Tottenham 2 Arsenal 3: Quick start key again? What is Havertz? How unlucky were Spurs?

The title race remains on. Arsenal made sure of that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For Spurs, though, the race for a top-four spot looks less likely to be won after a chastening defeat to their north London rivals.

This derby victory put Mikel Arteta’s side four points clear at the top of the Premier League before second-placed Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest. City’s victory means there is now one point between the top two, with City having a game in hand.

Premier League: Title run-in

Position	Team	Games	Points	Goal diff.
1	Arsenal	35	80	57
2	Manchester City	34	79	50
3	Liverpool	35	75	41

Though Arsenal deserved the win, Tottenham could have considered themselves unlucky after a first half in which they had a strike disallowed for a very close offside and could have been awarded a penalty. Pulling two goals back meant for a nervy ending and they almost nicked a point.

Ange Postecoglou will have much to ponder, but his side came up against a determined title-chasing Arsenal.

Here, Art De Roche, Charlie Eccleshare and Michael Cox break down the action.

(Another) quick start key for Arsenal?

Arsenal extended their record as the Premier League’s most potent force in the opening 15 minutes when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg directed Bukayo Saka’s corner goalbound. It was their 12th goal in that period of a Premier League game this season, the most in the division, with Tottenham Hotspur’s 10 the second highest.

Those fast starts have been crucial to Arsenal’s title charge in the second half of the season specifically, with just three of those goals coming in the first 19 league games.

Equally important was the fact their opener came from a set piece. It was their 20th set-piece goal of the season, also the most in the Premier League, and allowed them to capitalise on their best period of the opening 15 minutes.

16 – Arsenal have scored 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season, the most by a team in a single campaign since West Bromwich Albion under Tony Pulis in 2016-17 (16). Strategy. pic.twitter.com/uEprfiFN4Z

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 28, 2024

Aside from those five minutes, Tottenham were on top. That is why having a routine of players starting at the far post to come to the near post, with Benjamin White causing confusion with the goalkeeper, can be so important. It opens games up and gives them a platform for more.

How Arsenal’s corners became a key weapon in title challenge

The same was the case for Kai Havertz’s 38th-minute goal. The corner came from the other side, but White stayed on Guglielmo Vicario while his team-mates ran across the six-yard box. The combination of these actions created enough chaos for Arsenal to claim their 21st set-piece goal of the season.

Art De Roche

Were Spurs unlucky?

The first half of this game was really strange.

You could be forgiven for looking at the scoreline and imagining Tottenham had been outplayed. Or that they’d been in the game but were naively caught out on the break. And while Saka’s goal did see them concede on the counter, it really wasn’t either of those two kind of games.

Tottenham were right in the contest and were extremely close to equalising on three occasions in the 12 minutes between falling behind and Saka making it 2-0. They had a very close VAR call disallow a goal scored by Micky van de Ven (below) that would have got them back into the game.

(Sky Sports)

Put it this way, they’ve played much worse on occasions this season but been ahead at half-time. That said, they’ve struggled defending set pieces all season and this is an area they have to improve in.

In open play, Dejan Kulusevski was particularly impressive, giving the Arsenal defenders a really difficult time and fully justifying his selection. With better finishing and a bit more luck, they wouldn’t have left themselves with such a mountain to climb.

Charlie Eccleshare

What is Kai Havertz?

Earlier this season, when Kai Havertz was struggling to make a consistent impact on games, it was fair to question precisely what he was. Was he a natural No 8? Not really. Was he a natural No 9? Definitely not. Where was his place in this system? What was he offering?

That seems a long time ago. Stylistically, Havertz is something in between those roles and on Sunday, he was both.

Few No 9s in the Premier League are capable of dropping deep and spraying the wonderful diagonal ball out to Saka for Arsenal’s second goal. And few No 8s would be capable of ghosting into the six-yard box unmarked and nodding home from a corner for Arsenal’s third of the game.

Kai Havertz’s first half by numbers vs. Tottenham:

21 touches
8 duels won
6 final third passes
5 aerial duels won
1 chance created
1 shot
1 touch in opp. box
1 goal
1 assist

Clinical Kai. 💪#TOTARS pic.twitter.com/JGaODNCuA6

— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) April 28, 2024

Havertz’s aerial ability also proved useful when Arsenal wanted to go long, particularly in the opening stages when Tottenham were trying to press, and won a couple of important headers inside his own box when Arsenal were defending set pieces — an area where they’d looked vulnerable in the early stages.

Havertz was a £60m-plus gamble. He is proving a winning bet

Other striking options — Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah — offer something different. But in this form, Havertz is undroppable.

Michael Cox

Did Hojbjerg gamble pay off?

