Premier League: North London is red
Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 1 Arsenal
Gabriel was Arsenal's North London derby day hero as he headed home the only goal to secure a third-straight victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Brazilian defender towered over the Spurs defence on 64 minutes to divert home a Bukayo Saka corner and settle a game of few chances. You'd have to say that Arsenal enjoyed the better of throughout the contest and ultimately deserved their hard-fought victory.
The result ensured that Arsenal remains unbeaten in the Premier League this campaign, but more importantly for all Gooners, saw them claim a hat-trick of wins at the home of their neighbours for the first time since 1988 as their fantastic away record in 2024 continues.
A closer look at what happened
Arsenal's goalkeeper, David Raya, shone in the early moments, making crucial saves to deny Dejan Kulusevski and keeping Spurs at bay. At the other end, Guglielmo Vicario was equally impressive, pulling off a fine stop to keep out a Kai Havertz header.
Tensions flared late in the first half when a challenge from Jurien Timber on Pedro Porro sparked a clash between players from both teams, setting up a highly charged second half.
The decisive moment came in the 64th minute when Gabriel broke free from Cristian Romero's marking to head Bukayo Saka's corner powerfully past Vicario.
Any North London derby victory is cherished by Arsenal, but this one will be particularly sweet. They secured this win without Odegaard and Rice. It also sets them up perfectly for next weekend’s clash against champions Manchester City.
The best reaction
Jamie, a Spurs season ticket holder, told us: "This match proved that fine margins win football matches. There wasn't much between them in terms of play, but we didn't have what it takes to win the match."
DJ, an Arsenal fan, was delighted with the result. He said: "No Rice. No Odegaard. No Calafiori. No Tomiyasu. No Zinchenko. No Merino. No Tierney. No problem We still went away to Tottenham and got all three points. That was a massive win for us."
Claudia, an Arsenal fan who was in the away end, told us: "To come here and win in the north London derby against a good Tottenham team says a lot about how good our squad is now. I am starting to think we can take the title off Manchester City this season."
Our friends at GMCR Football also offered their own reaction on their Facebook page. They think it was a fantastic win for Arsenal.
