A turnaround as well as a comeback. This spell may have seen Arsenal all but eliminated from both domestic cups, but may have still revitalised their title challenge. The worst week of Mikel Arteta’s season so far ends with the best possible result, which was a home win over Tottenham Hotspur.
That was admittedly half a Tottenham Hotspur, given the injuries that Ange Postecoglou has suffered might make even Arteta sympathise. The Spaniard won’t really care, though, given this 2-1 comeback served to cut Liverpool’s lead to a mere four points, albeit with a game more played.
Arteta reasserted his belief, that admittedly never wavered, that this title race is far from over. “There’s so much to play for and we can see how difficult it is for every team to win.”
That’s certainly true for Spurs, as this derby defeat made one win in nine in the Premier League. They are now 13th and just eight points above the relegation zone, with that potentially being 14th by Thursday night.
“It’s not who we are,” Postecoglou said. He could certainly say that about the line-up, since this is almost a case of last men – or really boys – standing, amid so many injuries.
This was the first north London derby in 18 years that featured an 18-year-old, and there were three of them. Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and especially Myles Lewis-Skelly still happened to be among the best performers on the pitch.
Postecoglou was still unwilling to point to the positives of that, saying “I want them disappointed. Losing so many games in a league season isn't acceptable.”
He went on to say “this needs to stop” but it’s hard to see how. He basically needs more bodies, experience and energy. “There’s no magic formula,” Postecoglou added.
Arteta knows this, as his own beleaguered squad just had to force their way through this period. It was why you can’t caveat Arsenal’s win too much. There were potential complications here other than the opposition.
The team has been surrounded by doubt, especially after the manner of those cup defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United. Combined with the injuries, it is the worst spell Arteta has known since his difficult first two seasons in the job. Things could have tailspun. Leandro Trossard instead rediscovered his scoring touch, even if Arsenal still don’t really have theirs. The need for a forward, especially after a hugely disappointing display from Raheem Sterling, is great.
“We should have put the game to bed much earlier,”admitted Arteta. “We had to suffer. We would have liked the extra goal.”
There is suddenly a wider perspective here, though, especially now the FA Cup elimination means at least two extra weeks of breathing space. If they can marry that with finishing in the top eight of the Champions League as well as a signing, they might even look refreshed for the run-in. Bukayo Saka might return at exactly the right time.
That’s if they can get through this. Saturday’s double of games – Liverpool at Brentford, Arsenal hosting Aston Villa – could be a hinge week in the title race.
They set the right tone here, with some resilience out of frustration, amid an entertainingly chaotic game. They came out in the best manner possible and that wasn’t just because of how they attacked. Given the difficulties and discussions of the last week, it would have been easy for a club that can be surrounded by emotional swings to feel sorry for itself. Arteta’s general attitude in such circumstances has been to radiate a sense of positivity, which can sometimes seem absurd to those outside. That’s sort of the point, though. The idea is to make those inside tunnel-visioned. So it was that, after a week when Arsenal created so many chances and couldn’t score, they just went out and created more of them.
The first 20 minutes were an onslaught, where Arteta’s side could easily have had three.
Spurs initially did superbly to weather the siege, with Antonin Kinsky standing – and jumping – strong to corners in a way many other goalkeepers have struggled with.
The onslaught and the inexperience made it all the more impressive that Spurs got through it and went ahead. Some experience showed as one of the match’s senior pros, Son Heung Min, diverted a ball back towards the goal and past David Raya via a deflection.
Again, it would have been easy for Arsenal to feel sorry for themselves. There was even the warning of how Spurs had done exactly this to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last week.
Arsenal again kept going. Spurs would fairly argue Arsenal also had a big decision go their way, even if Postecoglou admirably refused to go there post-match. The 40th-minute corner that led to the equaliser shouldn’t have been a corner and it completed a crucial swing of momentum.
Kinsky’s early assurance had been affected by having a pass blocked down, and it gradually seemed to erode his game. By the moment Rice hit that corner, the goalkeeper was flapping. Gabriel was there at the back post to force Dominic Solanke into an own goal.
Spurs had clearly been affected. It only took another four minutes for Arsenal to punish unnecessary errors. Trossard was put through on goal, to fire the ball past an overly casual Radu Dragusin and through Kinsky’s hands.
Against that kind of inaccuracy, though, Martin Odegaard’s precision should be lauded. Although the Spurs half just opened up, the playmaker put through exactly the right ball for Trossard. It’s the kind of touch that has been lacking for Arsenal of late. It also reflected what was arguably Odegaard’s best performance since returning from injury.
If the first half swung in a few unexpected ways, the second half played to so many familiar patterns.
Postecoglou threw out his recent caution and made two extremely attacking half-time subs with the introduction of Brennan Johnson and James Maddison. That just meant more chances for Arsenal and more misses. The lack of a finisher became even more obvious.
It almost reached a level of parody when Trossard, having supposedly just remembered his scoring touch in the first half, completely missed the ball for a brilliant chance in the second. It went on like this: so many moments seeing an opportunity inexplicably flash wide.
It still ended with the most familiar element of all: an Arsenal win at home in the north London derby. This will strengthen belief in also winning the title, for the first time in a while. So much so that Arteta was willing to go outright and say it. The race is on.
