Gabriel header enough to give Arsenal derby win over Spurs
While Arsenal spent the early stages trying to settle without their absentees, Spurs immediately got to work trying to take advantage and find an opener.
Dejan Kulusevski tested David Raya with a shot and cross inside eight minutes but the Spaniard was equal to both.
As the quarter-hour approached, the Gunners looked to slow down the game to take the sting out of it but Ben White’s intercepted pass gave Dominic Solanke hope before it was snuffed out by William Saliba.
Gabriel Martinelli then got the better of Pedro Porro twice in quick succession, although his cross for Kai Havertz saw Guglielmo Vicario and Cristian Romero team up to deal with the danger before the Brazilian’s own effort was routinely held.
With both teams desperate to take the lead in such a big fixture, Leandro Trossard and Havertz had an effort apiece denied shortly before Solanke looped a header agonisingly wide at the other end.
That also came across in a heated moment following Jurriën Timber’s challenge on Porro, seeing Vicario pick up one of seven yellow cards in the first half - the joint-highest tally in the opening period of a PL match.
Solanke and Micky van de Ven both got headers off shortly after the restart, before a period of play in which neither goalkeeper was stretched as the teams tussled for supremacy.
Brennan Johnson hit a tame shot straight at Raya on the hour mark before Bukayo Saka’s attempt was blocked by Porro at the other end.
The winger then took the ensuing corner and Gabriel jumped unopposed to power his header past Vicario to inspire emphatic celebrations in the away end.
A steely determination soon replaced the joy as the Brazilian put in a vital challenge on Solanke following Thomas Partey’s loose touch.
Spurs applied constant pressure in search of an equaliser but couldn’t break down Mikel Arteta’s resolute backline and Kulusevski’s strike fizzed marginally over the crossbar, as Arsenal returned to winning ways and maintained their unbeaten start to the season.
In contrast, Spurs have suffered back-to-back defeats while recording just one win from four PL matches this term.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
