Arsenal recovered from a 1-0 deficit to beat Tottenham 2-1 in the north London derby. The Gunners take two points against Liverpool, who still have a game in hand, but points on the board are important and the pressure on the table can do strange things. But today and tonight are all about Arsenal’s continued dominance against Tottenham Hotspur as they claim another one-two against the white-clad outfit. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last six games against Spurs, winning 5 and drawing 1. Arsenal are unbeaten in eleven Premier League games. Tottenham, on the other hand, have failed to win in the league five times in a row.

Arsenal really wanted to win. This team is exhausted, battered and seemingly unable to recover in front of goal, but they are unstoppable. You know how much I hate to talk about desire and effort, but to me it feels like the story of the game. Declan Rice was everywhere. Martin Ødegaard was too. Gabriel Magalhaes played with his heart on his sleeve (as always). Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal’s youngest starter in an NLD since Cesc Fabregas in 2005, played like a seasoned pro. MLS is not a precocious academy product finding its footing. He is currently a player at Premier League level.

The piece itself is still not brilliant. The fit patterns are OK, but not great. The boys are still thinking too much in and around the penalty area and covering up their chances. Raheem Sterling, who played with energy and good movement, struggles a lot when it comes to the last ball. Apart from the goal, Leandro Trossard once again showed “my” performance. Thomas Partey’s legs have completely disappeared – he can’t run back in transition. However, the central midfielder was solid when he had the ball.

Kai Havertz was significantly slowed down by the yellow card he received in the first half. It was a deserved warning, but a serious warning as Lucas Bergvall had not been warned earlier for a similarly serious challenge. Side note: I really don’t like Bergvall. He runs uncontrollably through the middle of the pitch and repeatedly commits fouls. I also have no interest in his antics towards the end of the game. He threw Myles Lewis-Skelly into the goal, then dove and grabbed his leg. The Arsenal youngster laughed at him, which was great.

However, the defense is still fantastic. I’ve mentioned them before, but man, Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly were huge. Make your choice for Man of the Match. You can’t choose wrong. William Saliba was his usual rock solid and composed self. Jurrien Timber plays consistently and with high quality as a right-back. The Gunners didn’t concede a shot on goal after Spurs opened the scoring in the 25th minute. This is the Arsenal defense we know and love. They closed the games.

Also, Tottenham is bad. Really bad. They have several more injuries than Arsenal, but their manager refuses to adjust his tactics. Ange plays Ange’s way, regardless of who he’s out there competing against. It makes no sense. They use third and fourth choice defenders. They don’t have a midfield. Surely you have to adapt to try to protect your own goal, right? Arsenal forced them into their own half for much of the game and when they did break through, their attack was largely toothless. May Ange Postecoglou stay at Tottenham for a long time.

Were you worried when Arsenal conceded the first goal? When I think back, I’m actually surprised at how safe I still felt. There was definitely a “here we go again” feeling too. Arsenal had dominated the game, failing to convert their chances and the opposing team scored after a massive deflection. An Arsenal defender won the header from a corner and the ball fell straight to Son at the top of the penalty area, in a huge space (how do you leave him so wide open)? He even missed his volley. It still ended up in the Arsenal goal, because of course it did. That’s how this season went.

One day perhaps Spurs players will learn not to silence the Emirates crowd. After scoring, Son put his finger to his lips and asked the crowd to sit down. I’d like to reiterate that Spurs didn’t have another shot on goal after that.

Arsenal equalized 15 minutes later with some luck. Finally, the Gunners had a bit of luck – they were awarded a corner when the ball deflected off Leandro Trossard. Gabriel won the header at the back post, which bounced off Dominic Solanke and was ruled an own goal. Kudos to William Saliba and Thomas Partey for (cleanly) causing chaos and excitement in the goal area to stop Kinsky from taking the corner, and to Declan Rice for (another) flawless set piece.

Four minutes later Arsenal took the lead. Leandro Trossard fired a shot into the bottom corner on a transition from a loss of possession in the middle third. The goal was due in equal parts to the goalkeeper having to do better and the Belgian firing a howitzer-like shot that bounced hard, evasively and viciously on its way to the goal.

Football can be a simple game, as two of the three goals showed. Good things happen when you shoot. Especially if you cover it entirely with leather on the frame like Trossard did. The winger has struggled this season and his shots, which were so good last year, haven’t been up to par. It’s great to see him catch one. Maybe he can give some pointers to Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz, both of whom continue to struggle with finishing.

Arsenal needed this game. The home defeat to this weak Spurs side may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Instead, the club receives a massive morale boost and scores points against Liverpool. Unsurprisingly, Mikel Arteta and this group of players haven’t given up anything. They are not. As previous seasons have shown, these guys will give it their all and fight to the bitter end.

Watch the gap, Spurs. It’s 19 points. North London is red.