Positives & negatives from Arsenal's 2-1 North London Derby win

Giving up an early goal to Son Heung-min foreshadowed yet more misery for Arsenal, but Gabriel Magalhaes and corners go together like Mikel Arteta and a cringe tagline about culture.

Arteta's "project" looks safe after Gabriel headed an equaliser, albeit via a crucial touch from Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke, before Leandro Trossard scored to win the second North London Derby of the season.

Wednesday's 2-1 victory means the Gunners are right back in the thick of the Premier League title race after Liverpool dropped two more points against in-form Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. Arsenal can thank Gabriel and his appetite for attacking a corner, as well as Trossard's ability to do something just a little bit different in the final third.

They overhauled the deficit after Son's 25th-minute shot grazed an increasingly shaky William Saliba en route to goal. Fortunately, Solanke returned the favour when he helped Gabriel's header get over the line.

Trossard was probably also grateful to Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. He let the Belgian's low, skimmed shot trickle over his outstretched hands and into the net for a half-time lead Arsenal never relinquished.

A big part of the reason the hosts stayed strong was the performance of teenage left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 18-year-old is going from strength to strength, but the same can't be said of a senior Arsenal midfielder.

Positives & negatives from Arsenal's 2-1 win North London Derby win

Positive #1: Gabriel Magalhaes back to his best

Saliba has been sliding about on dangerous ground for a while now, but one half of Arsenal's central defensive partnership is still formidable. Gabriel is back to his best at both ends of the pitch after a true star turn when his team needed it most.

First there was the goal, a timely equaliser to quiet the growing rumblings of discontent at the Emirates Stadium. Proof the much-vaunted connection between fans and Arteta's players is results-based. Who knew?

Gabriel got fans singing in accord with the "process" when he loomed large at the back post and put a neck muscle or two through the ball. The inadvertent help from Solanke didn't detract from Gabriel underlying his underlining status as Arsenal's most consistent attacking threat this season.

While that status has its own problems, Gabriel turned his day job into an art form with some exceptional defending to deny Spurs. He was too strong to be beaten in the air, while the Brazilian's anticipation on the deck was faultless.

This sensational tackle to prevent Solanke from scoring a tap-in was the signature highlight. Matthijs de Ligt, eat your heart out.

He doesn't wear the captain's armband, but Gabriel is the true vocal leader of this team. Having him in peak form for the second half of the campaign is one edge for Arsenal in the title race.

Negative #1: Thomas Partey's tame showing

There was something fitting about Thomas Partey's lone positive contribution. Partey slammed into Yves Bissouma to win the ball and set Arsenal en route to Trossard taking the lead.

It was a clash between two once highly-touted midfielders who have failed to deliver since getting their big moves. Bissouma has disappointed for Spurs, while Partey has consistently frustrated since joining Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for a small fortune back in 2020.

The £45m man mostly played this game at a soporific pace. That was no small achievement given the usual frenetic energy and hot intensity of a typical derby.

What's more worrying is Partey continuing to be trusted for big games, even after doing next-to nothing to justify the faith. Partey's below-par, but Mikel Merino still isn't getting the start when it matters, despite his status as one of Arteta's key signings last summer.

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