Arsenal dominated the North London derby last Sunday, winning 2-1 against a timid Tottenham team.
Arteta made a huge call with his team selection, leaving captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang out of the side due to arriving late to a team meeting on game day. This is not the first time Aubameyang has broken protocol, missing a covid test earlier in the season and breaching lockdown rules to get a tattoo.
Lacazette came into the side in Aubameyang’s place as Arteta put out a strong team which included a return to the starting line up for Emile Smith Rowe.
Arsenal started the game brightly, dominating the ball and pushing Tottenham back. When Arsenal’s attacks broke down, the forwards were quick to press, often forcing a turnover or a long ball from a Tottenham defender which Gabriel and Luiz dealt with well.
The Arsenal press culminated in Smith Rowe hitting the woodwork early on. Saka blocked off Reguilón’s option down the line and pressed the left back into a heavy touch. Ødegaard swept the ball away to Partey who played it into the middle. Smith Rowe ran onto the ball, setting himself and curling the ball over Lloris onto the crossbar.
Despite the early pressure, it was Tottenham who struck first. Reguilón played a low ball into the box to Moura who took a loose touch. Partey’s tackle fell to the feet of Lamela who executed a rabona finish into the far corner to put the visitors 1-0 up in the 33rd minute. It was an excellent opportunistic finish to capitalise on Tottenham’s first attack of the game.
Minutes later Arsenal struck the woodwork for the second time with a superb strike from Cédric. Tierney played Smith Rowe in behind Doherty with the Englishman getting to the by-line and cutting the ball back. Lacazette curiously let the ball run but Cédric, who had bombed up the pitch, was able to latch onto the ball to cannon a shot off the woodwork from the edge of the box.
Arsenal finally capitalised on their chances in the 44th minute with Ødegaard scoring on his derby debut. Tierney performed his stop and go, breezing past Doherty before picking out Ødegaard by the penalty spot, whose first time shot deflected in off Alderweireld to even the game.
Ødegaard 1-1
The drama continued in the second half as Pépé intercepted a pass from Lloris and fizzed a fantastic ball through to Lacazette on the edge of the Tottenham box. Lacazette’s touch flick the ball up and the striker could only slice the ball as Davinson Sánchez clattered into him, completely out of control. Lacazette stood up for the subsequent penalty calmly tucking it into the side netting to give Arsenal the lead in the 64th minute.
Lacazette 2-1
As the minutes wound down, Tottenham’s frustration was clear with Harry Kane needlessly barging into Gabriel off the ball and Lamela swinging his arm out at Tierney, catching the Scotsman in the face and earning himself a red card.
Arsenal’s nerves were clear to see in the closing minutes, losing the ball cheaply and giving away fouls on the edge of the box. Just before the end of the 90 minutes, Harry Kane struck a freekick off the post. The ball cannoned out to Davinson Sánchez who directed the ball at goal, only to be met by a diving Gabriel who sensationally cleared the ball and secured the win for Arsenal.
It has been a difficult season for Arsenal with only the Europa League left to play for, but a dominant win over Tottenham in the North London derby is always welcome regardless of the circumstances.
It was apparent early on that Arsenal’s left side, Tierney and Smith Rowe, had the beating of Tottenham’s right side, Doherty and Bale. As they have shown in several games already, Tierney and Smith Rowe have a good understanding of each other, rotating their positions on the left wing and getting behind the opposition fullback frequently.
The Cédric shot and Ødegaard’s goal highlighted how effective Tierney and Smith Rowe have been on the left.
For the Cédric shot, Tierney picks up the ball and immediately Smith Rowe has the run on Doherty as he looks to get into the space behind. Tierney spots the run and slides an excellent ball through.
Smith Rowe is then able to get into the Tottenham penalty area and pick out a pass. The Arsenal forwards do a good job at getting into the box and making different runs, but ultimately Lacazette leaves the ball and Cédric ran in and struck a shot off the post.
For the Ødegaard goal Tierney picks up the ball on the left wing and again Smith Rowe’s first thought is to get into the space behind the defender. On this occasion Tierney ignores the run and instead uses his stop and go to beat Doherty. Having a fullback who is capable of beating his man as well as Tierney can makes Arsenal’s left side attacks so difficult to defend against.
The spaces that Tierney creates for himself gets him into a good crossing position. Arsenal’s forwards once again flood the box and provide options. Tierney picks out Ødegaard who is able to sweep the ball into the net.
Smith Rowe’s movement and running has made him a real threat on the left and his ability to interchange with Arsenal’s other attackers has helped to make the Gunners more dynamic offensively.
Another factor in Arsenal’s increased attacking threat is the way the forwards flood the box. Early in the season, the fullbacks were swinging in crosses every attack, with only Aubameyang in the box to aim at. Since Ødegaard and Smith Rowe have come into the team, Arsenal have been more effective at capitalising on crossing situations.
On Thursday night, Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat to Olympiacos but still progressed to the last 8, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Arteta made 4 changes from the derby, bringing in Elneny, Ceballos, Pépé and recalling Aubameyang, who struggled on the night.
Arsenal created a number of chances throughout the game but were wasteful in front of goal with Aubameyang in particular failing to capitalise. There was a sense of complacency throughout, with Arsenal taking a 3-1 lead into the game and the 3 away goals giving Olympiacos a difficult task.
El-Arabi once again got on the scoresheet to give the Greek side some hope in the 51st minute. An Olympiacos counter attack saw El-Arabi pick up the ball on the left side of Arsenal’s box. The forward skipped past Luiz before striking the ball off Gabriel and into the net.
The was a slight nervousness about the Gunners after the goal but the job had largely been done in the first leg and Arsenal progressed despite losing on the night.
Arsenal will now face Slavia Prague in the quarter finals of the Europa league. The Czech side have beaten Leicester 2-0 and Rangers 3-1 so far in the knockout stages so will give Arsenal a good test. The key for Arsenal will be performing for both games across the two legs – which they failed to do against both Benfica and Olympiacos.
Arsenal travel to the London Stadium on Sunday to face West Ham at 3:00pm. The Hammers are having an excellent season, currently sitting 5th in the Premier League table having won 3 of their last 5 games. Arsenal have had the better of West Ham in the last 3 meetings but given West Ham’s form, making it 4 wins in a row will be tough.
Prediction: West Ham 1 – 1 Arsenal
Adam Perry – 19/03/2021