ARSENAL proved themselves to be Myles better than underperforming Tottenham in the North London derby earlier this week.
Spurs took an early lead at the Emirates through Son Heung-Min but were undone by a Dominic Solanke own goal and Leandro Trossard arrow late in the first half.
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Ange Postecoglou‘s side then had no answers to reverse the score in the second half as Mikel Arteta‘s side put in a mature, if unremarkable, performance.
Yet it was Hale End graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly who proved to be the star of the show as he put in an assured display well beyond his years.
There was also a noteworthy showing from Declan Rice and a new-look pressing system deployed.
There were also the usual suspects of set-piece tweaks, and below our tactics guru Dean Scoggins looked at how Arsenal punctured Ange-ball.
Myles clear
Lewis-Skelly has stepped into Arsenal‘s backline masterfully despite being just 18 years of age and naturally a midfielder.
And when he came off the pitch after giving it large to the Spurs fans it was reminiscent of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey doing similar in years past.
Arteta made the decision to select him ahead of a more natural option like Oleksandr Zinchenko, and it proved dividends.
Lewis-Skelly was excellent up against Spurs’ dangerman Dejan Kulusevski.
But tactically, the star did not fully invert.
Instead, Lewis-Skelly went halfway with the role, leaving Kulusevski with a conundrum on whether to mark him or not, whereas a fully inverted role would have allowed another player to pick him up.
The teenager’s ball-carrying exploits were particularly impressive during the game, going on to carry the ball more than Rice throughout the game.
A number of times he would pick up the ball from Gabriel Magalhaes or the goalkeeper before moving forward into acres of space.
This was helped by a particularly poor display by Yves Bissouma and a Pape Matar Sarr yellow card.
Lewis-Skelly also worked well in tandem with Rice in neutralising any Spurs threat down that side.
It will do his England chances a world of good given how Thomas Tuchel was in the stands.
And it may also see Rico Lewis – who plays a similar role – lose his spot, with the Arsenal star being streets ahead of the Manchester City star.
Rice masterclass
Against Tottenham, Rice proved why he is one of the best midfielders in the world.
The former West Ham seemed to cover every nook and cranny of the Emirates to snuff out Tottenham threat.
He was in his own area making challenges and clearances and helping Lewis-Skelly.
The midfielder then surprised everyone by popping up in the Spurs penalty area in a lung-busting display.
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Such was his full-gusto performance that it was like Arsenal played with an extra man – not the referee to be clear.
Early on Spurs did a good job of defending the edge of their area, particularly in the first 15 to 20 minutes.
But it was the presence of Rice which disrupted the flow of the defence, pushing back the Spurs midfield by making runs from deep.
And it also proved effective in throwing the balance out of Spurs’ attack.
Arteta punctures Ange-ball
One thing Spurs can take away from the game is that Postecoglou does not have just one way to play.
They would have been disappointed to not go into half-time level, given the corner incident and a goalkeeping error from youngster Antonin Kinsky, since their tactics seemed to work for the most part up to then.
The issue, however, that because it is such a rigid structure teams can plan to play against it – not that it means it can always be stopped.
Arsenal executed one such plan for it to brilliant effect, with the “Wheels of Chaos” we mentioned in our last show rearing their head after the break.
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Yet it was the aforementioned Rice and Martin Odegaard who did brilliant jobs in midfield keeping tabs on the inside right and left players respectively.
As we mentioned, not tracking the runner from the wheel would be fatal from a defensive point of view.
But with Odegaard and Rice tracking their men along with Raheem Sterling and Trossard also doing superb defensive work, it meant Spurs often had to rush their attacks.
And the consequence of this was an effective counter-attack propped up by strong performances by Odegaard and Jurrien Timber on one side and Rice and Lewis-Skelly on the other.
New look press
After coming under scrutiny for failing to beat ten-man Manchester United in the FA Cup, Arteta came up with a superb plan to beat Tottenham and claw themselves back into the title race.
Out of possession Arsenal have been known to operate in a 4-4-2 pressing structure.
