Arsenal won the 196th edition of the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the third time in a row.

Mikel Arteta brought Jorginho into midfield with Declan Rice serving a one-match suspension, while dropping Leandro Trossard deeper to replace the injured Martin Ødegaard. Arsenal defended in a 4-4-2 formation with Kai Havertz and Trossard up front, creating a central block of Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli.

Ange Postecoglou set his team up to take advantage of Arsenal’s absence. Spurs dominated possession in the early stages, giving Arsenal no breathing space. Tottenham had a few moments to find the opening goal in the first half, but a series of crucial saves and tackles from David Raya, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber kept the score level.

Arsenal’s big moment of the first half came when Martinelli went straight for goal. Instead of playing a ball to Bukayo Saka, Martinelli went for goal, but goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario saved the ball easily.

Tensions at Derby reached boiling point in the 36th minute when Jurrien Timber challenged Pedro Porro. Referee Jarred Gillett booked Timber and Vicario for the challenge and the coming together.

Seven total bookings in the first 45 led to a tense second half, with both teams unable to find a rhythm coming out of the tunnel. Arsenal eventually found the opening goal in the 65th with a strike from Gabriel. The Gunners’ defence held firm for the rest of the game to secure victory. The loss marks Tottenham’s worst Premier League start in nine years, with Postecoglou still in the hunt for that first derby win.

Arsenal face another tough test in the Premier League next weekend as they travel to the team they have tried to outdo for the past two seasons: Manchester City.

Starters

Premier League: David Raya – 7/10 – The reigning Golden Glove winner controlled his penalty area well and made a number of fine saves early in the match.

LB: Jurrien Timber – 8/10 (Man of the match) – Received a yellow card in the first half and was dynamic on the left flank.

CB: Gabriel – 7/10 – Found the opening goal in the 65th minute with a thumping header from a corner. Arsenal’s best offensive weapon on corners continues to deliver.

CB: William Saliba – 7/10 – He made a number of hard tackles to deny Spurs an early goal, but was shown a silly yellow card for delaying the restart early in the first half.

RB: Benjamin White – 5/10 – Sometimes sloppy in possession, but kept a clean sheet away from home.

CM: Thomas Partey – 5/10 – Was sometimes sloppy with the ball and struggled to position himself against Tottenham’s midfield.

Head Coach: Jorginho – 5/10 – Received a yellow card in the second half, but lacked speed at key moments.

CM: Leandro Trossard – 6/10 – Played a couple of passes in the first half that deserved an end product. Wasn’t as instrumental as Ødegaard usually is, but remains an important part of Arsenal’s squad. Substituted in the 80th minute for Raheem Sterling.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10 – Worked hard, Arteta will be frustrated that he didn’t get the ball square in the first half. Replaced by Gabriel Jesus in the 80th minute.

ST: Kai Havertz – 6/10 – Both in and out of the game he kept the ball well at certain points.

RW: Bukayo Saka – 6/10 – Struggled to deal with Son Heung-min and Destiny Udogie’s double effort. Played the corner to find Gabriel’s opener. Substituted in the 86th minute.

Substitutes

Raheem Sterling – 5/10 – Made his debut for Arsenal in the 80th minute, but was not given much time to prove himself.

Gabriel Jesus – 5/10 – Same case as Sterling, not enough time to really impact the match.

Ethan Nwaneri – 5/10 – Came on for Bukayo Saka in the final minutes of the match and had possession of the ball for some time.

Manager

Mikel Arteta – 8/10 – Set his team up to make up for the shortcomings of injuries and suspension. Could have made a substitution earlier to do things differently, but overall he can walk away happy with the result given the circumstances for the derby.