Arsenal restored a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with their second 4-1 North London derby win of the season, increasing Tottenham’s relegation concerns in the process. Eberechi Eze scored his first Premier League goals since a hat-trick against the same opposition last November, while Viktor Gyökeres scored his ninth and 10th of the season to boost the Gunners after Manchester City had closed the gap the day before. The Gunners were good value for the three points, keeping their nerve after Randal Kolo Muani had equalised for the home side against the run of play. Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have picked out the tactical highlights as Mikel Arteta’s team chalked up a comfortable victory in Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor's first game in charge.
How the managers saw it
“We prepare to press high but we didn’t take the ball,” said Tudor. “We need more time to be in a physical moment and physical situation that we can go strong and take the ball. Now we are not in that moment. Also, even with the ball, a lack of confidence is very evident in the team. We wanted and prepared to do the things, but there is an opponent, there is a reality today.”
“We’ve done great today,” said Arteta. “We’re all very proud of the manner in which we won the game – not only the way that we performed – and we know what it means to us.”
Defensive Tottenham
Tottenham’s 3-5-2 became a 5-3-2 defensive shape as they frequently dropped into a low block in the initial stages of the game. Their two forwards, Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons, forced the ball wide, trying to limit access through the middle of the pitch. The midfield three then moved across, working from side to side to cover the inside channels, funnelling the ball wide as frequently as possible. This was very physically demanding, however, and the intensity with which the midfielders were able to do it eventually dropped off. Before that point, the work of Tottenham’s midfield three allowed their wide centre-back teammates to remain in the back line when the wing-backs jumped out to defend wide spaces (below).
When Tottenham defended higher up the pitch they utilised a player-oriented approach, as their 3-5-2 worked directly on to Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1/4-3-3. As Arsenal increasingly deployed opposite movements, rotations and third-man runs, the home side stuck to their task and followed their direct opponent, with the midfielders matching up 3v3. That meant Tottenham’s back line were pressing very high on any dropping attacker (such as Micky van de Ven on Bukayo Saka, below), and as the first half progressed Arsenal found attacking solutions that further disrupted Spurs’ back line.
Arsenal’s attacking solutions
Attacking Tottenham’s initial deep back line of five, Arsenal attempted to combine up against the wing-backs. Saka and Jurriën Timber from the right, and Leandro Trossard and Piero Hincapié on the opposite side, created overlapping/underlapping movements from which they would look to cross into central runners. With Tottenham’s centre-backs in place and the midfield dropping, Arsenal’s central runners found it challenging to win the first or second contacts. But the pressure was constant, not least with Saka penetrating the box and getting towards the byline with 1v1 play (below). Eze’s close-range strike duly gave the visitors a deserved lead, despite Spurs’ heavy defensive presence inside their own box.
In response to Tottenham’s player-oriented marking, Arsenal’s central midfielders moved away from the middle. This significantly increased the pressing distance for Tottenham’s midfield three against their direct opponents, and a much larger space for them to cover. Arsenal’s front line then rotated, often dropping into vacant midfield spaces. Arsenal pulled Tottenham’s wide centre-backs well out of their back line, and had runners and combinations looking to exploit the resulting gaps. As a result, Gyökeres had a great chance via the left inside channel, with Saka on Arsenal’s right pulling out Van de Ven whenever Timber moved high (below).
In addition, there were occasions where Arsenal dropped their full-backs slightly, drawing Tottenham’s wing-backs from the back line. In these scenarios Tottenham central midfielders looked to cover Arsenal’s wingers, while dropping Arsenal midfielders were tracked by Tottenham’s wide centre-backs. The visitors employed these movements with patient passing, then increased the tempo to penetrate Tottenham’s back five. Saka’s influence and ability to get in behind (below) grew throughout the first half.
Arsenal’s central play and transitional threat
In the second half, Arsenal’s full-backs remained slightly deeper and were able to receive the ball freely in wide spaces. Instead of looking to overlap, create wide combinations or continue crossing into congested areas, they played more passes back into Tottenham’s block. Eze, Gyökeres and the opposite winger worked closely to attack around Tottenham’s three centre-backs, giving Arsenal options to play into the feet of their central front line. Timber’s reversed pass inside found Gyökeres early in the second half, from which he put Arsenal back in front with a powerful, bending effort. The strike was aided by Eze’s decoy runs and movements (below).
Arsenal’s deeper full-backs often attracted a Tottenham central midfielder and disrupted moments when Spurs attempted to jump out from their block. Huge spaces appeared for Declan Rice (below) and Eze in the inside channels, with Arsenal’s wingers supporting combinations ahead and outside of their deeper full-backs. Arteta’s team could then work the ball back through the centre, linking with Gyökeres’ and Eze’s forward runs, as Spurs lost the defensive compactness they had in the first half.
Arsenal also threatened in transition, from high-pressing regains and counter-attacks after winning the ball back in their own half. Gyökeres as the central link continued to be aided by Eze, as well as both Arsenal wingers narrowing with aggressive runs inwards. Indeed, the league leaders were particularly penetrative with their attacking play in the second half, keeping their foot on the gas as they pushed for three points. Gyökeres’ link-up was smooth and consistent, while Eze was a constant threat with his dribbling, combining and creating for those around him. Both players were duly rewarded with a brace.
It was exactly what Arsenal needed, having dropped points in five of their previous seven Premier League fixtures. By contrast, Tottenham are now desperate for Premier League points for a very different reason.