But for this game, Arteta switched that system to a 4-3-3 press instead, with Trossard tracking Porro into an inverted position.
Sterling, Odegaard and Havertz were then able to go and press as a three-man unit which stopped Spurs playing first-time balls out from the back and nullifying one of their most effective weapons.
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Set piece tweaks
Arsenal are known as the king of set pieces for a reason – not that it stopped Gary Neville from slamming Arsenal set piece coach Nicolas Jover again.
They are top of the table for goals scored from set pieces and corners, and whether you want to level criticism for it or not, there is absolutely no denying its impact on getting the Gunners points.
And Jover cooked up something special against Spurs, not that the visitors didn’t have some set-piece tricks up their own sleeve.
Spurs knew Arsenal packed both boxes at corners so sent two players out to be the corner takers to help drag some defenders out, while two more stars lurked on the edge of the area.
This was exactly where Son scored from with no one picking him up after Sterling, who had picked him up the corner before, was dragged away by another dummy run.
But at the other end, Gabriel came in like the unstoppable force he is to force a goal over the line.
Spurs left two players upfield in the hopes that Arsenal would commit fewer players forward, but the home side bravely left their players one-on-one, rather than have a spare man as extra cover.
Unfortunately for Spurs, there was also very little chance the goalkeeper would manage to catch any of the crosses due to the crowding around his six-yard area.
Therefore, Jover did not allow Spurs to derail Arsenal’s dominance at corners by showing bravery in attacking set pieces.
Arsenal player ratings vs Tottenham
By Dan King
ARSENAL came from behind to defeat Tottenham 2-1 in the North London derby.
Son Heung-Min had given the visitors the lead in the 25th minute against the run of play.
But as they have done so often, the Gunners scored from a corner as Gabriel Magalhaes‘ header was bundled in as an own goal by Dominic Solanke.
Leandro Trossard then put the home side ahead on the stroke of half-time with an fine finish.
Here’s how the players rated…
David Raya – 6
Spectator until kept out Kulusevski shot midway through first half, then beaten by deflection for Son goal. Didn’t make a save in second half.
Jurrien Timber – 6
Solid enough defensively to keep Son Heung-Min mostly quiet but less sure of himself going forward, wasting good chances to cross.
William Saliba – 6
Untroubled until Son’s shot went in off him. Started second half hesitantly but kept his concentration to minimise Tottenham openings.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 8
Brilliant interception to deny Solanke then decisive at other end to force equaliser. Excellent against Solanke twice more in calm and steadfast second half.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 8
Fine pass to play in Sterling set tone for excellent, mature, all-round display from second youngest Arsenal player to start a North London derby.
Thomas Partey – 7
Strong presence who won the ball back well, not least ahead of Arsenal’s second goal. But sometimes looked vulnerable to Spurs’ pace on break.
Declan Rice – 7
Covered lots of ground and finally found a good set-piece delivery to create equaliser. Still not quite at his best, but much closer.
Raheem Sterling – 5
Saw plenty of ball, but with little end product, including golden chances at start of both halves. Curiously reluctant to take on his man. Deservedly hooked.
Martin Odegaard – 6
Prompted and probed without finding killer pass but released Trossard for second goal. Missed chance to make it 3-1, fewer signs of return to form than Rice.
Leandro Trossard – 6
Frustrated home fans with lack of killer instinct and poor decisions until he fired Arsenal in front. Did little after break to merit staying on for so long.
Kai Havertz – 4
Barely involved first half apart from nicking ball off Spurs keeper Kinsky. Headed wide from close range early in second. Nothing coming off for him.
SUBS
Gabriel Martinelli (for Sterling, 61) – 5
Slow to get up to speed and contributed little apart from one penetrating run into the box and a blocked shot.
Kieran Tierney (for Trossard, 77) – 6
Brought on to shore things up and did it well enough.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (for Lewis-Skelly, 87) – 6
Useful legs for dying minutes, almost created chance.
Mikel Merino (for Rice, 87) – 6
Good booking to stop Solanke getting away in stoppage time.
