Football.London

We are a team that is progressing in many areas, with all that progress there are always new challenges and things you need to overcome. When I look at the four games in isolation this year, the football is probably more consistent and compelling than our first four games last year but obviously our results don’t reflect that. So I think we have made progress in certain areas but there are other areas we need to improve on and that’s my job to fill those gaps as quickly as possible.

I know, I know, for some reason people think I don't care about set pieces and it's a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that. Like I said, we work on them all the time like we do for every other team. You know that they're a threat, as I said, for the most part, we handled them really well today, but we switched off for one and we paid a price and you learn from that and you move on.

But it is what it is, you know, it's my burden to carry mate and I'm happy to do that. It's not like, like I've always said, for me, there's a bigger picture that's at play here that's much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to. For us, the way forward is to try to turn the football we're playing now into something meaningful.

We held them well for the most part and you switch off for one and you pay the price. They took their key moment and we didn't.

We had held them well and they're obviously a big threat from set pieces. It only takes one. It wasn't just Romero, others switched off from the set piece.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a home defeat to Arsenal on Sunday in the first North London Derby of this Premier League season and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Spurs took on an Arsenal side missing the suspended Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino through injury. Postecoglou had Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke back in his starting XI, but was without Yves Bissouma, who returned from two goalscoring displays with Mali with a groin injury.

In his place in midfield, Postecoglou has decided to use Rodrigo Bentancur in an attacking midfield alongside Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

Spurs edged the first half with David Raya called upon to make a couple of saves to Guglielmo Vicario's one, while referee Jarred Gillett dished out seven yellow cards, five to Spurs and two to the visitors, with many of them harsh.

Tottenham continued to press forward in the second half but found themselves behind after the hour mark when Gabriel found too much space behind Cristian Romero to rise and head home Bukayo Saka's corner. The hosts huffed and puffed but were unable to find a way through.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Saved well to get to Havertz's header before holding a Martinelli strike. Picked up a yellow card after confronting Timber after a challenge on Porro. Beaten by the power of Gabriel's header and didn't have much else to do in the game. 6

Pedro Porro

Tried to make this happen at both ends of the pitch and was one of Tottenham's better players. 7

Cristian Romero

Another game in which the World Cup winner has found himself at fault for a Spurs game. The rest of his performance was fine but in a crucial moment he switched off from a corner and Gabriel got in behind him to head home. He was pushed but he was never getting to the ball anyway. 5

Micky van de Ven

Spurs' best defender on the day and mopped up everything behind the backline to ensure the hosts could spend most of the performance in the Arsenal half. 8

Destiny Udogie

Started brightly before picking up a yellow card midway through the first half. That took away from his impact as the game wore on. 6

Dejan Kulusevski

Forced Raya into an early save with a shot from Son's pull back before one of his crosses went all the way through and the keeper had to push it away. Worked hard throughout and sent a late shot over the crossbar. 7

Rodrigo Bentancur

Played well on the whole but a first half yellow card hampered him slightly and he was taken off not long after the hour mark. 6

James Maddison

Had some bright moments, including a cross to Solanke in the first half, but ultimately didn't take a grip on the game and Spurs' playmaker was barely noticeable in the second half before he came off. 5

Brennan Johnson

Got up and down the right flank, running at Timber constantly, and swung in plenty of low crosses while having a couple of opportunities himself, one sent over and one weak and at Raya. 5

Dominic Solanke

Worked hard from the start and caused problems. Had an early shot blocked. Sent a looping header just past the left-hand post before the half-hour mark. Won the ball back early in the second half and had a header deflected wide. Worked tirelessly and was a strong mobile focal point for Tottenham but the service in to him needs to be better. 6

Son Heung-min

Teed up Kulusevski for an early chance and then pressed well to present a chance to Solanke. Flitted around the pitch as the game wore on but struggled to make an impact. 5

Subs

Pape Matar Sarr

Showed his mobility after a shaky first touch and tried to drive Spurs up the pitch. 6

Wilson Odobert

Huffed and puffed but wasn't able to find a way through. 5

Timo Werner

A poor cameo with no end product and one dreadful touch that he had to go across the pitch and save Spurs from himself. Even inadvertently blocked a late Sarr shot in the Arsenal box. 4

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Mikel Arteta is set to face the press after his side's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Gunners got off to a slow start in the game as the lack of Martin Odegaard or Declan Rice proved to be key. Spurs had chances through Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke, but David Raya stood firm.

