Key events
90 min Arsenal send on Madueke for Saka; we’ll have seven additional minutes.
88 min Saka hurts himself fouling Xavi and looks in pain, but it’s an impact thing, I think; stud into foot is causing the agita, not the tangling of legs which follows. He’ll be fine, I think.
86 min Bissouma is booked for mouth following a Solanke foul, which really shows everyone.
84 min Out of nowhere, Spence catches Rice then diddles Hincapie on the outside, crossing low, and Richarlison flicks … before Raya dives back towards his own goal, dragging off the line. That’s terrific goalkeeping, and the resultant corner comes to nowt.
83 min Spurs send on Tel for Palhinha, so of course Gray goes to right centre-back and Tel to right wing-back. The 3-4-2-1 is the winner.
82 min “As someone who works in the audio engineering field, I’m always amazed at the technical problems refs and linos encounter in the PL. Any good concert roadie would have that sorted in under 30 seconds. You plan ahead and have backup systems ready to swap out at any moment. PL giving primary school cafeteria sound system vibes.”
But but but but but the rest of the shebang is so professionally executed.
81 min OK, not shake hands; exchange Nescafe handshakes.
80 min This is petering out. At this point, I’m pretty sure both sides would shake hands on 3-1.
78 min “Gyokeres scored a great goal, but watch him 30 seconds before completely shy away from a 50/50 around midfield that led directly to the Xavi Simons chance described at 46 minutes, says Adam Becker. “He never wins the ball in that kind of situation. He often appears to literally be avoiding it.”
I missed that, but agree with the overarching point: make yourself minging to play against, especially if you’re struggling for goals.
77 min There’s a blue flare in Raya’s six-yard box, so the game is again paused.
76 min Two changes for Arsenal, Odegaard and Martinelli replacing Trossard and Eze.
75 min Spurs can’t get out of their own half. If Arsenal score again, it’ll be two 4-1s in the season.
73 min The away end taunt the home crowd with oles as Arsenal knock the ball about; it’s as though Wolves never happened – another way of putting which us to say the worst team in the league are better than Spurs. If they can’t get Solanke scoring, staying up could be a serious problem.
71 min Spurs aren’t in this anymore. Eze carries forward and slips to Saka outside him, who cuts inside and slips a shot between Van de Ven’s legs, looking to catch the keeper at his near post, Soslkjaer-style, but the ball scooshes wide.
69 min “I emailed the MBM during the last North London derby,” brags Jonathan Griggs, “asking are Arsenal better with Eze at #10 than with Odegaard? I ask the same question now? Also, would you take Foden or Eze to the World Cup?”
I think I’d play both, Eze off the left and Odegaard in the middle. As for England, I think I’d expect both Eze and Foden to travel. I guess Foden gives you more goalpower, pace and versatility, while Eze plays the game at an unusual tempo so does stuff no one else thinks of. If you’re making me choose, I think I’m going Foden.
68 min And now they try Richarlison for Kolo Muani. That should sort it.
67 min Aaargggh, after the goal, Spurs sent on Solanke for Gallagher.
66 min “With the exception of Eze being on a mission from god against Spurs,” writes Kári Tulinius, “Arsenal haven’t been markedly better today than they were against Wolves, but Tottenham have been dreadful. I can’t see any kind of patterns of attack or defensive plan. Tudor has a lot to do.”
Its hard with so many players out, but yes, the extent of the job is significant and doesn’t just require a good manager, but lots of money and exceptional scouting.
63 min Goodness me, Arsenal need this. It’s taken Arteta till now to find a regular use for Eze and, though he’s done nothing spectacular today, he brings the sense that he might; opponents know he can surprise them, which affects how they defend, and he’s much more likely to find a goal than Odegaard.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Arsenal (Eze 61)
Six goals this season, five of them in derbies! Eze snaps in on Dragusin and follows the ball, Gyokeres backheeling Saka through. And, though Van de Ven gets back at him, as Vicario comes out all they succeed in doing is squirting the ball back to Eze, who punches into the unguarded net.
59 min Solanke is getting ready to come on, but if he’s not quick, the game will be over before he’s in position to affect it. Mosquera, who I’ve just remembered replaced Timber a few minutes ago, robs Spence, unfathomably holding the ball just outside his own box. Saka then finds Eze, whose return pass, with the outside of his foot, puts him through; Vicaruo is out well to smother.
57 min Hincapie surges forward – he’s really starting to express himself – and finds Rice outside him down the left. And, though the cut-back is humped behind by Sarr, the signs for Arsenal are good: they’re pushing for a third goal, and there’s no sense Spurs have the minerals to see them away if they stick at it. Otherwise, the corner comes to nothing.
55 min “Where has everyone who was slagging Gyokeres off gone?” wonders Joshua Keeling. |Silence. He’s a top player – people need to get a grip.”
I don’t know about that. It was a really good finish, but his return of shots and goals is still extremely poor; I’ve seen nothing, at Arsenal or at Sporting, to make me think he’s a top player or anything proximate. But we’ll see.
53 min Gray pursuers a ball to the corner flag and his deflected cross catches Gabriel underneath it. So Kolo Muani applies the shove then lashes home the loose ball, but he was too bait with it and the ref immediately disallows the goal for a foul.
51 min More like it from Arsenal, Eze isolating Palhinha out wide and weaving by him, cutting across the face of the box and things open up. Can he find the finish? He actually has Gyokeres free a five-yard pass away, but instead opts to shoot, a telegraphed effort blocked at source.
49 min Most of us, I think, looked at Gyokeres as a player signed to start almost every game and score loads of goals. But given how much Artetz loves Havertz, perhaps the plan was for him to be another option, one of a stable of attackers with different profiles, able to affect games from the start or off the bench.
WHAT A GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Arsenal (Gyokeres 47)
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SCREENS! Gyokeres finally scores a goal that really matters, taking a low pass swung infield by Timber, Eze’s run across the defender creating space for him. His first touch gets the ball out of his feet and his second, delivered with minimum backlift and maximum prejudice, sends a shot from the edge ripping past Vicario’s dive. I think he gets tips to it, but they’re not enough to prevent a terrific finish and the most important goal of the season so far.
46 min Finally, football, and when Big Xavi Simons wins a flick-on, Kolo Muania feeds him back in, he shoots from the edge … and Rya dives too low, so must reach up to make his save.
And still, no football. So to Scotland, where Hibs won 2-1 at Celtic and Rangers drew 2-2 at Livingtson. Hearts lead the table by four.
“Ignoring Gabriel’s blatant foul which should have been reviewed by VAR but wasn’t,” returns Alexandra Ashton, “I think we still ended the half in the ascendancy. Yes, we weren’t great, but we were solid: Dragusin and Palhinha especially impressed me. At the very least, we looked much less frail and a touch more dangerous than under Frank earlier this season, although that bar is so low it may as well be on the ground.”
Yup, I imagine Tudor will be pretty happy with his first first half as Tottenham manager. I wouldn’t go as far as to say his side were in the ascendancy, but they were in the game, which is a start.
Ahahahaha, we’ve another technical issue relating to the ref’s telecommunications. Who could possibly countenance football in such circumstances?
Our teams are back with us.