Arsenal earned back-to-back derby wins at Sp*rs for the first time since the 1980s but Mikel Arteta’s side were made to sweat for their 3-2 victory.
The Gunners’ third win on the bounce made it a very happy St. Totteringham’s Day and ensures we stay top of the table for another week as we look to end a 20-year wait for a Premier League title.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos made of this afternoon’s rollercoaster north London derby…
Mikel Arteta on the win and David Raya’s reaction…
Credit to the opponent. First of all, it’s a beautiful stadium to play in and a great atmosphere. You know how much it means to north London this match. We were really efficient in the first half, we were really good at the start of the second half with the chances and the control that we had. But we gave it away. We made a huge mistake. It cost us a goal. We made another one for the penalty. But then I loved the reaction of my players and the way David [Raya] reacted after that. He picked himself off the floor. He stood up, he took six, seven crosses. That’s what we want. If you want to be at the top, you’re going to make mistakes. You want to take risks, you’re going to be part of something that sometimes is not nice to be, but when you have that kind of reaction it’s top. So really proud of them.
Source: BBC Sport
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Ange Postecoglou his side’s defeat…
As a team, we’ve still got to deal with the little details in the game and have clear focus on everything we do. You can see that Arsenal do that, they make sure that everything is as they want it to be and we’re still a team that aren’t as focused for the whole game. And against good sides, you get punished and we got punished today. My main message [at half-time] was that we owed our fans something. We couldn’t go out in the second half and just accept our fate. We had to go out there and show some fight and some resilience, which I thought the lads did, to be fair, and, you know, gave their supporters a bit of hope.
Source: beIN SPORTS
Tottenham (2.73) 2-3 (1.28) Arsenal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) April 28, 2024
Martin Odegaard on taking the points…
The mood is good, I’m very happy to get a win in a big game in a derby. Away from home, it’s a tough game, I’m really happy, obviously with the way the game evolved you feel the relief. It’s a big win. We reacted in a good way [to Raya’s error], mistakes are part of football. We kept on fighting together. The game changed a bit in the second half when they got their momentum but we did so well to defend the box, especially towards the end. You see how good we are to defend and to fight for each other and how much we wanted to get the three points today.
Source: beIN SPORTS
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Son Heung-Min on his side’s performance and defeat…
Very, very tough to take it because the way we play, I think it was really good. We dominated the game and to concede three goals like this is painful. In those kind of games, I think we have to really step on it, especially in the set pieces. And it’s not individually, I think collectively, I think we have to be really strong on it. And I know they scored a lot of goals in the Premier League this season, but I think definitely we’ve got to do so much better, especially in the first half and the way we played. It’s just really, really painful. The fans, especially in the first half, the way we play, I think they really don’t deserve this three-nil feeling and that we are almost losing the game. It felt really disappointing.
Source: tottenhamhotspur.com
1988 – Arsenal have won consecutive top-flight away games against Tottenham for the first time since September 1988 (three under George Graham). Prior to this, they had only won two of their previous 17 away games against Spurs in the Premier League (D6 L9). Pride. pic.twitter.com/nxgji6DXwC
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 28, 2024
Arteta on securing his 100th Premier League win…
I’ve just been told. Thank you so much for everybody at the club for supporting me and for the players and as well the staff that contributes to that. It’s a good day to celebrate.
Source: BBC Sport
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Bukayo Saka on Arsenal’s defenders…
Big credit to all the defenders, they’ve been amazing all season. We’ve all seen that and they’re getting their credit, they showed that again today, they were so solid. When the atmosphere is against you and Spurs are piling on the pressure, they were so calm. David [Raya] as well made a mistake but he was so calm after, so credit to him. I’m so proud of the boys.
Source: Arsenal.com
It is now mathematically impossible for Tottenham to catch Arsenal in the Premier League this season. 🧮#StTotteringhamsDay pic.twitter.com/Ikl7muVYrI
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 28, 2024
Arteta on Kai Havertz…
He was sensational in every department today. 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 today.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Ian Wright on the match…
Massive win. Especially with City playing. City know what they’ve got to do. It’s not about the performance, you have to win this game. The way Tottenham came back in to it shows they probably should have started the game like this. Richarlison caused them [Arsenal] a lot of problems, he was in their heads a little bit.
