Gabriel header settles derby as Arsenal win on Spurs turf again

Gabriel headed a priceless winner as Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Tottenham in the north London derby.

The Brazilian defender was left free to bullet home a header from Bukayo Saka’s right-wing corner on 64 minutes as Mikel Arteta’s side once again demonstrated their quality at set pieces.

It capped a resilient, organised display from The Gunners, who sat deep and threatened on the counter attack, thwarting Spurs continually and making light of the absence of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

Tottenham had started brightly but fit-again summer signing Dominic Solanke wasted a good early opportunity while David Raya kept out Dejan Kulusevski.

The result sees Arsenal move up to second place, two points behind leaders Manchester City. Tottenham sit 13th with just four points from their opening four top-flight games.

Next up, Spurs travel to Coventry in the League Cup on Wednesday night prior to hosting Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Arsenal are at Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Thursday and then visit Premier League champions Manchester City in a crunch encounter next Sunday.

The last time Arsenal visited their neighbours, The Gunners came out on top thanks in no small part to some well-worked set pieces.

Well, it was deja vu for Arteta and his men as a disciplined performance ensured concern over missing key components in their midfield was ill-found.

Arsenal have now scored 23 goals from set pieces since the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, which is the most of any team in the top flight.

It not only earns Arsenal the bragging rights but also gives them a crucial victory to keep pace with Man City at the summit ahead of a top-two clash at the Etihad next Sunday.

Indeed, this performance potentially provided a dress rehearsal and blueprint for how to cope with what they will face versus the champions next weekend.

Spurs will rue a lack of cutting edge despite the return to fitness of Solanke in attack while Guglielmo Vicario’s lack of confidence dealing with deliveries into his box remains a concern.

So often, his centre-back partner William Saliba takes the headlines and plaudits, but it is the Brazilian who stands out from this game. Not only was he imperious at the back in helping to repel everything Spurs threw into the area, but he once again showed his knack for popping up with key goals as he powered home a memorable winner.

TOTTENHAM: Vicario 5, Porro 6, Van de Ven 7, Romero 6, Udogie 6, Bentancur 6, Maddison 6, Kulusevski 7, Johnson 6, Son 6, Solanke 5. Subs: Sarr 6, Odobert 6, Werner n/a.

ARSENAL: Raya 7, White 8, Saliba 8, Gabriel 9, Timber 8, Partey 8, Jorginho 6, Havertz 6, Saka 6, Trossard 6, Martinelli 7. Subs: Sterling n/a, Jesus n/a, Nwaneri n/a.

05’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Raya pushes away Kulusevski’s first-time shot at the near post after Solanke had fed Son’s overlap on the left for the Korean to cut the ball back into a dangerous area.

18’ – ARSENAL CHANCE! Martinelli skips free down the left and hangs a cross up for Havertz, but his firm header is well saved by Vicario.

20’ – ARSENAL CHANCE! Martinelli spins clear in the inside left channel but fires in a tame strike that is easily gathered by Vicario.

64’ – GOAL! – Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal: (Gabriel). The visitors strike first as Gabriel is left free inside the six-yard box to bullet a header home from a right-wing corner.

90+2’ – TOTTENHAM CHANCE! Kulusevksi rifles inches over the top from 25 yards out. It’s as close as Spurs have come in a long, long time.