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Freddie Ljungberg questioned Mikel Arteta’s handling of Eberechi Eze following Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham, calling for the midfielder to be given more starts going forward.

It proved another dream derby day for Arsenal’s £67.5million summer signing from Crystal Palace, three months on for his hat-trick heroics in the reverse fixture at the Emirates.

The England international made the breakthrough for the Gunners towards the end of the first half, only for Randal Kolo Muani to make it all square just two minutes later at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s advantage just moments after the break and Eze capitalised on some poor Spurs defending to increase the deficit on the hour-mark, capping off a fine individual performance.

With the hosts coming up short in search of a response, Arsenal made sure to well and truly put the game to bed at the death – and it was Gyokeres who made it four with a composed strike in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The result saw Arsenal move five points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with ten games remaining of the season. Arteta’s men will look to pick up where they left off when return to action at home to Chelsea in a week’s time.

Igor Tudor’s Tottenham, meanwhile, are hovering just four points above the relegation zone ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham next Sunday afternoon.

‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him,’ Arteta said of Eze’s eye-catching showing in the derby.

‘He’s really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him.’

On Arsenal’s statement victory, the Spaniard added: ‘I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game.

‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

‘That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.

‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’

Viaplay’s punditry panel of Peter Schmeichel, Jaap Stam and Ljungberg- who boast a combined total of ten Premier League titles – waxed lyrical about Eze’s display as they analysed Arsenal’s victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

‘He’s such an elegant player. He’s actually a really beautiful player to watch,’ ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Schmeichel said.

‘He’s one of those players that you want to pay to come and watch him play.

‘Arsenal haven’t got many of those players, but him, it’s brilliant when he’s on that kind of form.’

On Eze, Ljungberg added: ‘He’s so ingrained from being at Palace, you have to always create something: you have a chance, you have to make something.

‘He does that here and I think they should use him more than they do.’

Former Manchester United and Netherlands defender Stam, meanwhile, believes Eze’s X-factor qualities gave Arsenal something different that they often lack in the final third.

‘It must be a nightmare to play against him. If you see him move, he’s taking up great positions and he’s so comfortable on the ball,’ he said.

‘He knows what to do and he also has a clear understanding of what his team-mates are doing as well.

‘He knows them and, with his one-touch football, he can find them. From there, he creates spaces for his team-mates but also for himself.

‘It’s always nice when you’re playing in a team with those types of players because it gives you so much extra, so much quality technically, but, also, the goalscoring performances that he’s putting out… it’s great to see that.’

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Arrow MORE: Jamie Redknapp accuses Mikel Arteta of ‘mismanaging’ £67.5m Arsenal star

Arrow MORE: Gabriel brutally mocks Tottenham star after Arsenal derby win

Arrow MORE: Mikel Arteta reveals he ‘upset’ Arsenal star before Tottenham victory

Gabriel Magalhaes took the opportunity to poke fun at Richarlison after Arsenal claimed north London bragging rights with a comprehensive 4-1 defeat of Tottenham.

A shock midweek setback at Wolves ratcheted up the pressure on the Premier League leaders entering Sunday’s contest, with just two points separating Mikel Arteta’s men from Manchester City.

But the Gunners put their bitter rivals to the sword at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to tighten their grip on top spot, despite Spurs going into the break level after Randal Kolo Muani had cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s opener in a compelling first half.

Two goals from Viktor Gyokeres – either side of Eze’s second on the hour-mark – ensured the visitors came away with a memorable victory, a result that restored their advantage at the summit to five points.

Arteta’s side will look to pick up where they left off when they return to Premier League action against fourth-placed Chelsea at the Emirates in a week’s time.

Gabriel produced another strong performance at the heart of Arsenal’s defence alongside William Saliba, with Spurs limited to a total of only six shots across the entirety of the match.

Richarlison was unable to make a meaningful difference after coming on in place of Randal Kolo Muani with 22 minutes of normal time remaining in north London – and Gabriel made sure to rub salt in the wound soon after.