Source: Premier League
Kai Havertz is the first #Arsenal player to both score and assist a goal in the first half of an away game against Spurs since Patrick Vieira – 20 years and 3 days ago.
— Tom Ede (@TomEde1) April 28, 2024
Paul Merson on Raya’s mistake…
All very nervous and all because of the goalkeeper, let’s be honest, it’s a bad mistake and it causes drama, there’s no need for it. Tottenham fans leaving today will be thinking ‘ooh, another 10 minutes and we could have got back in it’. The only reason they got back in it was because of the goalie, it’s as simple as that. It could have gone all pear, it could have gone pear, in the end three-all and then that’s it. The goalkeeper, a bad mistake by the goalkeeper, otherwise, bar that, I thought Arsenal were very good.
Source: Sky Sports
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Arteta on his players fighting to the very end of the season…
100 per cent – I have seen that the whole season and they have given me reason to believe that every single day. They have the motivation so I am expecting that they will have a real go.
Source: Post-game press conference
There have been more penalties in the Arsenal v Spurs match up than any other fixture in Premier League history. (26)#TOTARS
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 28, 2024
Andy Gray on Arsenal celebrating with their fans…
That’s a great result. That’s a massive game for them tonight. Four games to go and they are playing their biggest rivals and they’ve had to hang on, really dig in in a game they probably should have cruised. I don’t mind that today.
Source: beIN SPORTS
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Richard Keys on Arsenal celebrating…
Get down the tunnel.
Source: beIN SPORTS
Spurs posted an Expected Goals tally of 2.38 today against Arsenal, the highest that the Gunners have faced all season.
The second highest was 1.68 which came against Chelsea last Tuesday.#TOTARS
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 28, 2024
David Raya on his mistake…
I’ve learned from making mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t learn. It’s part of football. Everybody makes mistakes but the thing when a keeper makes a mistake, normally it’s a goal. It’s more seen, more talked about compared to a striker missing a tap-in or whatever. It’s just part of football and you learn from it. That’s the most important thing.
Source: Sky Sports
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Arteta on the importance of his backroom staff…
Thank you so much, everybody at the club, all the staff that are working with us every day, and especially our players to make it happen.The physios and the masseur and nutrition – everybody that is involved to have our players in the best physical and mental condition to approach every game. It’s been a really demanding April, and we have the whole squad ready, apart from Jurrien [Timber]. They are in a great place and we need that. We knew how important it was going to be.
Source: Arsenal.com
Paul Merson clearly still sore after the spanking we gave his beloved Chelsea!
Or he had a flutter on an Arsenal clean sheet….
What he’s saying is completely on the money though. Arteta was very charitable in public after Raya’s blunder today, hopefully he absolutely volleyed him around the changing room at the end of the game. He was purchased to literally not make those kinds of mistakes. That was the whole edge he had over Ramsdale, so to have gifted Spurs an opportunity to sew a load of chaos into a game that we had complete control of is awful. Sure he reacted well, but fuck me, you cant be doing that. Like if he just swept that ball up the pitch… Read more »
His edge over Ramsdale is clearly his outfield play, he’s made a mistake but he owned it and that’s all you can ask.
His edge is not letting in as many goals
A bit difficult to really pinpoint that being down to Raya, when we’ve kept Saliba and Gabriel together, and the inclusion of Rice too. No doubt Raya is very good — and I am not disputing his quality — I am just trying to say, fucking hell man… sort it out.
I mean, I’d much rather he didnt do it in the first place. I can understand if a keeper makes a mistake under real pressure but that was literally just a loss of concentration. Was under no pressure whatsoever.
