Arsenal clinched a hard-fought victory at Tottenham’s home ground, extending their winning streak at the stadium to three consecutive seasons.
Gabriel Magalhaes proved to be the hero with a decisive header in the 64th minute, securing a 1-0 win in a gritty north London derby on Sunday.
Despite Tottenham’s dominant performance for much of the match, Arsenal managed to weather the storm and capitalize on their chance.
Gabriel rose above his marker to meet a corner from Bukayo Saka, delivering a powerful header from the center of the box that left Tottenham’s defense helpless.
The goal came somewhat against the run of play, but it was crucial for Arsenal, who now trail defending champions Manchester City by two points.
With a challenging fixture against City looming next weekend, Arsenal could not afford to drop points.
Tottenham initially exploited Arsenal’s weakened midfield, missing both the suspended Declan Rice and injured Martin Odegaard.
The Gunners struggled under the pressure, failing to find their rhythm or establish their usual passing game.
Tottenham had several early opportunities to take the lead, but Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya made key saves, and Spurs’ striker Dominic Solanke squandered a couple of promising chances.
The match contrasted sharply with last year’s encounter, where Arsenal initially surged to a 3-0 lead before holding off a late Tottenham comeback to win 3-2.
This 2024 derby was marked by intense physicality, evident from the seven bookings in the first half alone.
In the closing stages, Arsenal had to defend resolutely. Tottenham’s attempts to equalize were limited, with Solanke’s header in the 88th minute going straight to Raya and Dejan Kulusevski’s long-range shot sailing over the bar in injury time.
Arsenal’s squad was stretched thin, with only three senior outfield players available on the bench.
Among them was Raheem Sterling, who made his debut for the Gunners in the 80th minute.
