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Mikel Arteta became the fastest Arsenal manager in Premier League history to reach 100 wins, as Arsenal secured a crucial victory over Tottenham Hotspur in a tense North London derby to maintain their momentum in the title race.
Arsenal are still holding a slim lead at the top of the Premier League table following the 3-2 North London Derby victory and Manchester City beating Nottingham Forest later in the day ensured they keep pace with the Gunners.
The highly anticipated matchup against their fierce rivals was expected to be a stern test for Arsenal, but they capitalised on Tottenham’s defensive vulnerabilities to establish a commanding three-goal lead by halftime.
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Arsenal’s journey to victory began in the 15th minute when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inadvertently turned Bukayo Saka’s corner into his own net. Saka himself doubled Arsenal’s lead with a composed finish after 37 minutes, capping off a swift counterattack. Kai Havertz then extended Arsenal’s advantage with a header from another corner just before halftime, despite protests from Spurs over a potential foul in the buildup.
Mikel Arteta becomes the fastest manager in Arsenal’s history to win 100 Premier League games. pic.twitter.com/HKv2Shkcf3
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Despite their commanding lead, Arsenal found themselves under pressure in the latter stages of the game, as Tottenham sought to capitalise on their mistakes which allowed nerves to crept in during the final moments of the game.
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A defensive error by goalkeeper David Raya allowed Cristian Romero to score in the second half before Heung-min Son converted a penalty in the dying minutes after a foul by Declan Rice to make for a nervy end to the game.
Son’s penalty kick offered Spurs a glimmer of hope for an unlikely comeback, but Arsenal managed to weather the storm and secure the win, denting their rivals’ hopes of a top-four finish in the process.
Arteta admitted after the game that he was praying when Spurs had the ball in the box. “I was praying when Spurs put the ball in our box,” Arteta said. “It was a really emotional game, a really tough place to come in this stadium and a tough team to play against.
“We were 3-0 up, in control of the game, then in the second half we were dominating the game and creating chances. Then an individual error happens, that puts a message in your brain. We were dealing with the situations better, another [goal] and then it’s game on. They have the players and the quality to commit a lot of players forward. We had to suffer and react and I’m very pleased that we did.”
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