Without much midfield control it seemed a counter attack would be Arsenal's best bet and Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz both went close. The game remained tense and tetchy though with seven yellow cards being shown in the first half alone.

The tight affair continued into the second period, but it was Arsenal who eventually got their noses in front after Gabriel's header from Bukayo Saka's inch perfect corner.

That proved to be enough for the Gunners who were able to hand a debut to Raheem Sterling in the closing stages as they held on for a crucial win.

Arsenal claimed a tense 1-0 win over Tottenham in the North London Derby. The Gunners got off to a slow start in the game as the lack of Martin Odegaard or Declan Rice proved to be key. Spurs had chances through Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke, but David Raya stood firm.

Without much midfield control it seemed a counter attack would be Arsenal's best bet and Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz both went close. The game remained tense and tetchy though with seven yellow cards being shown in the first half alone.

The tight affair continued into the second period, but it was Arsenal who eventually got their noses in front after Gabriel's header from Bukayo Saka's inch perfect corner.

That proved to be enough for the Gunners who were able to hand a debut to Raheem Sterling in the closing stages as they held on for a crucial win. Here's how football.london rated the Arsenal players individually in the match.

David Raya: Some superb saves in the early stages to keep the game at 0-0. Remained focused as Spurs peppered the goal with shots. Proved his value once again on his 29th birthday. 7.

Ben White: Had a tough afternoon up against Son Heung-min who beat him constantly. A couple of cheap giveaways on the ball too. Didn't look as mobile as he normally is. 5.

William Saliba: Struggled at times when dealing with Dominic Solanke. Generally defended solidly though. Decent on the ball as ever. 6.

Gabriel: Made block after block as Arsenal were up against it for periods. Loves these kind of deep defensive games. Popped up with a superb run and header for the goal too. 8.

Jurrien Timber: There were suggestions that he could have been sent off in the first half but that's ridiculous. Showed the fight required for this fixture and was rarely beaten by Johnson. 7.

Thomas Partey: Decent when playing from the back for the most part. His lack of mobility was a touch exposed in this double pivot without Rice's legs next to him. 6.

Jorginho: His lack of mobility really showed at times. Turned very easily by Kulusevski on a few occasions. Asking him to high press is just not his game. Feels harsh to mark him down given he was doing a job for the team, but he's better as a lone pivot. 5.

Bukayo Saka: Saka has now scored or assisted in every game he's played for Arsenal this season. His corner for Gabriel was inch perfect. The difference on the day. 8.

Gabriel Martinelli: Got into some good positions with his running down the left but his decision making still leaves a bit to be desired. One great cross to Havertz that could have got him an assist on another day. 6.

Kai Havertz: Some impressive hold up play as Arsenal looked for a release valve from the Tottenham pressure. Good quality on the ball in the final third too. 7.

Leandro Trossard: A little slow on the ball on occasion. Not his usual decisive self in the final third. Showed some moments of using the ball well in build up though. 6.

SUBSTITUTES -

Gabriel Jesus: Showed his versatility by playing both up front and on the right wing. Can always be relied upon to do a job in a game like this. 6.

Raheem Sterling: Only really on the ball in flashes. One moment where he had the chance to cut inside from the left and took too long on the ball. Needed to be coached a fair bit by Arteta off the ball. 6.