The Brazil defender took to Instagram and decided to tag his fellow countryman in a photograph which showed him holding up a number four playing card for the camera on Arsenal’s team coach.

After just an hour, the social media post had racked up over 180,000 likes and 5,000 comments.

The little jab from Gabriel comes after Richarlison tagged the centre-back in a similar post following Tottenham’s pre-season victory over Arsenal last summer.

Arsenal back in charge of the title race

A huge win for Arsenal puts them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table and they remain favourites to win the title, despite recent wobbles.

Spurs are not the toughest team in the league to play against, but the Gunners were threatening and potent again after looking blunt of late.

They should have been well ahead at the break and it was only an odd Declan Rice error which meant the game was level. Mikel Arteta’s men remained calm and kept coming, getting their rewards.

The pressure has been building, but Arsenal have eased it with the result and performance, both of which were excellent.

The link-up between Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka was really impressive at Spurs and if Arteta can get those two firing on a regular basis then few defences will be able to handle them.

It is curious that Eze has scored five of his six Premier League goals this season against Spurs and has not really sparkled much outside of the derbies, but clearly he has a lot more to offer in this title race.

There are twists and turns to come before anyone lifts the Premier League trophy, but the gloom hanging over Arsenal since Wolves has been lifted.

It will be another high intensity affair next time out as Arsenal host Chelsea.

The photo in question showed Richarlison posing with the man-of-the-match award and the Herbalgy Trophy that Spurs had won at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park.

This isn’t the only time Gabriel has responded to Richarlison’s pre-season jibe, though, with the big centre-half also taking aim at his compatriot after Arsenal’s win in the reverse fixture at the Emirates in November.

Though ‘proud’ of Arsenal’s dream derby-day performance, Arteta was keen to remind his players that there was still a ‘long way’ to go in the Premier League, with ten games remaining of the season.

‘I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game,’ the Spaniard said in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.

‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

‘That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.

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‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’

Arteta went on to single out Eze for special praise, applauding the midfielder’s efforts in ‘adapting’ to a new style of play at Arsenal.

‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him,’ he said of the former Palace man.

‘He’s really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him.’

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Mikel Arteta has revealed he ‘upset’ Eberechi Eze before Arsenal’s impressive north London derby win over Tottenham.

Eze scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Spurs back in November and produced another superb performance in Sunday’s game, which finished the same scoreline.

The former Crystal Palace star scored Arsenal’s first-half opener but Spurs responded immediately and equalised through Randal Kolo Muani.

But Arsenal are going for the title while Tottenham battle relegation and that gulf was evident during a one-sided derby.

Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s lead shortly after the half-time break before Eze scored his second and the visitors’ third to all but put the game to bed.

With the three points secured, Gyokeres rounded off a joyous derby for Arsenal by firing home a fourth in injury-time.

Arteta was full of praise for Eze after the emphatic victory and hailed his response after a difficult couple of weeks.

Arsenal’s £67.5m summer signing was hooked at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Brentford last week before being benched for the 2-2 draw with Wolves.

‘He has scored five goals in the last two games against Tottenham, which is extremely difficult to do, but I could see that he wanted to prove something,’ Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

‘He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him in the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made. And I start to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.

‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him. He’s really trying to mould and adapt into what we want from him.

‘You just have to look at his face and the way he was in the dressing room and with that big smile and his eyes are just expressing everything that you need to.

‘He came here for a reason and we need those moments from these players. I think him and the front players today, I think they’ve done what we expect from them.’

Discussing Arsenal’s performance more generally, Arteta added: ‘Really happy, really proud about how we approached the game.

‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’

While Arsenal move back five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, Tottenham remain just 16th in the table, four points above the relegation zone.

Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor said: ‘A difficult start against a team who is now in this moment. A different level of physical state of mind, so congratulations to them.

‘They were much better and they deserve this win. I got the spirit which we wanted to do things, but it was not enough. It is nice to understand where we are in this moment.

‘Now in this moment, the team is full of problems. The only key is to work on the training day by day and be humble. We need to be more aggressive – we need to be more compact. These are the keys.

