
Mikel Arteta's team could also sense opportunity. Liverpool's draw at Nottingham Forest had seen to that. And so the equation was pretty clear. Manage the occasion against the team they most love to hate. And win to move to within four points of Liverpool at the top, albeit having played an extra game.
There would be a blip when Tottenham, whose recent Premier League form is an embarrassment, went in front through the captain, Son Heung-min. What a tonic it was for them and for him, as he negotiates a personally trying season.
But the overall thrust of things was Arsenal pushing out their chests and asserting themselves. They would gain control with a devastating one-two punch. First they forced a Dominic Solanke own goal on a corner; their 27th in the league since the start of last season, the 10th of the current campaign. And then Leandro Trossard found a way through Antonin Kinsky's hands; a nightmare moment for the new goalkeeper.
Spurs simply did not do enough in the second half; they barely threatened en route to another league defeat - their sixth in nine games. Ange Postecoglou keeps on explaining them away. Arsenal are looking up.
This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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