Arsenal continue their push for the Premier League title having beaten Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, putting the pressure on Manchester City in the process.
We would forgive any Arsenal fan who has spent the afternoon biting their nails after a nerve-shredding afternoon.
It all looked to be going so well for Arsenal as they raced into a 3-0 lead before the half-time whistle sounded.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s own goal set Arsenal on their way before Bukayo Saka slotted home number two.
Kai Havertz added a third and Arsenal seemed to be out of sight but David Raya’s mistake turned the game.
Raya handed Cristian Romero an easy goal before Son Heung-min’s penalty set up a frantic last few minutes.
Arsenal just about managed to hang on and it’s now over to City as they take on Nottingham Forest this afternoon.
Gary Neville on Nicolas Jover
One of the key stories to come out of this game is Tottenham’s continued problems from set pieces – and Arsenal’s continued excellence.
The opener came as Hojbjerg nodded a Saka corner into his own net and the third was a Declan Rice delivery which Havertz headed home.
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table in terms of goals from set pieces and they exploited Tottenham’s weakness there.
Spurs have conceded goals from set pieces for fun in recent months with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario being targeted on a regular basis.
The mastermind behind Arsenal’s dead ball excellence is Nicolas Jover, who serves as the club’s set-piece coach.
Joker has come in for huge praise this season and Gary Neville joined in after Arsenal’s latest set-piece domination.
“He’s a little nuisance, that set piece coach, but he’s damn good,” said Neville on Sky Sports (28/04, 2:15pm) after seeing Jover celebrate on the sidelines.
Who is Arsenal coach Jover?
Jover hails from Berlin and his first major step in football was to become a video analyst at French club Montpellier.
The 42-year-old spent a spell as an analyst with the Croatian national team in 2013 and moved on from Montpellier in 2016.
Brentford brought Jover to English football in 2016, taking a key role on Thomas Frank’s coaching staff in West London.
Jover moved on to Manchester City in 2019, becoming a set-piece coach on the recommendation of Mikel Arteta, who was then on Pep Guaridola’s staff.
It was therefore no surprise when Arteta brought Jover to Arsenal in 2021 and the Gunners are now the most dangerous team in the league from set pieces.
Arteta will get the praise if Arsenal do win the league, but Jover’s influence cannot be overstated with the Gunners reaping the rewards of his expertise.