Arsenal have been accused of setting up like a newly-promoted team at Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby by former Premier League striker Dean Ashton.

The Gunners and Spurs faced off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday for the first time this season. Both sides had opportunities to open the scoring in the first half with Gabriel Martinelli and Dominic Solanke coming close.

Spurs were the ones who enjoyed more of the possession in the opening 45 minutes, with Arsenal spending most of their time defending and containing their fierce rivals.

Speaking at half-time, ex-West Ham United striker Ashton slammed Arteta's tactics. “Let’s get it right, if I’d have come here and not known, this Arsenal side looks like a promoted team who has come here and said ‘we’ve got to sit deep in a 4-4-2 shape, quick wingers who have got to come back and defend, and if we can break then we will do it’," he said on talkSPORT.

“They’ve not tried hard to properly play through the press and expose those gaps out wide. It has been a really strange performance and set up from Mikel Arteta.”

Arsenal's midfield duo Jorginho and Thomas Partey both struggled to get on the ball and progress Arsenal up the pitch against Spurs with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski pinning them back.

The Gunners weren't helped by Ben White and Kai Havertz having a rare quiet game. White struggled on the right against Son Heung-min while Havertz's role in replacing the injured Martin Odegaard saw him struggle to make an impact.

Arsenal did get on the scoresheet in the end, though, through Gabriel Magalhaes when the Brazilian centre-back met Bukayo Saka's corner to power a header home.

Ange Postecoglou has named his Tottenham Hotspur side to take on Arsenal on Sunday in the first North London Derby of this Premier League season.

Spurs host Arsenal with Mikel Arteta missing Declan Rice through suspension and Martin Odegaard as well as Mikel Merino through injury. Postecoglou had good news though on the injury front with Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke back in full training with the squad and both players start the match.

While Richarlison remains out alongside young striker Will Lankshear, the Tottenham boss is missing Yves Bissouma, who returned from two goalscoring displays with Mali with a groin injury.

In his place in midfield, Postecoglou has decided to use Rodrigo Bentancur alongside Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison. Up front Solanke is flanked by both captain Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson, who impressed against Newcastle after coming off the bench.

Here's the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected to face Arsenal on Sunday: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son. Subs: Forster, Davies, Spence, Dragusin, Sarr, Gray, Bergvall, Odobert, Werner.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Richarlison has dropped a major hint that Dominic Solanke could be starting for Tottenham in the North London Derby showdown with Arsenal. Bragging rights - not to mention three Premier League points - will be on the line for the first time this season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (2pm).

Both sides have their own selection concerns heading towards kick-off with Arsenal particularly light in midfield, due to Declan Rice's suspension and Martin Odegaard's injury. As for Tottenham, meanwhile, there were question marks over Micky van de Ven and Yves Bissouma, plus Richarlison and Solanke.

Solanke, who cost Tottenham around £65million this summer when he joined from Bournemouth as the marquee signing, has missed the last two games with an ankle problem. That has restricted the 27-year-old to 90 minutes in a Tottenham shirt, but that could be about to change.

Ange Postecoglou was non-committal - if hopeful - that Solanke would feature in the North London Derby when the Tottenham manager staged his pre-match press conference. He said: "[Solanke was] back half of this week, he joined the first team training.

"We've got training tomorrow [Saturday]. If he gets through okay, I guess he'll be available."

That final training session before collision course with Arsenal co-incided with Solanke's birthday. He turned 27 on Saturday and posted a thank you message on his Instagram profile.

It read: "Thank you Lord for another year. Thank you all for the love and messages."

His teammate Richarlison popped up in the comments section and, in doing so, indicated that Solanke passed his pre-match fitness test. He wrote: "Sonny [Son Heung-min) will give you a gift tomorrow bro."

It's almost time for the first North London Derby of the season. When Tottenham Hotspur meet Arsenal there are usually fireworks and despite it being an early season match-up, there is plenty on the line.

