One - nil to the Arsenal!!

Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham

 

 

 

One – nil to the Arsenal. It just has a certain ring to it, a score line which has served the Gunners so well over the years. Yesterday it secured all three points and those oh so important bragging rights in a pulsating North London derby.

Having spent £110 million in the summer transfer window, compared with Arsenal’s dismal lack of spending, Tottenham were portrayed as a club on an upward curve. A look at the substitute’s bench told its own story, with Wenger having to rely on inexperienced youngsters, Sanogo, Gnarby and Zelalem, while Tottenham included their record signing Lamela amongst a host of seasoned internationals. Yet the Gunners were absolutely outstanding, particularly in the first half, as they dominated the midfield with Spurs simply unable to live with the neat intricate passing between Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere.

Although Tottenham’s midfield contained the supposedly world class talents of Paulinho, the “mercurial” skill of Dembele and the destructive power of Capoue, the Arsenal midfield trio ran rings round them time and time again, highlighting the gulf in class between the two midfield departments. The fact that the Gunners started the match extremely well, a feature of their games so far this season, also helped as they refused to let Tottenham settle, constantly chasing and harrying. This energy, commitment and desire reflected the feelings of those supporters clad in red and white, who unlike during the home game against Aston Villa, were at one with the team.

Santi Cazorla set the pulses racing in the opening minutes with two excellent free kicks which almost opened the scoring; the first, a curling effort to the near post which was well saved by Hugo Lloris, the second, a crafty low effort which flew under the Tottenham wall but agonisingly wide of the goal with Lloris stranded. While Arsenal possessed the superior technical ability to play through the congested midfield, the visitors’ main tactic was to spread the ball wide to isolate the Arsenal full backs. Although they did appear dangerous at times, Tottenham were never allowed to create significant chances thanks to an excellent performance by the Gunners defence.

Each and every one of them were up for the fight and were particularly strong in the tackle. Koscielny and Mertesacker at the heart of the back four were outstanding, winning every aerial challenge and refusing to become undone. One moment in the first half was particularly impressive, as Dembele menacingly burst forward, Mertesacker, cool as you like, stood still and just stuck out one of his long legs to easily dispossess the Belgian. In many ways that was the story of the game, Arsenal were just more composed, comfortable in their approach and confident in their ability.

When the Gunners took the lead in the 23^rd minute it was no more than they deserved. Mertesacker started off the move with an excellent tackle on the ineffectual Chadli, releasing the ball to Cazorla, who in turn fed Ramsey. The Welshman, who yet again produced a wonderful performance, laid the ball into the path of Rosicky who released a perfectly weighted through ball to Walcott, on the right hand side of the box. The Englishman sent a low cross towards Giroud, who had run across Dawson and the Frenchman applied an exquisite finish with the outside of his foot to beat Lloris at his near post. The Emirates erupted into a cauldron of noise to serenade the wonderful move which had given the Gunners the lead.

Arsenal never looked back and were soon almost 2-0 up thanks to Ramsey’s determination on the right wing. With Dembele trying to outmuscle him, the Welshman was having none of it and simply shrugged him off, leaving the Belgian on the floor as he raced clear before playing the ball forward into Walcott, whose shot was well saved by Lloris. In the 33^rd minute the Englishman was sent through on goal again, thanks to an excellent pass from Cazorla, but was this time denied by an inch perfect tackle from the Tottenham goalkeeper.

With only two minutes left before the half time whistle, and Arsenal completely in control, the Gunners were dealt a significant blow as Jack Wilshere was forced to come off, to be replaced by the returning Mathieu Flamini. Although this change resulted in an obvious decline in Arsenal’s attacking creativity from midfield, Flamini’s presence was essential in ensuring the Gunners held on and secured all three points.

This was a game which required the players to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in, a match that in many ways was tailor made for the warrior that is Flamini. The Frenchman was tireless in his running, flew into tackles time and time again, but most importantly of all, had a real vocal influence. Flamini was constantly talking to the players around him, encouraging them and offering advice, something which has been missing from this Arsenal team for far too long.

Although Tottenham enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the second half, they lacked the ability to get in behind the Arsenal defence and create significant goal scoring opportunities. Their best chance of the entire game coming from a deflected Jermaine Defoe shot which Szczesny did extremely well to keep out. As the game wore on, the Gunners were content to sit back and hit the visitors on the counter attack and were unfortunate not to increase their lead. Giroud was denied by a wonderful save from Lloris before Monreal somehow failed to connect with a rebound at the far post following another save from the Tottenham goalkeeper.

With five minutes left, Tottenham began to lump the ball into the box, looking to exploit an old vulnerability of the Arsenal defence. However with the likes of Koscielny and Mertesacker enjoying excellent games, the Gunners stood firm and repelled the Tottenham aerial bombardment again and again with Carl Jenkinson describing those last few minutes as a war.

The final whistle was greeted with great euphoria, the players pumping their fists in delight and throwing their shirts to the adoring crowd. This was not only an excellent result but an outstanding performance which not only showed superior technical ability, but also great heart and determination. Oliver Giroud in particular quite possibly played his best game in an Arsenal shirt. He was an immense physical presence up front, leading the line extremely well, winning every aerial challenge and showing the intelligence to bring the ball down when given the opportunity as well as linking up well with the midfield. Wenger must now look to build on this fantastic result by supplementing his squad with new additions before the transfer window slams shut. Yesterday the Gunners showed that they have the ability to achieve anything they want. It would be a real shame to see their ambitions derailed due to a lack of squad depth.