challenge on Saka within the first 30 minutes left him walking a tightrope at left-back. Kept Saka quiet for most of the game, which is no easy task.

Micky Van de Ven – 7

One of the string of players to be booked in the first half (seven!), scything down Leandro Trossard just before the break. A threat going forward as he saw a header stopped by Raya after the break. His pace is quite incredible, with forwards regularly disappointed when they think they have eluded him.

Cristian Romero – 6

Looks a really brilliant defender at times, particularly in quick succession early in the second half as he cut off Martinelli and then Timber down Arsenal’s left. However, this was undone as he lost his man and allowed Gabriel to head in the Gunners’ goal. Ventured to play up top late on.

Pedro Porro – 6

Always a threat going forward but a bit shaky at right-back, with Gabriel Martinelli looking likely to worry him at all times. Arsenal got in behind him a number of times although known of those opportunities led to anything.

Rodrigo Bentancur – 7

Harshly booked for a clumsy challenge on Kai Havertz in the first half which didn’t look like a yellow card at all. Given that he was left with a lot of work to do on his own in midfield he did it admirably, if unspectacularly.

James Maddison – 5

Tasked with unlocking the door for Tottenham and couldn’t manage it. Misplaced a few final balls and could not find his way through the stubborn Arsenal defence.

Dejan Kulusevski – 5

Had a good chance in the first few minutes which was well saved by Raya. Booked just before the interval for felling Jorginho. Didn’t offer a great deal in the second half.

Son Heung-min – 5

Looked good early on as Spurs started impressively, but could not produce much threat at all late on when his side needed to find an equaliser. As frustrated as anyone in a white shirt.

Brennan Johnson – 5

Gets into plenty of dangerous positions and looks threatening with his pace but didn’t look very convincing either in shooting or playing the final ball.

Dominic Solanke – 6

A real handful for centre-backs to deal with but wasted a good chance in the early exchanges by taking far too long to get a shot off. Saw a deft header float just wide of the post from a Maddison cross and saw another header deflected wide after the break.

Arsenal

David Raya – 7

Two sharp saves in the opening 15 minutes as Spurs started brightly. Didn’t really have a lot to do thanks to the work of his defence and midfield in the second half, but kept hold of his clean sheet.

Ben White – 7

Always solid enough at right-back, not offering much going forward, but was an important cog in the very sturdy Arsenal defensive performance.

Gabriel – 8

Scored the winning goal as he powered a towering header past Vicario, losing his marker impressively to get there. The Brazilian also defended well on a good day out for him.

William Saliba – 7

Booked early on, just 16 minutes into the game, for delaying a restart, possibly showing frustration after losing some early physical battles with Solanke. Didn’t let that get to him, though, and remained disciplined from there on in.

Jurrien Timber – 6

A concerning moment when a challenge on Porro in the first half briefly looked like it could have been a red card but was rightly only a yellow. Tottenham looked more dangerous down his flank than the other.

Thomas Partey – 7

Tottenham’s aggressive set-up looked worrying for Partey and Jorginho in the middle of the pitch, but they did their job well. Absolutely nothing spectacular was asked of Partey but he stuck to his task and completed it.

Jorginho – 7

One of the yellow cards that was unquestionably deserved was Jorginho’s for hauling down Maddison early in the second half. Having not played a minute of football this season, he performed a tough task in the middle of the pitch pretty well.

Gabriel Martinelli – 5

Spurned a good chance inside the first 20 minutes as he was in on goal but shot tamely at the goalkeeper. With rapid pace and with Porro often exposed, he should have been dangerous but never really proved to be.

Leandro Trossard – 6

Worked very hard in the middle as he and Havertz tried to lead a press and work in both midfield and on the front line. Never really provided much of an attacking threat, though.

Bukayo Saka – 6

Not his best game, but it was a day in which forward players struggled to shine. So often Arsenal’s attack is focussed through Saka but it didn’t feel like that on Sunday. Worked incredibly hard, as always, helping out the full-back behind him.

Kai Havertz – 6

It was a lot of hard work for the German, couldn’t create much or pose much of a threat but put in a lot of running for his manager.

Substitutes

Tottenham

Pape Matar Sarr – 5/10

Wilson Odobert – 5/10

Timo Werner – 5/10

Arsenal

Gabriel Jesus – 5/10

Raheem Sterling – 5/10

Ethan Nwaneri – 5/10

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Arsenal condemned arch-rivals Tottenham to more derby day misery with a 1-0 victory in a wild north London scrap.