‘You understand the gap with the mental sharpness of one team and other teams. This is a thing we need to change.

‘I saw players available to do this, but we need more time to do this. Thinking about relegation doesn’t bring you anything to anybody.’

Arsenal continue their Premier League title charge against Chelsea next weekend, while Spurs face another London rival in Fulham.

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Arrow MORE: Jamie Redknapp makes Arsenal title prediction and sends huge warning to Tottenham

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Jamie Redknapp backed Arsenal to go on and win the Premier League title after overcoming Spurs in this weekend’s one-sided north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A shock midweek capitulation away to lowly Wolves ramped up the pressure on Arsenal entering the clash, with just two points separating Mikel Arteta’s men from second-placed Manchester City.

But top-of-the-table Arsenal were far and away the better team when push came to shove, despite Spurs going into the break level after Randal Kolo Muani had cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s opener in an absorbing first half.

Two goals from Viktor Gyokeres – either side of Eze’s second on the hour-mark – secured the away team bragging rights over their bitter rivals, who were being led by Igor Tudor for the first time.

The 4-1 scoreline means Spurs remain winless in the English top flight in 2026 and sit just four points above the relegation zone with ten matches remaining of the campaign.

Arsenal, meanwhile, finish the weekend with a five-point advantage over City at the summit.

Though ‘proud’ of Arsenal’s dream derby-day performance, Arteta was keen to remind his players that there was still a ‘long way’ to go in the Premier League, with ten games remaining of the season.

‘I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game,’ the Arsenal head coach said in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.

‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

‘That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.

‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’

Reflecting on Arsenal’s statement win in the Sky Sports studio, Redknapp echoed Arteta’s post-match remarks as he highlighted that ‘anything can still happen’ in what remains of the season.

However, the ex-Tottenham and England midfielder said he was ‘sticking’ with his initial prediction that Arsenal will hold their nerve and end their long wait to win a Premier League title.

‘There are going to be so many twists and turns, I do feel it is Arsenal’s season and Manchester City have really surprised me, they have been fantastic,’ he explained.

‘City had to suffer yesterday, it was a huge three points for them.

‘But obviously Arsenal have to go to City and we have seen how difficult that is in the past.

‘Anything can still happen, but I’m still going to stick with Arsenal.’

Despite the two teams going into the break all square, Redknapp felt the contest was a ‘mismatch’ and Arsenal were always in ‘control’.

‘Arsenal were magnificent today, even when they equalised, Tottenham, you just felt their was a control about this Arsenal side,’ he added.

I thought it was a complete mismatch. They were different leagues.

‘Arsenal were so in control, so classy. They had a threat on the counter-attack, on the break, when they were maybe having to suffer a little bit, but there were so much better than Tottenham.’

Redknapp fears his former club could get dragged into a genuine relegation scrap should interim boss Tudor fail to turn their fortunes around in double-quick time.

‘They were in two different leagues and if Tottenham aren’t careful they might be in a different league next season,’ he added.

‘They can’t carry on performing like this, they’ve not had a win in 2026.

‘But Arsenal, the way they played, the way they defended at times, the way Viktor Gyokeres led the line, Eberechi Eze was wonderful… it was a brilliant, brilliant performance from them.

‘You’ve also got to remember that David Raya save at 3-1. If they had gone in, then who knows? Because of the ghosts of midweek against Wolves, it might just have put a bit of pressure on them.

‘But that’s what they needed, the goalkeeper to step up. He made a mistake earlier in week, this showed great character today.

‘Arsenal were fantastic and they were just too good for Tottenham.’

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Igor Tudor believes he watched the best team in the world on Sunday as his Tottenham side were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal.

The new Spurs manager was chucked in at the deep end for his first game in charge, a north London derby against the Premier League leaders.

Arsenal were dominant but Tottenham were game and very much in the match at half-time with the score level at 1-1.

However, the Gunners powered to victory in the second half, with a brace from Viktor Gyokeres and Eberchi Eze scoring his second of the game.

