LONDON — weapon opened an eight-point gap at the top of the table Premier League flat table win 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
One Hugo lloris own goal followed by a long range attack by Martin Odegaard – both in the first half – was enough to win points and sustain Arsenal’s first title-winning bid since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in 2003-2004. Odegaard, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and the attacker Bukayo Saka Both are excellent for the Gunners, as Spurs are far behind their rivals and are currently five points behind in the race for a top-four finish.
JUMP TO: Best/worst performer | Highlights and remarkable moments | Quotes after the game | main statistics | upcoming match schedule
rapid response
1. Arsenal finally won the title
Arsenal’s chance of winning the Premier League is now indisputable. For the first time this season, the Gunners have been listed by bookies as league title contenders after a 2-0 win over Tottenham confirmed an important change of dynamics in the race for the title. champion this weekend.
Manchester City’s defeat at Manchester United, along with Arsenal’s North London derby victory, giving Mikel Arteta’s men an eight-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side. That advantage has helped them win the most popular title at any stage of the season for the first time since Wenger’s side beat eventual champions Leicester in February 2016.
Although Arsenal, Man City and fourth place United have one more game left in the middle of the season – third place Newcastle United Football Club marked that milestone with their 19th home game Fulham on Sunday — an eight-point lead seems like an important achievement in a campaign where only the Gunners have been consistent.
This clash with their traditional rivals seems to mark the beginning of a testing period for Arteta’s side, who have lost all previous visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With a game against Spurs, followed by a game against United at the Emirates next Sunday and a home game against Man City on February 15, Arsenal’s title prospects will indeed be put under scrutiny. , but they overcame the first challenge by beating Spurs with a score that left the home team in awe. edge.
Arteta has built a team of equal sophistication and tenacity, and they don’t appear – but at least – troubled by nerves or the pressure of expectations. Whether Arsenal’s squad has enough depth to last remains to be seen, and many teams didn’t maintain a good first half of the season until the second. But they are passing every test they face while everyone else is slipping. Arsenal deserve to be tagged as title contenders.
2. Ramsdale’s mistakes underscore Lloris .’s mistakes
This is a contrasting day for two goalkeepers on duty. Lloris started badly, contributing largely to his team’s defeat, while Ramsdale scored.
Even before Lloris had his own goal in the 14th minute, when he clumsily passed the ball to Saka into the net, the former player France goalkeeper — he announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup — almost gave Eddie Nketiah a goal with a poor save. The 36-year-old had his defenders nervous and then slow in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Odegaard’s 20-yard shot in Arsenal’s second goal.
Lloris was once a top goalkeeper, but he always made too many mistakes to be considered truly world-class. Mistakes are becoming all too common now and Spurs need to start looking for replacements.
However, Arsenal do not have to worry so with Ramsdale. The England the goalkeeper can be eccentric and unpredictable at times, but he has great sportsmanship and presence, and his first half saved from Son Heung Min and Harry Kane come at important times. Then he rejected Kane again and Ryan Sessegnon early in the second half as Spurs battled to get back into the game, so his contribution was crucial.
Every title-winning team needs a reliable goalkeeper. Arsenal are being hunted because they have one; Spurs are out of the top four because they are not.
3. Spurs’ season depends on the next three Premier League games
Tottenham are now in an increasingly desperate battle to secure championship qualified after this failure. Antonio Conte’s side are five points behind fourth-placed Man United, have played one more game than Erik ten Hag’s side, and their foul rate is rapidly declining.
However, the reality is that Tottenham’s championship aspirations will likely be defined by their next three matches in which they face City of Manchester home and away on both sides in a tough trip to sixth-placed Fulham on January 23.
Last season, Spurs came back from a similarly dismal position at this stage of the season to finish in fourth, but that’s because they benefited from Conte’s appointment as manager at the end of the season. mid-season. There is little sign of another rebound this term, but Spurs will need to figure something out quickly because those next three games could see them walk away with their children. zero if they play poorly like before the Gunners.
They lack ideas and organization, and confidence seems to be lacking, but Spurs have now entered the decisive phase of the season. The worry is that they will fall short as soon as they need to improve their play.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal. He seemed to have the right side of the field to himself as he repeatedly tormented Spurs with his speed, trickery and serve.
GOOD: Pope Matar Sarr,Tottenham. A tough contract for every Spurs midfielder as Arsenal dominate, but Sarr can hold his head high after a solid performance.
BEST: Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal. The Arsenal goalkeeper made four crucial saves. Although his team dominated, Ramsdale’s contribution was huge.
WORST: Hugo Lloris, Tottenham. Luckily escaped a big mistake before he fumblingly passed the ball to Saka into the net. Fade away quickly as a first-rate goalkeeper.
THE WORST: Cristian Romero,Tottenham. Book ahead in the first half and become a liability in the second half. Too reckless.
THE WORST: Dejan Kulusevski,Tottenham. The Spurs midfielder does not seem to be fit enough to play after a long absence this season. Made some poor decisions when in possession.
Highlights and remarkable moments
This is not Lloris’ proudest moment.
SAKA IS POINTED FROM THIS ANGLE pic.twitter.com/wvqXM2J7Vc
– FC GAME (@ESPNFC) January 15, 2023
After the game: What the player/manager said
Odegaard on Arsenal’s eight-point lead over Man City: “We’re in a good position, there’s no doubt about that. We have to stay humble and keep working hard. You saw the difference in the first half and the second half today, so that’s why. we have a lot to improve. We have to keep going.”
Ramsdale on an incident with a fan after full time: “Spurs fans gave me some during the game, I gave some back. The people I gave it to welcome it in the spirit of sport, but one fan tried to punch. one on the back sour but I’m sure we’ll love it when we get back to changing rooms.”
Key stats (powered by ESPN Stats & Information research)
– Lloris’ own own goal was the first of his 440-game career at Tottenham.
– Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Tottenham was the biggest margin of victory for a team to pave the way in a north London derby in the Premier League since September 2007, when the Gunners won 3-1 at White Hart Lane.
Next
tottenham: As if the derby wasn’t enough, Spurs will have to travel to Manchester City for a four-day break to face the reigning Premier League champions on Thursday.
Arsenal: The Gunners next will be in action a week from Sunday, when they welcome Manchester United to north London.
