Arsenal vs Tottenham: 4 talking points from North London Derby win

Diabolical 10 Minutes of Torture

Those final ten minutes were, as Arteta put it:

"“[In the] last ten minutes we did not manage the game and we need to improve on as a team. We relied on luck. With the way we played we should have seen it out comfortably.”"

He stated it was the worst the side have played under him, and he isn’t too far off. It was torturous lunacy from pretty much everyone.

Smith Rowe’s departure coincided with Arsenal’s grip on the game loosening to the point of non-existence, but the same issues and self-destruction began creeping into the game before fully bulldozing onto the pitch. Thomas Partey was perhaps most guilty of all with some extremely sloppy moments on the ball as well as needless fouls conceded, although collectively the terror plainly seeped into the players’ minds.

It’s understandable to a degree. Even without fans this fixture is huge. Add to that the mental block when the opposition are reduced to ten men of feeling like you’re in control, the final ten minutes were expected.

However, none of that is an excuse. The concept of game management was lost on every player barring the back four, with the result being no structure or shape to the team. It’s the only downside on a memorable night. Arteta has to set that right on the training ground as soon as the players are back in London Colney as such laziness will not be acceptable against Olympiacos.

In the mean time, North London is red.