It’s rare for Postecoglou to spring a big surprise with his team selections, but opting to start Hojbjerg on Sunday certainly fell into this category.

Doing so meant benching both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr and picking someone who had only started six Premier League games this season, when others have been unavailable. In eight games he had started in all competitions before this, Spurs had won just once.

Did the decision pay off? You’d have to say no. Hojbjerg’s headline contribution was an own goal to open the scoring after an even first 15 minutes, and in general, this was an afternoon where his limitations were shown up.

The odd loose touch and misplaced pass are nothing to slate a player for, but this was an afternoon when Spurs needed to be perfect. After a loose touch in the first half that Saka pounced on, Hojbjerg puffed out his cheeks knowing he had to up it.

He improved as the match went on, but it was a difficult game for a player who may well have just played his last north London derby.

Charlie Eccleshare

How did Davies deal with Saka?

Bukayo Saka against Ben Davies was always going to be the key match-up. With Destiny Udogie out for the season, that was the match-up most were looking at going into the game and it was clear Davies wanted to make an impression from the off.

He was touch-tight on Saka when he received the ball in the opening exchanges. The main objective was to ensure the winger did not have time to turn and run at him. That somewhat worked throughout the first and second half before he grew frustrated late on and was booked for fouling the England international on 80 minutes.

(Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

The issue for Davies came in open spaces. Saka knew that. So as soon as Havertz got his head up on the break, he was calling for the ball. Once under control on the right, the 22-year-old used Davies to perfection, committing him before cutting inside and finishing into the far corner.

Arsenal looking to hit Saka quickly has been a theme against Spurs for the past three seasons. It led to the opener in the first north London derby of this season, both goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, and two of the three goals in their 3-1 win over Spurs in September 2021.

Saka stepping up is not new for Arsenal. His goal also ensured that this is the best Premier League scoring season of his young career (15 goals).

Art De Roche

Arsenal show title credentials?

This was a performance that owed as much to resilience as ability.

So many details were supposed to make it extra tough – the wild intensity of this particular derby, the hostility of the venue, the amount of football Arsenal have clocked up compared to their neighbours in the past two weeks, the negligible room for error that exists in a Manchester City world.

Previous incarnations of Arsenal might have wilted, but this Arsenal, no matter how leggy they were in the latter stages, hung on. Their determination and unity kept them together under pressure at the end.

Arteta does not have much faith in his bench and the players who have become foundation stones in this late-season run are the players he will live and die by.

Amy Lawrence

The Tottenham vs Arsenal match dashboard, showing the threat timeline, territory, match stats, shot maps and pass networks

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

Ange Postecoglou praised Cristian Romero and suggested some other Tottenham players should look to him as an example of what he is looking for. “He was outstanding,” Postecoglou said. “He’s a World Cup winner and I’ve just got to get some of what’s in him into some of the others.”

On the performance and result, he said: “The outcome was disappointing. We wanted to win today for our supporters and for the club. We didn’t do that and whatever I think about the performance it’s still the outcome that sits on you. I thought our general football was good, was decent. We controlled the game for long periods for the most part but we know that. We know we’re a team that can do that.

“We’re still not absolutely laser-focused on the details, the small things that get you from where we are to become a team that contends. Credit to Arsenal, they’re there now. They’re a team that does deal with the details well and we don’t.”

What did Mikel Arteta say?

Arteta spoke about his level of confidence in his players. “I do (have faith in them), but in the last few minutes I was doubting them, to be fair!” he said.

On Havertz’s performance, the Arsenal manager said: “He was sensational in every department. He wasn’t 100 per cent today — he was ill before the match and was struggling a bit — but he still put in the performance that he put in. I thought he was unbelievable.”

What next for Spurs?

Thursday, May 2: Chelsea (A), Premier League, 7.30pm BST, 2.30pm ET

It’s another big London derby for Ange Postecoglou’s side, this time against former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino and his Chelsea team at Stamford Bridge.

The two sides last met in November, as Chelsea ended Spurs’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 4-1 win that saw the home side reduced to nine men after 55 minutes. Chelsea have a superb record at home to Spurs: the latter have only won once at Stamford Bridge in 34 years and that was back in April 2018.

What next for Arsenal?

Saturday, May 4: Bournemouth (H), Premier League, 12.30pm BST, 7.30am ET

Andoni Iraola’s side travel to the Emirates in Saturday’s early kick-off. Arsenal won the reverse fixture 4-0 in September and have never lost to the Cherries at home in the Premier League (six wins from six).

The most memorable of those encounters is undoubtedly the 3-2 comeback win in March 2023, in which Arsenal were trailing 2-0 with half an hour remaining. Goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White drew Arsenal level before Reiss Nelson scored a 97th-minute winner to inspire euphoria in the home crowd.