Xhaka shines as relentless Arsenal turn on the style to overwhelm 10-man Spurs
The Independent|October 02, 2022
AT THE EMIRATES STADIUM
MIGUEL DELANEY
Xhaka shines as relentless Arsenal turn on the style to overwhelm 10-man Spurs

Arsenal Partey (20), Jesus (49), Xhaka (67) - 3

Tottenham Hotspur Kane (31 pen) - 1

If this was supposed to be a rare north London derby where both sides were on the rise, it is only Arsenal who have stayed up there. They did much more than win a genuine juncture game here, though. They sustained their own momentum, banished more doubts, and finally made Tottenham Hotspur look like the unconvincing side that had been hinted at in their previously unbeaten run.

Antonio Conte faced up to his first league defeat of the season in the worst possible game, but also faced starker questions about his team – and even his approach. The Italian might point to a red card for Emerson Royal that he evidently felt was overly harsh, but the distinctive dynamic of the game had been set long before then.

It was probably more important for Arsenal given it had seemed so like the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, but the manner in which they reversed that result in an even more emotionally meaningful game will have a bigger impact. So much of this was personified by Granit Xhaka’s satisfying resurgence and his match-winning goal. It is not just vindication for the midfielder, but even more so for Mikel Arteta. It is another problem to solve for Conte.

This story is from the October 02, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the October 02, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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