Arsenal dropped points last time out in a 1-1 draw with Brighton, meaning they are five points behind Manchester City at the top of the table. Tottenham, meanwhile, have played good football in their three matches, but only have four points to show for it.

Neither side can really afford not to win, which seems crazy to say at this early stage of the campaign. It is set to be a thrilling encounter in N17, but who will come out on top? We asked football.london writers to have their say on the big match.

Lee Wilmot

There are always goals, there is always excitement and there is always so much riding on these games. I've said it before but I love and hate the North London Derby in equal measure. There's no match quite like it for the fans of both clubs.

Tottenham have started the season well, despite just four points from the opening three matches. Beating the Gunners will banish the memories of a dominant but ultimately pointless trip to St. James' Park just before the international break and would be the perfect tonic to this hectic run of fixtures up until the second international break of the season next month.

Without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, some of the fear of just how good the Arsenal team is is gone. Spurs may well have an almost fully-fit squad to choose from and with the backing of a raucous home crowd I would like to think they will get the job done.

Both teams will score, and often the case in these games is that the team who scores first does not necessarily win. I'm going for a thriller - Tottenham to win 3-2.

Tom Canton

I think Arsenal will win. But now I always think Arsenal will win and that comes from the confidence that Mikel Arteta has given to me and plenty of other Gunners fans around the world; the knowledge that this side is capable of beating anyone.

That was instilled before Declan Rice arrived and his absence here whilst massive can be dealt with, as can Martin Odegaard’s absence too. Kai Havertz will have a huge role to play in this game and could perhaps be its most important player.

Thomas Partey and Jorginho will need to win the midfield battle between them but most of all keep the group calm. Derbies are frenetic and wild at times and unlike the second half of last season, the control needs to be secured should a lead be found.

The game will be about the chances, both sides have created plenty in these first three games but not scored as many as they should. The side that bucks this trend as opposed to the other will win this game…I think that will be Arsenal 2-1.

Sam Truelove

I'm expecting an end-to-end game in north London. This really does have all the ingredients to be a classic.

Arsenal may not be as controlled and dominate as usual due to the absence of key stars such as Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Tottenham may have a few more gaps to exploit in midfield and I believe whoever plays left-back for the Gunners could have a torrid time. Pedro Porro has started the season strongly and one of Brennan Johnson or Dejan Kulusevski are tricky customers.

Arsenal will be a threat themselves, however, and Bukayo Saka does indeed love scoring in this fixture. For some reason I can see a red card being shown on Sunday afternoon and I'm predicting one of Riccardo Calafiori or Kai Havertz to be the player shown it.

The final score? I'm going for Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal.

Kaya Kaynak

I have to say from an Arsenal perspective it's impossible not to be a bit worried going in to this North London Derby. Mikel Arteta may have envisioned a first choice midfield of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard for this season. He is likely to be without all three on Sunday.

That impacts the team all over the park. Kai Havertz has been on fire up front and terrorised the Tottenham defence in this fixture last season. He's likely to move back in to midfield to cover the deficit though. Gabriel Jesus is also an injury doubt, which means that Leandro Trossard could be forced to shift from his preferred left wing position into the false nine spot.

Equally in defence, Riccardo Calafiori's freak injury against France means that he is a doubt. This means that Jurrien Timber could be forced to complete his first competitive 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt due to injuries.

That said, I still do think that Arsenal have enough to cause Spurs some damage. Bukayo Saka has been a menace on the counter attack in recent seasons in this game, and there will be a hope that Gabriel Martinelli can get it together in the final third. Arsenal have also been superb at set pieces for a while now, which is an area Spurs struggle with. Even without Rice's delivery they should still have enough to cause a few problems

I'm not expecting the kind of high-scoring fixtures that have been so common in the past. Instead I think that this will be a tight and cagey affair. I think if Arsenal come away with a 1-1 draw then they wouldn't have too many complaints.

