Sunday brought more derby day delight to Gooners everywhere as we beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 for the second time this season.
A brace apiece for Ebere Eze and Viktor Gyokeres saw us cruise to victory, recording a fourth-straight win at Spurs' home ground for the first time since 1955 and re-establishing our five-point lead at the top of the league.
But why did it go so right? Adrian Clarke has happily gone through the footage and stats to find out why we were so dominant:
ATTITUDE AND APPLICATION
All eyes were on how the players would bounce back from the disappointment of dropping points at Wolves – and in that regard Mikel Arteta’s side delivered the perfect response.
Assertive from the start, imposing our game on Spurs, we set about our work with just the kind of determined mindset the manager would have wanted. Quietening the home crowd, we enjoyed 28 touches inside the opposition box during a one-sided first period, with our north London neighbours managing just one touch inside our penalty area.
Tottenham touch map: first half
Arsenal touch map: first half
Our superior quality told in the second half, but from start to finish we outworked opponents who were playing under new head coach, Igor Tudor, for the first time. Martin Zubimendi ran 11.88km, the furthest of anyone on the pitch, while we as a team covered 7.67km more than Tottenham.
In and out of possession, there was a clear desire to do the basics properly. We regained possession in the final third 19 times, compared to Spurs’ three, and dominated this contest’s all-important duels.
Individually, Gabriel had the perfect 10/10 and 4/4 record at winning 100% of his ground and aerial duels.
EXPOSING MAN-TO-MAN STYLE
The opposition head coach instructed his players to lock on to red shirts man-to-man all over the pitch in an aggressive manner. Perhaps not fully tuned in to this tactic, Spurs struggled to cope with our varied movement, pulling defenders out of position a regular basis.
In this example below, Leandro Trossard has drifted into a central position to create chaos, and in doing so, he drags centre-back Joao Palhinha closer to him. This left Bukayo Saka with plenty of space to run onto Piero Hincapie’s pass, and our No. 7 was only denied a goal by a stellar save in the 1v1:
Earlier on in the first half, Hincapie slipped a nice through ball into space for Viktor Gyokeres, after Palhinha was tempted into closing him down – vacating space behind him. From the run, Gyokeres whistled a shot just wide:
This move also highlighted the hosts’ uncertainty when marking man-to-man. With wing-back Djed Spence lured towards Jurrien Timber, and Micky van de Ven compelled to follow Eberechi Eze into midfield, we were able to release Saka in behind Pape Sarr, who was not comfortable marking our captain. Our quick thinking and quality passing carved them open on numerous occasions.
A MORE TRADITIONAL SHAPE
One notable tactical tweak from our manager was the use of his full-backs. Timber and Hincapie stayed wider than they have done in a while, largely having the majority of their touches in a 10-yard corridor inside their respective touchline. Creating three chances apiece it was a ploy which worked well.
With Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi playing as a double pivot, our back six was very disciplined in its positioning and shape throughout. Our average position map reflects this nicely:
The key second goal showcases this shape perfectly. From out wide, Timber fizzed a top-class forward pass into Gyokeres’ feet, with Eze and Trossard in close proximity, distracting two Spurs defenders.
Eze’s dart forward opened space around the ‘D’, and with Palhinha hesitant, the Swede was able to dispatch a bullet strike into the corner:
EZE & SAKA REVELED ON BIG STAGE
It was glorious to see Eze and Saka perform so well, and with so much imagination in this high-stakes encounter. Saka enjoyed 18 touches inside the Spurs box, 11 more than his closest teammate and the entire Tottenham squad.
Making a series of clever runs beyond the backline, firing off five shots, as well as carrying the ball beautifully, the winger created havoc.
Bukayo Saka: Passes, dribbles and shots
Eze made history by scoring five goals in north London derbies in a single season to equal Ted Drake’s tally from 1934/35. Surging into the box to fire home shots at key junctures in the game, he performed outstandingly well.
Eze’s running power really stood out, carrying the ball forward with purpose. Our summer signing also did lot of damage from central areas inside the final third, playing as an orthodox No.10. Look how high the bulk of his passes were in this thumping derby success:
Ebere Eze: Passes and shots
GYOKERES leads THE WAY
This was Gyokeres’ best all-round performance in a Gunners shirt. Always available for a pass, relishing the physical battle with defenders, the Swede was a handful throughout the game.
His two excellent finishes will be remembered for years to come, but the front man’s hold-up play, running power and movement are also worthy of praise.
Gyokeres’ numbers were strong. Registering far more touches, passes and shots than his season average, our leading scorer was never far away from the action:
In 2026, no Premier League player has scored more goals in all competitions (8), and his tally of 15 puts him firmly on course to break the 20-goal barrier this term.
His debut campaign with us is blossoming nicely, and he is coming into top form at just the right time.