Leandro Trossard changed the atmosphere at Arsenal on Wednesday with the decisive goal, as they bounced back from an early setback to secure a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at home.
With the result, the Gunners reclaimed second place in the English Premier League standings.
Just before halftime, Belgian Trossard fired in the winning goal, delivering a derby victory that revived Arsenal’s title aspirations by narrowing the gap to Liverpool to four points.
The win came as a much-needed boost following a challenging start to the year.
A 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United last week in the League Cup semi-final first leg and a penalty shootout loss at home to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round had put Arsenal’s season at risk.
The injury to Gabriel Jesus, which will end his season, added to Arsenal’s troubles, and when Son Heung-min’s deflected volley gave Tottenham the lead after 25 minutes, it seemed Arsenal’s troubles might worsen.
However, they responded impressively, securing a well-deserved win in their third consecutive Premier League North London derby victory for the first time since 1989.
READ ALSO: Havertz fires Arsenal to second in Premier League
Arsenal moved back above surprise package Nottingham Forest with 43 points from 21 games, while Liverpool, who drew with Forest on Tuesday, sit at 47 points from 20 games.
“We were outstanding today. From the first minute we were really at it really intense. We played with a real purpose to hurt them. We created an unbelievable atmosphere. The attitude we played with not feeling sorry for ourselves was phenomenal,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Tottenham manager, Ange Postecoglou, had no objections to his side’s 11th league loss of the season which leaves them in 13th place with 24 points.
His team has won just once in nine league matches, and the Australian acknowledges that a much higher standard is expected.
“We were nowhere near the level we needed to be in the first half in such a big game,” Postecoglou commented.
Tottenham barely made it out of their half in the first 20 minutes but nearly took the lead with their first attack. Djed Spence’s low cross seemed set to be a tap-in for Solanke, but Gabriel made a brilliant interception.
Arsenal keeper David Raya then pulled off an excellent save from Solanke, though he had no chance when Son’s volley deflected off William Saliba, wrong-footing him.
In the 40th minute, Arsenal equalized from a familiar routine as Declan Rice delivered a corner that left Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky scrambling, and Gabriel’s header at the back post deflected in off Spurs forward Dominic Solanke.
Just four minutes later, Arsenal completed the turnaround, as Tottenham were again caught losing possession in dangerous areas. Trossard was set up by Martin Odegaard and fired a left-footed shot past Kinsky, who would have been disappointed not to have gotten a hand on it.
After the break, Arsenal couldn’t seal the win despite chances from Kai Havertz and Odegaard, both of whom failed to give their side a comfortable lead.
It nearly proved costly when Pedro Porro hit the outside of the post in the dying seconds, but Arsenal held on to secure the points.
Arteta’s team remains unbeaten in 11 Premier League games, and although there’s still a gap to Liverpool, their victory over Tottenham could be the catalyst, they need to close the distance and challenge Arne Slot’s side.
Crediblenewsng.com