Joe Doyle

Like pretty much every neutral here, I'm hoping for goals, drama and potentially a 20-man brawl (even if we're always told 'nobody wants to see scenes like this').

But in terms of what we'll actually see, I think it could be a bit tighter than usual. With Mikel Arteta needing to heavily shuffle the pack in midfield, it may well be a much more reserved performance from Arsenal, and I think they'll look to ensure they are difficult to play against first and foremost.

Having said that, coping with Spurs' all-action style will be tough - Ange Postecoglou will want to set a frenetic pace for his attackers to try and force openings.

I think we'll have to settle for a draw one way or another - again, not the worst result for a neutral as long as it's entertaining. And while usually in this game I'd go high-scoring, I think it'll be a little lower on quality in attack.

Final score: Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

Rob Guest

This will hopefully be the game when everything clicks into place for Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side. Spurs perhaps should have maximum points on the board from their first three Premier League fixtures but their failure to kill off matches has again proved costly.

As Mikel Arteta is going to have do without a couple of his influential players, this might actually be a decent time for Tottenham to play Arsenal. However, you cannot underestimate the Gunners even if they are missing players, as they are such an impressive team who can put their opponents to the sword.

Dominic Solanke's return to fitness is a huge boost for Tottenham and the same goes for Micky van de Ven. Tottenham desperately missed an out-and-out striker last time out at Newcastle due to the inviting balls that Brennan Johnson put across the face of goal time and time again.

Solanke may prove to be the difference in this weekend's North London Derby, thus handing him the perfect opportunity to mark his Tottenham Hotspur Stadium bow in the best way possible. I'm going for Spurs to win 2-1 courtesy of a late Solanke winner.

Hello and welcome to football.london's live coverage of the first North London Derby of the season between Tottenham and Arsenal.

It is Ange Postecoglou's Spurs side who are at home in what promises to be a very interesting derby clash in the capital.

Goals and entertainment are usually guaranteed in the North London Derby and hopefully this one proves to be no different.

Postecoglou will be looking to pick up his first win against Arsenal since becoming Spurs boss in the summer of 2023, while Mikel Arteta will be aiming to navigate his side to three crucial points in their title push despite the loss of a couple of key players.

Tottenham correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest and Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak are covering the match with all the build-up and the action as it happens on the pitch and reaction from the supporters and media.

Scroll down for all of our latest updates from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur have home advantage for the first North London Derby of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Can they make it count?

One of the most hotly-contested games of the season comes very early this year, with both sides in need of points, even at this early stage of the campaign.

Injury concerns have dominated the new agenda in the build-up to the clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with question marks over the likes of Micky van de Ven, Yves Bissouma and Dominic Solanke for the hosts, with Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus either out or doubts for the visitors - and Declan Rice suspended.

The injury situations were cleared up by Ange Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta in their pre-match press conferences on Friday and all that remains is for the two teams now to go head-to-head for the three points in N17.

How will the game pan out though? Many people in the game have had their say and now we've had a supercomputer predicting the result of the big North London Derby too.

Here's what happened as Lucky Block gives us its short match report of the contest...

"In a thrilling North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs and Arsenal played out an entertaining 2-2 draw on Super Sunday. The match was a back-and-forth affair, showcasing attacking flair from both sides.

"Spurs took the lead early on through James Maddison, who found space at the edge of the box and fired a low shot past David Raya. However, the Gunners responded before half-time with a well-placed finish from Leandro Trossard, levelling the score at 1-1.

"In the second half, Spurs regained the lead when a sharp cross from Maddison was met by Dominic Solanke, who neatly finished to put the hosts ahead again. Arsenal, relentless in their pursuit of an equaliser, found it through William Saliba, who headed home from a corner to make it 2-2.

"Both teams pushed for a winner, but solid defending and missed chances kept the scoreline level. The result leaves both sides sharing the spoils in what was an intense and entertaining North London Derby."