The defeat leaves Spurs 16th in the table and unquestionably in a relegation battle, but Tudor remains confident they will survive in the Premier League.

‘Of course I am confident because I believe these are good players with bad habits. It’s all about that,’ the Croatian told Sky Sports.

‘They are good. Nobody can tell me they do not have quality. But we need to change our mental sharpness. To be in the game from the first minute, and to have the physicality to do this.’

Asked how long it will take him to change his team’s bad habits, Tudor was not sure, but he is sure his side will not face sides of the quality of Arsenal every week.

‘I don’t know. We will see day by day, working and getting better,’ he said. ‘Also the opponent is not be the same, this is probably the best team in the world. We will see next Sunday.’

Tudor repeated the claim in his post-match press conference, saying: ‘This team Arsenal are probably the best team now in the world in this moment, it was not easy.’

Tudor was not critical of his own players, praising their effort and work rate, but said they were competing with a team in a ‘different world’ to his own.

‘The medicine is you look in the mirror, each of us look in the mirror and really start to change the habits. Working hard is the only way,’ he said.

‘I saw the passion, I saw the will. I was not angry because they wanted to do but they were not able to do in this moment. They wanted to do all that we prepared, that’s good, but we need to understand at which moment we are in now.

‘Tuesday, come in, everyone there, stay quiet, stay humble, that’s the key. Try and become a hard-working squad and team, that’s the only goal we have in this moment.’

Tottenham are just four points above the relegation zone with 11 games to play in the Premier League and the manager says he has time to steer them away from danger.

‘Of course it’s enough time,’ he said. ‘This was not a perfect team to play after three or four [training sessions] but in one way we have to see it as something good, see where we need to be, what is the goal.

‘Today, I need to be honest, two totally different worlds. Levels.’

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Chris Sutton spotted a ‘slightly concerning’ sign for Arsenal and their Premier League title charge after the north London derby win over Tottenham.

The Gunners got their title challenge back on track with an empathic 4-1 victory at arch-rivals Spurs on Sunday.

Eberechi Eze, who was close to joining Tottenham last summer, fired Arsenal in front midway through the first half.

The Gunners were well on top at that stage but Randal Kolo Muani equalised just two minutes after Eze’s opener against the run of play.

Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s lead just after half-time and Eze settled the visitors’ nerves with his second of the afternoon on the hour mark.

Gyokeres rounded off an impressive performance with an injury-time goal as Arsenal dominated their north London rivals to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Arsenal players celebrated passionately with their travelling supporters in one corner of the stadium, with Mikel Arteta also displaying his pleasure at a one-sided derby.

But ex-England striker Sutton accused Arsenal of ‘over-celebrating’ and said it was a ‘slightly concerning’ sign for the Premier League title race.

‘Slightly concerned with the over celebrating from the Arsenal players,’ he said on BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘Celebrate at the end of the season when you have won the title.’

Fellow former England international Danny Murphy was impressed by league leaders Arsenal and singled out Gyokeres for special praise.

‘I think more Arsenal being good [than Tottenham being bad],’ he said. ‘The tempo was good, they looked like a team wanting to prove a point.

‘First half they moved the ball quickly, they caused Tottenham problems. Although they went into the break level, the quality started to shine through.

‘Second half when Arsenal went up it was a mountain to climb for Tottenham. Some Arsenal fans are split [on Viktor Gyokeres], some backing him and some saying he is not the one.

‘That performance today is going to change a few minds. As a player it doesn’t matter how much success you have had or what you have done before before, if you had a bad spell or you know people are doubting you it creeps in.

‘Today can only do good things for him. Physically it looked like he was enjoying it. He will be walking on water now.

‘He has got competition for places, but after that performance it’s easy for Arteta. I think we could see him go on a good little run now.

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‘Some of Tottenham’s defending was reactive, which is better than nothing, but they were getting there late so the distances were big.

‘It’s never easy tactically to stop a good team like Arsenal because everyone has to be perfect all the time.

