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Arsenal Vs Spurs: 5 things we learned – Mikel Arteta has a hard job

By Andrew Dowdeswell

Arsenal, Mikel Arteta (Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal, Mikel Arteta (Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal’s Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta reacts to their defeat on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on July 12, 2020. (Photo by Julian Finney / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta reacts to their defeat on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on July 12, 2020. (Photo by Julian Finney / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal fell to Spurs in a disastrous 2-1 North London Derby defeat to slip behind their rivals in the table. Here are five things we learned.

With hope aplenty entering the weekend’s action, Arsenal travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time in club history. The second North London Derby of the year saw two teams scrapping in the lower reaches of the top half of the Premier League table, and while Mikel Arteta brought a team in encouraging form, it was a Jose Mourinho special on the day. The Gunners controlled proceedings, but created little and chucked the game away with quintessential defensive errors.

Here are five things we learned from the 2-1 defeat.

(Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by JULIAN FINNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

5. Emiliano Martinez excellent again

There were not many positives for Arsenal to draw from Sunday’s outing. They were dominant for a 30-minute period after half-time and Alexandre Lacazette scored a stunner, his second away goal in the Premier League in a week. Beyond that, there was only one obvious plus point: the excellent performance of Emiliano Martinez.

The shot-stopper made three excellent saves. The first was to deny Harry Kane’s lob, reaching high to collect the ball and bring it into his chest. The second was to flick Ben Davies’ sensational long-range strike onto the crossbar. And the final stop, which might have been the best of the lot, came in the second half when he scrambled across goal to smother Son Heung-min’s first touch as Kane rolled the ball across the penalty area.

Martinez has been superb ever since he debuted for the injured Bernd Leno. His command of the penalty area has been most pleasing, while his distribution is quicker and more accurate than Leno’s. This was excellent display from the Argentinian who is starting to prove that he is more than a back-up.