TOTTENHAM 2-3 ARSENAL: At Spurs, the Gunners held on to secure three crucial points.
Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s standout player in their 3-2 win at Tottenham (Image: Getty)
In the north London derby against Tottenham, Arsenal managed to hold on for a 3-2 victory behind goals from Kai Havertz. With goals from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg heading into his own net, Bukayo Saka finishing neatly, and Havertz nodding in from close range, the Gunners jumped out to a three-goal lead.
However, Spurs fiercely retaliated after the interval to set up an exciting finale. After a terrible error from David Raya allowed Cristian Romero to score, Son Heung-min’s late penalty pulled the home team within one goal, but Arsenal held off a flurry of late pressure to hold off the comeback attempt.
As a consequence of the outcome, Mikel Arteta’s team will end the day ahead of Manchester City in their pursuit of the Premier League championship. And Express Sport walks you through four important talking points as the curtain comes down on an exciting match…
Kai Havertz performs exceptionally well.
Havertz is really beginning to make an impression on the Premier League after a sluggish start to life at the Emirates Stadium and in general. He was simply outstanding in the North London derby, creating a raking 40-yard through ball to set up Saka for a 2-0 lead before heading in Arsenal’s third.
Overall, the German played with skill and precision. In his last 11 Premier League games, he has contributed 13 goals, which is something he could only have imagined doing in his early Gunners career.
Postecoglou stifles his remarks
Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham, genuinely laughed off suggestions earlier this month that he should be concerned about his team’s upcoming matches against Manchester City and Arsenal. The laughing Australian responded, “No! no, no… no,” when asked if he should be worried.
On Sunday, the Gunners ensured that their local rivals were left empty-handed. Despite having two games remaining, Postecoglou now has seven points to catch up to fourth-place Aston Villa over the final five games of the season.Jover outperforms everyone
Set-piece specialist pinching Arteta’s choice of Nicolas Jover from Man City’s coaching staff has proven to be a brilliant move. The Gunners’ first and third goals against Tottenham both came from corner kicks, continuing their season-long trend of being unstoppable when facing dead ball situations.
Jover, who Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville called a “little nuisance,” was in the technical area celebrating with Arteta when Hojbjerg headed into his own net and again when Havertz put Arsenal three ahead.
White and rice display true colors.
The way the Arsenal team responded to their opening two goals on Sunday was instructive. As soon as Hojbjerg gave the visitors the lead, captain Martin Odegaard hurried to the touchline to discuss strategy with Arteta.
Before kickoff, the players huddled together to regroup, with Declan Rice, a master of the midfield, leading the conversation among many other leaders. Since joining from West Ham last summer, the 25-year-old has been a huge hit, but it’s unclear if his leadership abilities will eventually win him the armband.
Soon after Saka increased Arsenal’s lead by two minutes, there was yet another scrum. This time, Ben White was in the center, encouraging his teammates with words of wisdom. Above all, the festivities demonstrated that Arteta has a dressing room full of esteemed individuals who can each speak to the group as a whole rather than depending on a single figurehead.