‘When Arsenal had moments to show their quality in the areas where Spurs were weak, they did. They just looked back to where we have seen them be this season.’

Arsenal face another London derby next weekend when they take on Chelsea, while 16th-placed Tottenham will be desperate to return to winning ways when they take on Fulham.

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Noni Madueke was caught appearing to tell Mathys Tel he was ‘s***’ during Arsenal’s statement 4-1 victory over Tottenham in this weekend’s one-sided north London derby.

The Gunners entered the match under enormous pressure after surrendering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away to rock-bottom Wolves in the week.

The setback at Molineux meant Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table had reduced to just two points ahead of kick-off, with Manchester City getting the better of Newcastle 24 hours earlier.

But Arsenal were far and away the better team at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite Spurs going into the half-time break level after Randal Kolo Muani had cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s opening goal.

A second-half brace from a resurgent Viktor Gyokeres – either side of Eze’s second on the hour-mark – secured the visitors maximum points and bragging rights over their rivals, who were being managed by Igor Tudor for the first time.

The result leaves Tottenham hovering just four points above the relegation zone. Arsenal, meanwhile, finish the weekend with a five-point advantage over City at the summit.

With Arsenal asserting their dominance after the break, the impressive Madueke took the opportunity to have a pop at opposite number Tel following a coming together on the touchline.

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE

After he was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Tel, Madueke was caught on a nearby microphone appearing to say, ‘F*** off, man!’, before letting the Netherlands international know that he thought he was ‘s***’.

Tel was wise not to risk getting himself in trouble by retaliating, with the hosts already up against it after yet more derby-day heroics from Eze – three months on from his hat-trick in the reverse fixture at the Emirates.

‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him,’ Mikel Arteta said of Eze’s display in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.

‘He’s really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him.’

Arsenal back in charge of the title race

A huge win for Arsenal puts them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table and they remain favourites to win the title, despite recent wobbles.

Spurs are not the toughest team in the league to play against, but the Gunners were threatening and potent again after looking blunt of late.

They should have been well ahead at the break and it was only an odd Declan Rice error which meant the game was level. Mikel Arteta’s men remained calm and kept coming, getting their rewards.

The pressure has been building, but Arsenal have eased it with the result and performance, both of which were excellent.

The link-up between Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka was really impressive at Spurs and if Arteta can get those two firing on a regular basis then few defences will be able to handle them.

It is curious that Eze has scored five of his six Premier League goals this season against Spurs and has not really sparkled much outside of the derbies, but clearly he has a lot more to offer in this title race.

There are twists and turns to come before anyone lifts the Premier League trophy, but the gloom hanging over Arsenal since Wolves has been lifted.

It will be another high intensity affair next time out as Arsenal host Chelsea.

Though immensely ‘proud’ of the performance, Arteta was keen to remind his players that there was still a ‘long way’ to go in the Premier League, with ten matches remaining of the season.

‘I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game,’ the Spaniard added.

‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.

‘That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.

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‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’

While Eze may take most of the plaudits after a fifth goal in two matches against Spurs, Arteta made sure to praise Gyokeres on his ‘complete’ showing up front.

‘For me, that was the best, the most complete and especially when we need him most,’ he said.

‘That is when big players and big clubs have to stand up: when you are needed.’

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Gary Neville was full of praise for Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres as the Gunners got their Premier League title charge back on track with a north London win over Tottenham.

The league leaders dominated their arch-rivals in the opening 45 minutes and took the lead through Eberechi Eze, who was close to joining Spurs last summer.

Eze, who scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture at the Emirates Stadium, had agreed a move to Tottenham before Arsenal hijacked the deal and poached him from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal were well worth their 32nd-minute opener but the hosts responded immediately and equalised less than two minutes later through Randal Kolo Muani.

Kolo Muani dispossessed an unusually casual Declan Rice and managed to get a shot away that beat Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Rice was seen urging his teammates to switch on after Eze’s goal but was soon apologising for his part in Tottenham’s leveller.

