LONDON – Arsenal came from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and cut the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.

Son Heung-Min gave Spurs the lead against the run of play in the 25th minute after his shot from the edge of the box deflected off William Saliba and flew past Gunners goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal responded 15 minutes later when Gabriel Magalhães tried to meet Declan Rice’s corner at the back post, but Radu Dragusin’s header hit Dominic Solanke and found a way past Antonin Kinsky.

Tottenham goalkeeper Kinsky, making his league debut after a £12.5million move from Sparta Prague, endured a shaky first half and was at fault for failing to stop Leandro Trossard’s low shot from outside the penalty area a minute before half-time can, which turned out to be the right match winner.

A tense second half followed, with Arsenal creating the better of the chances before Spurs defender Pedro Porro hit the post deep in stoppage time, but Mikel Arteta’s side secured a win that moves them into second place ahead of Nottingham Forest. However, leaders Liverpool still have one game left: the rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton on February 12. — James Olley

Arsenal oust Liverpool lead…

Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest a day earlier will have only given Arsenal more motivation, if any was needed for their visit to their strong local rivals. The last time Liverpool dropped points against Manchester United on January 5th, Arsenal had already drawn at Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, they took full advantage of this game week.

Confidence had been somewhat faltering in these parts after successive cup defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester United, and while this was far from a complete performance, they secured a valuable win that put the pressure on Arne Slot’s side ahead of the Reds increased. difficult trip to Brentford on Saturday. — Olley

… but the striker’s doubts remain

Despite the result, Arsenal were once again not at their best in front of goal.

They finished with an expected goals value of 1.70 – significantly lower than their games against Newcastle and United – and required an own goal from a set piece and a goalkeeping error to beat Spurs. Arteta changed his forward line here, handing Raheem Sterling a rare start – only his third in the league since his loan from Chelsea last summer – while Trossard occupied the left flank and Gabriel Martinelli was on the bench.

Judgments shouldn’t be overly critical on a night where Arsenal showed courage and fight to get over the finish line, but their overall performance in the final third did little to allay long-standing concerns that they might be missing another player need to sign to strengthen their forward line this month. Kai Havertz had another unconvincing night in goal, while Sterling was better without the ball than with it. The call to sign a striker this month would have grown exponentially had they failed to win here, and although they have avoided that fate, the conversation will undoubtedly continue.

Set pieces have once again been the saving grace for Arteta’s side: Arsenal have scored four league goals from corners against Tottenham since the start of last season – the most goals a team has scored against an opponent in that period. — Olley

Kinsky’s baptism of fire in the Premier League

For Kinsky it was quite an introduction to life in Tottenham. After joining on January 5, he has already kept a clean sheet for Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and in the FA Cup third round game at Tamworth on Sunday. But on his Premier League debut, the North London derby was a completely different challenge for Kinsky and a real test of his mentality and composure. He ensured that Havertz was constantly under pressure with every touch of the ball he got, ensuring he was always in a rush as he attempted to play out from the back.

Although his distribution was mostly good, he was caught twice by Havertz dallying with the ball. While he had done well with the constant bombardment of corners into his six-yard box, Solanke’s own goal saw him caught by a teammate as he tried to knock the ball free. The Czech U21 star would have hoped he would have at least been aware of Trossard’s shot in the 44th minute as it flew through his outstretched arms.

But to his credit, Kinsky remained true to his beliefs. In the second half he made an excellent save from Martin Odegaard and kept Arsenal’s lead at a single goal. He appears to be a smart signing from Spurs and a good competitor for Guglielmo Vicario as their starting goalkeeper continues to recover from a broken ankle, but it was a mixed performance from him. — Tom Hamilton

Is Son still Spurs’ main man?

While Tottenham searched in vain for an equalizer in the final stages of the game, their lucky striker and club captain Son watched from the bench. It was shocking to see him come on for Richarlison in the 78th minute.

Son has been irreplaceable at Spurs for so long, and rightly so. He is a club legend, a wonderful player and someone who can decide the game in an instant, but his substitution shows he is no longer untouchable. Things started so well for Son that after 25 minutes he scored the lead for Spurs with a deflected shot. It was his first Premier League goal since mid-December, when he scored in a 5-0 win over Southampton.

The rest of his time on the pitch he stayed on the halfway line and tried to counter, but Spurs’ transition game was marred by their midfield constantly coughing up the ball. He had just 24 touches of the ball – his second lowest total in the league this season, just ahead of the 18 he managed in 33 minutes against AFC Bournemouth. Eventually his number was held and in his place Richarlison failed to apply pressure on the left flank as Spurs walked the fine line of pushing for an equalizer while trying to nullify Arsenal’s counter-attack.

Son’s substitution means he has made just one appearance in Spurs’ last eight Premier League games – on that occasion he played the full 90 games as Tottenham lost 4-3 at home to Chelsea. — Hamilton

The pressure on Postecoglou remains

It’s difficult not to have some understanding of the injury problems Ange Postecoglou is struggling with at Tottenham. Without their two first-choice centre-backs, two left-backs and two goalkeepers, Spurs’ patched defense always looked vulnerable.

However, this is a result that leaves Tottenham in 13th place after their 11th league defeat of the season. Only the three teams in the relegation zone – Wolverhampton Wanderers (13), Leicester City (13) and Southampton (16) – have lost more. Postecoglou has two cup competitions to fight for – and the prospect of a second leg in next month’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, in which they lead in the first leg, should protect him from any immediate danger, but there is certainly one to come soon from this one At this point the pressure on the Australian will increase.

They are now 14 points off fifth place – which will probably be enough to secure UEFA Champions League football – and just eight points above the relegation zone. The results need to be improved, also taking into account the mitigating factors. Like Arsenal, Spurs are also under pressure to perform in the market, but for a very different reason. — Olley