Arsenal held off an unexpected comeback from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to boost their Premier League title push.
The Gunners looked out of sight by the time the half-time whistle had been blown after they made the most of a clinical first-half display. Not for the first time this season, the impressive Bukayo Saka was the inspiration for Mikel Arteta’s men as his corner-kick forced Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to head into his own net on the quarter-hour mark before the England winger doubled the lead with a neat finish on 27 minutes.
The dominance continued up to the interval as Kai Havertz continued his impressive recent form when he extended the lead as Spurs failed to deal with yet another set-piece. However, the hosts were handed an unexpected route back into the game as David Raya’s horror pass allowed Cristian Romero to half the deficit before a Son penalty ensured a nervy final five minutes was played out.
Arsenal held on and saw out six minutes of injury-time to put the pressure on title rivals Manchester City ahead of their visit to Nottingham Forest. After a dramatic afternoon, LondonWorld assesses the performances of the Gunners players as they boosted their title hopes with a nervy win.
1. David Raya - 5
Was doing what he had to do until his horror show on the Romero goal. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
2. Ben White - 7
As solid as ever and kept Son reasonably quiet. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
3. Takehiro Tomiyasu - 7
Coped well with the threat posed by Spurs and tried to get forward to support in the final third. | Getty Images
4. Gabriel - 8
Always felt like he was in for a comfortable afternoon during the early stages and didn't really look flustered when Spurs began to put on the pressure. | Getty Images