Fortunately for Rice and Arsenal the blunder did not prove costly as the Gunners reasserted their dominance after the break and retook the lead through Gyokeres’ emphatic strike.

Arsenal were pegged back by Brentford and Wolves in their last two league games but there was to be no repeat here, with Eze scoring his second of the afternoon to all but put the game to bed.

Gyokeres scored again in injury-time to cap off an impressive performance from both the striker and Arsenal, who maintain their dominance over north London rivals Tottenham.

Gyokeres endured an underwhelming start to his Arsenal career but the £64m summer signing now has seven goals since the turn of the New Year.

Neville was hugely impressed by Gyokeres’ performance against Spurs and said it was his ‘best’ display in an Arsenal shirt for a while.

‘He looks really lively and smart, Gyokeres,’ Neville said after the Sweden international restored Arsenal’s lead at Tottenham.

‘It’s the best I’ve seen him for a while. It’s a great moment for him. He’s still got a lot to do when it comes to him – and he hasn’t always been smooth – but it’s a wonderful finish.

‘Gyokeres has had one of his best games for Arsenal, he’s been a real nuisance. It’s the best I’ve seen him in a big game.

‘He’s never going to be the prettiest striker but he deserves that award. He’s looked sharper today as well, it’s the most involved he’s been in a Premier League game.’

Former Manchester United and England defender Neville was less impressed by Rice’s ‘stupid’ mistake for Tottenham’s equaliser.

‘You cannot believe that,’ he said on Sky Sports. ‘Declan Rice has just joined his backline in making an error, this time it’s a really poor one.

‘Rice tries to dribble past Kolo Muani, who still has a lot to do. Saliba has got to be more aggressive than that, hasn’t he? It’s a nothing challenge and his mate, Gabriel, can’t get across.

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‘We’ve seen a few of those stupid little errors from Arsenal’s senior players. Tottenham have had nothing in this game, Arsenal were so comfortable but there’s been a few lapses of concentration and its contagious and it has to stop otherwise they’ll be in trouble.

‘Rice was telling everyone to concentrate after Arsenal’s goal but then it’s so loose from him. I think Saliba could do better but Rice holds his hands up because he knows it was his mistake.’

Arsenal’s north London derby win means Mikel Arteta’s side restore their five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City with 11 games remaining.

Tottenham, meanwhile, stay 16th but are now just four points above the relegation zone.

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Tottenham are out to land what could be a devastating blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes this afternoon.

After Wolves rescued a last-gasp draw against the Gunners midweek, that familiar sense of panic has descended upon the red half of north London.

Arsenal are still in control of their own destiny but a rocky start to 2026 has raised serious questions over their ability to last the course with Manchester City breathing down their necks.

Dealing with Spurs hasn’t been a problem as of late – Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t lost to their arch-rivals since May 2022.

After sacking Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor has been parachuted in to rescue their season. The derby will be his first taste of English football, presenting him with the chance to become an instant hero.

Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage.

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Jamie Redknapp enjoys ‘dog about’ Tottenham

Arsenal have been clearly the better side but former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp has been impressed by Tottenham’s energy and combative nature.

‘We’ve seen Tottenham been so passive,’ he said on Sky Sports. ‘They’ve had that bit of dog about them.’

Half-time stats

Arsenal have enjoyed an incredible 72.7 per cent possession so far.

The Gunners have produced 12 shots, with three on target. In comparison, Spurs have managed two, with one on target.

Half-time: Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

That’s it for the first half. Arsenal have dominated, but it’s level.

Arsenal pushing till the end of the half here but Tottenham have snapped into tackles well so far. Finding space is difficult and as they fail to, the referee blows for half-time.

Corner for Arsenal on their left, swung in by Rice, which he takes forever to take. Vicario punches and it is then cleared.

Decent chance for Rice to play in Gyokeres but he fluffs his pass. Arsenal get on the ball again, with Trossard charging into the box from the left but he loses control.

The Gunners remain on top, but without great cutting edge.

