EPL: Gabriel’s header extends Arsenal’s unbeaten run over Spurs

A depleted Arsenal side did enough to secure a vital win against fellow London rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs, on Sunday afternoon. 

With Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, and Declan Rice’s unavailability, Ange Postecoglou’s side had ample opportunities to beat the Gunners for the first time since May 2022.

The hosts threatened Mikel Arteta’s side in the first half with Dominic Solanke linking with the duo of Dejan Kulusevski and James Madison, but Arsenal’s coordinated defense was impregnable enough to repel their several onslaughts. 

As the quarter-hour approached, Arsenal started slowing down the game’s tempo – with the hope of grinding out something from it when Ben White’s intercepted pass gave Dominic Solanke a chance at scoring before it was cleared out by William Saliba. 

On the other side of the pitch, Kai Havertz’s header was brilliantly dealt with by the duo of Christian Romero and Guglielmo Vucario before Gabriel Martinelli’s subsequent effort was routinely held. 

As time wore on, the game got more intense, with referee Jarred Gillett dishing out seven yellow cards (five for the home side) in the opening 45 minutes, equalling the Premier League record for a first half (less than 24 hours after Bournemouth vs Chelsea produced a total of 14 bookings).

Shortly after the resumption of the second half, Solanke and Micky van de Ven both for headers off before a period of play in which neither goalkeeper was tested as both teams kept nullifying each other. 

Shortly after Brennan Johnson’s shot was calmly handled by Raya on the hour mark, Bukayo Saka’s attempt was blocked by Pedro Porro at the other end: after which the winger found Gabriel with the ensuing corner.

The defender jumped unopposed to power his header past Vicario, sending the traveling fans into rapture. Afterwards, Gabriel’s timely challenge on Solanke following Thomas Partey’s loose touch necessitated a loud cheer from the Arsenal’s fan base. 

The constant pressure from the hosts in search of an equalizer was met with Arteta’s resolute backline as Arsenal returned to winning ways to maintain their unbeaten start to the season ahead of another trip to the Etihad next Sunday.