Arsenal perfectly outclassed their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, to hand Antonio Conte and his boys their first Premier League defeat of the season.
Arsenal Starting Lineup
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Ødegaard, Martinelli, Jesus.
Tottenham Starting Lineup
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Højbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane, Son.
Arsenal welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to what turned out to be a dramatic and equally entertaining London Derby at the Emirates. It was a Premier League top-of-the-table clash with a lot at stake as Mikel Arteta had to test his squad against another team in the top six after a disappointing defeat again to another giant – Manchester United.
The Gunners were clearly in charge of the game but had to play safe when Spurs were on the counter. The Antonio Conte-led team, yet to record a defeat, were equally up to the Arsenal threat.
It was a near-perfect first half for Arsenal; Arterta’s squad proved too difficult for the visitors to handle. They were dominating.
They forced the Spurs to concede four corners against one; 4 good shots were fired; all were on target after a good buildup play.
The possession fell quickly to the Gunners as they dominated, controlling 59% of it against Tottenham’s 41%. The Gunners also completed 259 passes against Tottenham’s 178.
More action in the Spurs’ box was recorded, with Saka rolling freely in the right wing in an attempt to put the Gunners ahead.
Arsenal’s effort paid off in the 20th minute. Thomas Partey’s fantastic curled strike into the bottom corner eluded Hugo Lloris, who dived needlessly but was already a goal.
10 minutes later, Gabriel tripped Richarlison in the box, and that was a great chance for the visitors to equalize. Harry Kane did it as he beat Aaron Ramshadale to level the scores.
Both sides went into the break with the scores tied, but Arsenal definitely deserved more from the game in the first 45 minutes after a brilliant display.
The second began on a disappointing note for Spurs. A reckless mistake by Hugo Lloris brought Arsenal back to the lead.
Lloris missed Romero’s pass, and Gabriel Jesus was quick enough to get the ball and tap in easily to give Arsenal the lead again just 4 minutes into the second half.
In the 61st minute, Tottenham met their nightmare in the game. A rough challenge on Martinelli by Emerson Royal left Thomas Partey with no choice but to issue a straight red card. Tottenham were reduced to 10 men.
Antonio Conte was certainly heading towards his first defeat of the season as the Gunners took advantage of the goal deficit and totally took over the game from their visitors.
Granit Xhaka scored again in the 53rd minute to double Arsenal’s lead, putting the game far beyond 10-man Spurs.
Conte took off Richarlison and brought in Matt Doherty in the 73rd minute, while Mikel Arteta made a double change, taking off Thomas Partey and Zinchenko for Lokonga and Tierney, respectively.
Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus were also substituted for Vieira and Nketiah, respectively. As the game approached the final minutes, both sides seemed complacent with the scoreline.
Arsenal were still making subtle moves to add up the winning margin, but Tottenham had packed up the defense to stop conceding more goals as the tilts toward the end.
After three minutes of added time, the game ended with a deserved 3-1 win for the Gunners as Antonio Conte tasted his first defeat of the season.
Watch Highlights Below
😍 Enjoy that one, Gooners?
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 1, 2022
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📺 Bitesize Highlights | Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham 👇 pic.twitter.com/6YFbJQrGux
