Arsenal Vs Tottenham Hotspurs.

The North London Derby






Ready for the north London derby? Test your knowledge of the teams
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As the race for finishing in the top 4 intensifies, the North London derby is set to be exciting as both sides look to play European football in the next campaign. This fixture is indeed very competitive and it is a big game for Spurs and Arsenal. The current Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is very familiar with the opponents as he had an intense rivalry with the former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger during his time at Chelsea. Since then, both sides have changed managers as Spurs sacked Mauricio Pochetino after a run of disappointing results and announced the arrival of 2-time Champions League winning manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal axed Unai Emery to replace him with their former player Mikel Arteta.



Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta rates Jose Mourinho's start at Tottenham ...
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Since the restart of the season, Arsenal looks to have found their momentum after winning 3 of their last 4 games while Spurs look to find their form and have lacked quality. Their last fixture ended in a goalless draw against the Cherries and the last time these two teams met, the game ended in a 2-2 at Emirates. With both sides looking for a spot in next season's European Football, a win for any side will give them a major boost. 


Key Points:   

1. Both sides find the net in the early stages: 


Alexandre Lacazette scored with a thunderous strike after 16 minutes
Image Source: the sun.com

Both outfits were close to scoring a goal when Bellerin sprinted past Winks and passed a ball to Aubameyang who could have finished it as he failed to touch the ball which landed on Tierney who shot well wide and Kane missed a chance when Moura delivered a cross over Luiz his attempted lob was caught by Martinez.  


Son Heung-Min equalised 137 seconds later with a perfect dink
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Arteta's men broke the deadlock when Lacazette capitalized an error by Aurier and struck a powerful strike from 25 yards out to give his side the lead. Spurs equalized when Kolasinac played a disastrous ball to Luiz who was caught by Son as the former Leverkusen man chipped the ball gently over Martinez to level the score. 


2. Aldewerield extends his side lead: 


Arsenal conceded late on as Toby Alderweireld headed home from a corner
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The second-half was dominated by the Gunners as they held the majority of the ball and dominated possession. It was a typical Mourinho game plan as his side were sitting back as his men were waiting for a counter-attack instead of high press. Spurs had an opportunity to score a second goal when Lucas Moura's through ball reached Kane and he attempted to chip over Martinez which went for a corner. Mourinho's men extended the lead as Son took responsibility for the set-piece which was over Tierney's head and Aldeweireld got over the former Celtic man and flicked the ball towards the net. 

3. Arsenals' defense woes:  


Sead Kolasinac's careless ball left David Luiz unable to stop Spurs equalising
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After the departure of long time manager Arsene Wenger, the Gunners have lacked quality and consistency. They also have had defensive issues and have found difficulty in setting up a solid backline. Under Unai Emery, Arsenal signed Sokratis Papasthopoulus from Dortmund and Stephan Lichsteiner from Juventus. All started well and it looked that the Gunners had found a rhythm as Arsenal developed a winning streak. 

But that all faded away as the Gunners new signings began to show inconsistency which prompted the former PSG boss to sign David Luiz from Chelsea. Unfortunately, the former Blues defender has been criticized for his lack of lustrous performances after several errors that lead to his side conceding goals. Overall even though the Gunners attack is good, their defense needs a complete revamp and also requires a leader who can bring change. 


Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld celebrates after the match.
Image Source: the guardian.com


The game ended in Jose Mourinho's way as his side were victorious over their North London rivals. Arsenal had an early chance to break the deadlock in the early minutes when Aubameyang missed a chance from Bellerin's pass as the ball rolled towards Tierney who struck it well wide. They finally scored a goal when Lacazetter took advantage of Aurier's heavy touch as the former Lyon striker struck a powerful strike from 25 yards beating Lloris. Spurs equalized when Kolasinac's pass turned into a disaster as Luiz was caught wrongfooted and Son took advantage by beating Luiz to the ball and gently chipped over Martinez to level the score. 


Mourinho's side could have scored another when Ben Davies stuck a powerful shot and Martinez made slight contact with the ball which hit the bar. In the second half, the Gunners were dominating possession and were very close to scoring a goal when Lacazette picked up a loose ball and passed it to Aubameyang who smacked the ball that beat Lloris and hit the post. Towards the end of the game, Spurs won a corner after Kane's attempt was saved by Martinez which turned out to be the winner as Son's corner was well delivered and Aldewerield jumped above Tierney to score and give his side the lead. With this win, Tottenham's quest for next season's European Football stays alive. Unfortunately, this defeat means Arsenal is in danger of losing their hopes of claiming a spot in the next campaign's European competition.



Author,
Zaid 

 

 

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