Arsenal triumphed once again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over their North London rivals.

Gabriel Magalhães’ powerful second-half header secured Arsenal’s third consecutive win at Spurs’ home ground, a crucial result that keeps Mikel Arteta‘s side in pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Playing without key players like Martin Odegaard (ankle injury) and Declan Rice (suspension), Arsenal weathered a strong start from Tottenham under their manager Ange ‘wins in his second season’ Postecoglou, ultimately taking control and frustrating their opponents.

Gabriel’s header from a corner in the 65th minute proved to be the difference, adding another chapter to Arsenal’s growing dominance at this ground.

Gabriel opens the scoring in the derby for Arsenal! 💥 pic.twitter.com/AHd09uxOUW

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 15, 2024

Arsenal’s game plan pays off

Arteta’s tactical setup mirrored previous encounters with Spurs, where Arsenal were happy to concede possession but remained resolute defensively and clinical when chances came.

Arsenal recorded just 36.3% possession, their second-lowest in a Premier League match against Spurs since records began, yet once again they emerged victorious.

This approach, which also saw them win 3-2 against Spurs in April with a similar 37.8% possession, has clearly been effective.

Despite Tottenham’s attempts to break down Arsenal’s defence, they struggled to create clear-cut chances. Spurs had 15 shots but failed to create a single big chance, evidence of Arsenal’s disciplined defensive shape.

Gabriel, voted Player of the Match, and William Saliba were particularly impressive, ensuring that David Raya was troubled in goal less than he should have been. When he was called upon, he was up to the five shots Spurs got on target.

Gabriel’s decisive goal

The Arsenal breakthrough came in the 65th minute when Gabriel met a perfectly delivered Bukayo Saka corner with a brutal header, beating Tottenham’s stranded goalkeeper and silencing the home crowd.

The goal marked Gabriel’s first of the season and his 16th since signing for Arsenal.

Speaking after the game, Gabriel said, “We’re so happy to win here, so let’s enjoy it now. It means a lot to score the goal.”

Jorginho, who started in place of Rice, praised the team’s resilience: “We had to work really hard, but we knew it would be a difficult game. We were missing important players but we know we can count on each other and that’s what we did. We stick together, and at the end the work paid off.”

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, couldn’t have been more proud of his team. “It’s unbelievable, I don’t know when it happened in our history,” he told reporters.

“After the international break, we had a few blows. How the team reacted was magnificent. It showed a lot of maturity from the team. We were missing vital players and we had to react to that.

“Instead of finding excuses we faced the challenge and played with courage.”

Spurs struggle for answers

After Gabriel’s goal, Spurs’ performance gradually deteriorated. They didn’t stop pushing but ran out of belief and precision. Arsenal’s defensive line dealt with everything that came their way, and Tottenham managed to complete only one of 13 crosses in the remainder of the match, winning only 42% of their duels.

Tottenham’s inability to break down Arsenal’s backline led to frustration, with their attack becoming increasingly predictable.

Arsenal’s dominance at Spurs continues

Arsenal’s win on Sunday means they have now won three consecutive Premier League games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, further establishing their dominance at their rival’s ground.

In contrast, Spurs have managed only two wins at the Emirates in their history.

This was also Arsenal’s sixth consecutive away win in the Premier League, a feat not achieved since Arsène Wenger’s team won eight in a row between March and September 2013.

Team selection and absences

With the absence of Rice and Odegaard, Arteta made two changes to the team that drew against Brighton before the international break.

Gabriel Martinelli returned to the starting XI, providing much-needed energy on the left flank. Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling were welcome additions to the bench, though injury absences for Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko meant Arsenal’s substitutes were predominantly made up of young academy graduates.

Arsenal team to face Spurs:

Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Jorginho, Trossard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz

Arsenal bench:

Neto, Kiwior, Kacurri, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Sterling, Nwaneri, Jesus, Kabia