Gray pings one forward from deep and there is a clash between Kolo Muani and Gabriel, with both going down and the locals fuming. The ref does nothing.

Replays show it may well have been a foul from the Arsenal man.

Simons corner is punched clear by Raya without much of a challenge.

Dragusin tries a long throw but it’s no good at all. Hincapie gets there easily but heads it behind for a corner, which he’s annoyed about.

Arsenal are threatening here. Saka sees a shot blocked, but Timber bursts onto it and finds Trossard who gets an effort in, but it just bobbles wide.

It took a flick off Bissouma, so it’s a corner, which Vicario just about deals with.

A deep Saka cross towards Rice at the back post is nodded behind for a corner by Gray.

Rice is taking the corner himself, but it’s dealt with.

Saka put through by Hincapie, but Vicario saves and the flag goes up. He actually looked onside on replay.

Archie Gray picked up a yellow card at some point during that double-goal chaos for kicking the ball away.

Kolo Muani equalises!

An instant reply as Declan Rice gets in a tangle in his own territory, trying to beat Kolo Muani in the right hand corner, but loses the ball to the Spurs forward.

He bursts towards goal, brushes aside Saliba and then fires past Raya.

Goal for Eberechi Eze!

It’s that man again after his hat-trick in the last north London derby.

The England international opens the scoring after Saka got past Sarr on the right wing, burst into the box and put in a low ball which bobbled up in front of Eze who volleyed home from close range.

Nothing Vicario could do about that from just a few yards out.

It’s Eze’s first goal since his three goals against Spurs in November, in fact, it’s his first shot on target in the Premier League since then.

It’s a bit stop-start at the minute. The atmosphere is lively, but the game is lacking fluency.

For a moment it looked like Kolo Muani was in behind the Arsenal back line, but he fould Gabriel. Free-kick.

Igor Tudor is very animated on the touchline, skipping about down there. He is ushered back towards his technical area by the fourth official.

The free-kick leads to nothing but an Arsenal goal-kick. That error from Timber does show a bit of edginess in the Gunners back line, though.

Timber gives the ball away to Sarr in his own half and then drags him down. An obvious booking.

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Arsenal hope to have Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available again for their north London showdown with Tottenham this afternoon.

A dismal draw away to Wolves midweek has sparked major concerns over Arsenal’s title charge but a positive result on enemy turf today would go some way in easing them.

Their captain has missed the last two games after picking up a fresh injury issue in the draw with Brentford.

But speaking at a press conference on Friday, Mikel Arteta said it was a ‘big possibility’ Odegaard will be fit to return to the starting XI today.

The same applies to Havertz. The Germany international impressed following his return from a knee injury that saw him miss the first-half of the season having undergone surgery in August.

Havertz picked up a muscle issue earlier this month that was initially expected to rule him out of the derby but Arteta’s comments on Friday suggest he will at least be in contention to make the squad.

Leandro Trossard meanwhile picked up a knock at Molineux that forced him off that night. But the Belgium international is fit and available today.

Max Dowman is Arsenal’s only other absentee.

Arteta once again has a dilemma up front with Viktor Gyokeres enduring another tough evening up front midweek.

Gabriel Jesus replaced the Swede after 65 minutes that night but did little to strengthen his own case for a start.

Tottenham meanwhile will be without their suspended skipper Cristian Romero as a result of the red card he picked up against Manchester United.

Dominic Solanke missed two days of training this week but was back amongst his teammates on Friday.

Arsenal XI to face Tottenham – Metro prediction

Options in midfield for Arsenal have been limited with Mikel Merino possibly out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.

Martin Zubimendi struggled against Wolves and while the manager does have Christian Norgaard waiting in the wings, the Spain international will surely keep his place on a pivotal day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Eberechi Eze’s woes have also continued – if Odegaard if passed fit, he will surely come in for the former Crystal Palace star.

Tottenham vs Arsenal TV channel, live stream and kick-off time

The north London derby kicks off today (Sunday 22 February) at 4:30pm.

You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.

You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE blog.

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