Five reasons why, on this latest display, Arsenal have the bottle to win the title
FLYING HIGH: Arsenal's Martin Odegaard (right) and team-mates celebrate victory. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.
Going into a derby match away from home, when your main title rivals have just lost, brings with it a certain type of pressure; especially when you add in miserable memories of a 3-0 defeat at the same venue last year.
But Arsenal, who were all too aware that losing at Tottenham last time pretty much ruined their Champions League dream, showed they are a very different prospect in 2023.
If anyone was asking whether Mikel Arteta’s men, now eight points clear at the top of the table, really have the bottle to be champions, here are five answers they provided at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
It’s all very well talking about players who score and create goals, but one of the stand-out attributes of a title-winning team is often those who don’t hare around and play at 100 miles an hour. The ones who stay calm in a crisis, who hold onto the ball long enough to look around to see what options are available - and who make the game look easy.
This Arsenal side have them, and especially when Thomas Partey is on the ball. Even in the midst of a frenetic North London derby, Partey was relaxed and languid in a dominant first half, dissipating the energy in the air and playing by example. In the early minutes his every touch was booed by the home fans, but he never once flinched or looked hurried.
Time and time again he stopped, lowered his heart rate and then calmly delivered a perfect pass out to Bukayo Saka as Tottenham’s boos turned to groans. There was less time to linger after the break as Tottenham fought back, but Partey kept his composure even so.
Having the bottle to cope with a title race is about more than an ability to conquer nerves, it’s about an ability to deliver high standards week-in, week-out. With that in mind, Saka’s display, especially in the first half when he was unplayable, should warm the hearts of Arsenal fans.
The England forward is still only 21 years old and yet seems to have found the secret to consistency already, rarely dropping below at seven out of ten.
In the first 45 minutes of this North London derby he was close to 10 out of 10, torturing Spurs mercilessly with his runs down the right flank, always willing to take on a player and always going forwards rather than backwards.
It was his run to the by-line and fierce that drive that forced a mistake out of Hugo Lloris for the opener, and he was involved in the second, too.
It’s remarkable that such a young player has the ability to deliver such quality over and over again. Keeping him fit, given how often he is kicked, is going to be a challenge, but he’s a fearless asset to have in a title battle.
Winning breeds confidence, of course, but building relationships is not always as easy. The signs for Arsenal continue to be good, however, when it comes to assessing the spirit and togetherness in Arteta’s team.
Martin Odegaard leads by example as a captain in terms of his quality, as shown by his excellent first half goal, but the remarkably revived Granit Xhaka is the vocal presence who sets the tone in terms of energy and fight. And, given his red card history, he seems to have found a way to keep it all under control, too.
When you compare the spirit in this Arsenal side to the one that succumbed meekly at the same ground last year, losing 3-0 after Rob Holding was sent off after only 33 minutes, the transformation is remarkable. There’s a confidence, assuredness and energy that was missing before, and it’s serving them well.
Manchester City will continue to test it of course, as well an ever-improving Manchester United who arrive at the Emirates next weekend. But the signs for Arsenal are good.
At one end of the pitch was a goalkeeper who has played in two World Cup Finals and won one of them. At the other a young man who can’t yet make his way into the England team; but there’s no doubt who impressed the most.
Whilst Hugo Lloris made another howler to gift Arsenal an early lead, Ramsdale kept Tottenham when the visitors needed to soak up pressure and played a huge part in Arsenal's victory.
He produced a crucial save from Harry Kane right on the stroke of half-time and kept out the Tottenham striker again after 50 minutes before also denying Ryan Sessegnon when the full-back was clean through. Those saves, together with a strong presence at corners, a high line and solid distribution, made Ramsdale a reliable influence, even when things got tough.
Having been so ineffectual in the first half, Tottenham built up a head of steam after the break and that’s when you need your defence to stay strong and focused.
The good news for Arsenal was that, apart from a couple of nervy passes here and there, Gabriel and William Saliba followed Ramsdale’s lead to keep Tottenham at bay, even in the anxious moments late on.
Both centre-halves won headers whenever required and threw their bodies on the line to preserve their team’s lead.
If there was one criticism it might be that Arsenal ended up sitting extremely deep in the last 10 minutes, allowing the Tottenham barrage to gain momentum. But there seemed a collective belief that they had the physical presence to hold out. And they did so.
One half of pretty football, one half of physical defiance. That's a good combination in a title race.
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