Arsenal 2 – 1 Tottenham
With this comeback victory, Mikel Arteta’s team reduced the gap with Liverpool to just four points.
After fears of slipping out of one title race and crashing out of another, Arsenal returned to winning ways. Against Tottenham Hotspur, the Gunners came from behind to claim an important victory.
At the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, Arsenal defeated Spurs 2-1 in the Premier League. After going down to Son Heung-min’s opener, an own goal brought the Gunners level before Leandro Trossard sealed the win with the decisive goal.
This was Arsenal’s 12th win of the league season. Combined with seven draws, they now have 43 points from 21 matches, moving back to second place. Nottingham Forest, now in third, sits at 41 points.
Liverpool leads the table with 47 points, having played one match fewer.
Arsenal had started the year strong with a victory over Brentford on January 1, but they struggled in the following games. Across eight days, they played three matches in all competitions and failed to win any of them.
They lost at home to Newcastle United in the League Cup semi-final first leg and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United in a penalty shootout last Sunday.
Finally, Arsenal broke free from that string of failures with this gritty performance.
The Gunners began the match with confidence, though they weren’t very aggressive in the opening stages and failed to test the opposing goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, however, misfortune struck. A long-range effort from Son Heung-min deflected off William Saliba and found the back of the net, leaving the Arsenal defense stunned.
Conceding the goal sparked urgency in Arsenal’s attack, but they still couldn’t register a shot on target. In the first 35 minutes, they earned six corners, but it wasn’t until the seventh that they finally found the equalizer.
In the 40th minute, Declan Rice’s corner reached Gabriel Magalhães, who headed the ball towards goal. Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke tried to clear it with a header, but it deflected off him and went into the net.
Just four minutes later, last season’s runners-up took the lead. Arsenal won the ball in midfield and launched a quick counter-attack. Martin Ødegaard’s pass set up Belgian forward Trossard, who drove into the box and struck a powerful low shot past the goalkeeper.
At the start of the second half, Arsenal missed two golden opportunities within three minutes. Kai Havertz, who had missed a penalty in the FA Cup shootout just days earlier, failed to convert two close-range headers.
As the match neared its conclusion, Tottenham desperately pushed for an equalizer but failed to find the back of the net. Their dismal form this season continues, with this result extending their winless streak to five league matches, including four defeats.
Tottenham currently sits in 13th place with 24 points from 21 matches, recording seven wins and three draws so far this season.