Gabriel Magalhaes’ thumping header after 64 minutes sealed three points for the Gunners on enemy turf with Spurs again undone by a set piece.

Without Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in midfield, Arsenal stood strong as Spurs failed to build on a bright start to the contest.

Arsenal made it three wins on the bounce against the old enemy to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to two points with the two sides meeting at the Etihad next weekend.

A bad-tempered first-half saw seven yellow cards handed out – a new Premier League record – with Jurrien Timber’s challenge on Pedro Porro sparking a brief melee involving players from both sides.

Arsenal’s 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last April came after they relentlessly exposed Spurs’ weaknesses on corner kicks.

Much to the frustration of Ange Postecoglou, the same old problems persisted on Sunday afternoon with Arsenal fans in the away end sensing history could repeat itself.

Bukayo Saka’s wicked delivery left the Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario flapping with Gabriel easing away from Cristian Romero to drill his header home and silence the home crowd.

Tottenham laboured after going behind with an effort from range from Dejan Kulusevski the best they could muster as they chased the equaliser.

It never came, with Arsenal staying right on the shoulder of defending champions City in the early weeks of the season.

The Gunners have now won three of their opening four games of the season with the 1-1 draw against Brighton prior to the international break their only blemish.

Spurs sit in 13th having won just one of their opening four.

Arsenal star Jurrien Timber was not shown a red card in the north London derby against Tottenham because his challenge on Pedro Porro was not deemed ‘serious foul play’.

In a fierce first-half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, referee Jarrad Gillett dished out seven yellow cards – a new Premier League record.

Timber was shown one of those on 35 minutes but Tottenham players felt it should have been more for his challenge on Porro.

The Netherlands international planted his foot on the top of the ball as he made the challenge, catching Porro in the process. The foul sparked a brief melee among the two sides with Timber seeing squaring up with Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario before things calmed down.

Timber’s challenge on Porro was reviewed by VAR – but the on-field decision of a yellow card stood.

Sky Sports reported at half-time the VAR review decided the challenge was ‘reckless’ but ‘not serious foul play’.

Gary Neville meanwhile noted during the game: ‘Just hearing what has been fed into the VAR at Stockley Park. They said Timber puts his foot on the ball and it doesn’t roll over, which is what saved it from being a red card.’

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp felt Timber, starting his third game in a row at left-back, was lucky to stay on the pitch, feeling he could have easily been shown a straight red.

It also drew comparisons with an incident at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season where Liverpool’s Curtis Jones was given his marching orders for a challenge on Yves Bissouma in similar circumstances.

‘He definitely goes over the ball,’ Redknapp said. ‘Usually you come with your side foot. His foot bounces on the ball.

‘There was a tackle here last year with Curtis Jones and Bissouma and Curtis Jones ended up getting sent off.

‘They are very similar. he is very lucky. Has he gone gone with excessive force to ‘do him’ like the old days? No, I don’t think so.

‘But he has given the ref a massive decision to make and I think he is incredibly lucky because other referees might send him off. He doesn’t need to go in like that. Has he caught him badly? No, but I think he is very lucky.’

Richarlison may have given a hint that Dominic Solanke will be lining up for Tottenham against Arsenal on Sunday through an Instagram comment.

Spurs host the north London derby this weekend and Solanke is hoping to return from an ankle injury that has slowed down his start to life at the club.

The £65m summer signing from Bournemouth made his debut against Leicester on the opening day of the season but has not been seen since,

However, the England international looks set to return in the huge game on Sunday and Richarlison has even made a prediction for him.

Solanke wrote on Instagram on his 27th birthday on Saturday: ‘Thank you Lord for another year. Thanks for all the love and messages.’

In reply, the Brazilian forward tipped Son Heung-min to provide an assist for Solanke on his return to the team, posting: ‘Sonny will give you a gift tomorrow bro.’

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou gave an update on Solanke’s fitness at his pre-match press conference on Friday, but while he confirmed Micky van de Ven was ready to return from injury, he wasn’t quite so clear on the striker.

‘Micky’s good, he’s trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he’s ready to go,’ said the Australian.

‘Dom’s improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training ok and are available.’

Postecoglou also had a doubt over midfielder Yves Bissouma, who returned from the international break with a minor injury.

‘Everyone’s reporting all well except for Biss,’ Postecoglou said on Friday. ‘He’s got a bit of an issue, but we’ll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.

‘It’s not serious, but he’s getting treatment today. We’ll see how it goes.’

Richarlison is the only other injury problem for Spurs, with the Brazilian sidelined due to an unspecified injury picked up in training.

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