I mean, isn’t this a bit of “captain obvious”. I think everyone (Mikel and Raya included) much rather he didn’t do it in the first place. But he did. He will make errors, especially being asked to play the way he does, but the reason Mikel chooses him is because his distribution is excellent (as it was yesterday apart from one glaring error), and he has the capacity to remain calm in the face of it (claimed everything in the air after all game). Without question he prevents goals by preventing opposition attempts. Without doubt it helps having three worldie… Read more »
You’re conversing with Ramsdale’s agent!
Donno, he’s had a couple of big-ish mistakes in key moments, like there was that incident in the Munich game when he misjudged the ball which lead to the Gabriel mistake. Then obviously yesterdays one too and a few others. And to be clear, I dont think Ramsdale is a better player than Raya, maybe slightly edges him in terms of actual goal keeping ability, but Raya is definitely the better player. And I think thats pretty objective, Ramsdale has made me genuinely look at certain shots on goal and he saves them…. and youre sat there asking yourself ‘..how… Read more »
Paul Merson….. great player that he was aside, hes like the friend you put your neck out to get a Job and just let’s himself down and makes you look bad
Andy Gray has such inventive ways of using many words to say absolutely nothing. “I don’t mind that” actually I bet you do mind that! Let’s face it, you’ve never liked us, we’ve never liked you, and today you can go eat your own word salad with a dressing of poopoo as befitting the intelligence of your commentary.
Feel like Andy Gray’s bearable and gives Arsenal credit. Richard Keys on the other hand…
Nope, never found him bearable. He only grudgingly gives us credit when we win. If things go against us he always takes the other side and gives completely asinine reasons why we deserved the result (regardless of any poor decision going against us) and he basically thinks refs shouldn’t ever call fouls and yellow cards should be reserved for literal leg-breaking tackles. It’s retrograde oafs like him who influence people’s opinions so that players like Saka are essentially open range, here have a hack, we’re not going to call fouls because idiots like Andy Gray keep calling back to the… Read more »
So pleased to read that Son and his fans found today “a really really painful” experience. It makes the result all the more enjoyable.
Hope they are able to fight for Conference League against Man City.
The truth is we better hope they have something to fight for when that game occurs.
I used to never mind Son until the Asian Cup. I think he’s a prick now.
That’s “plick”
It was a penalty, but it feels like there have been at least two identical calls on Jesus that have totally been ignored this year …
1. Chelsea goalie completely clattering him. 2. Douglas Luiz hooking him after a touch. And then I still feel like there was one more basically exactly the same as the Rice one, where he just gets booted after a touch. VAR is the biggest sham in football – a tool of manipulation used by a bunch of shady fucks influencing results.
B-b-b-ut didn’t you hear, they d-d-dominated the game Son said through tears
I like how we purposefully gave Sp#rs a bit of encouragement so they can embark on their next few games with more confidence. Other than that, as has been said a few times, a happy St Totteringhams day to yee all.
Nice to be charitable!
According to Son they domianted the game. Really? Tough luck!
The Celebration Police Commissioner, Richard Keys just continues to be a sexist Sky reject who knows nothing about Football or decency.
I honestly thought that one was a joke until I clicked on the source link. What an absolute turd.
To be fair, they had more possession and a better Xg. I don’t remember the last time somebody outperformed us in Xg.
I realize now my comment could have applied to either Son or Keys, but I actually meant Keys.
The better stat is surely goals scored rather than the fantasy of XG.
Teams can beat us every week on XG providing we score more goals.
When you score early in a game, converting chances, the other team is always gonna have a higher xG because they’re in full attack mode, they have no other choice.
Also, teams who get a penalty usually have more xG than others, because it increases xG by a lot.
People will invariably point the finger at Raya but what they don’t know is that Havertz shouted “DAVID” with near superhuman power and distracted our keeper (I was there, everyone heard it).
That almost cost us very dear – and now Raya and the rest of the squad should know; never trust a man who adopts donkeys, he is most likely himself a donkey in disguise.
Funny and successful trolling is an artform, you need some finishing touches mate
Perhaps he can go to the Chris Wood school of finishing 😢
You must be a Spurs fan then, as all us Arsenal fans were sat down the far end.
I thought Merson was fair in his words after the game. But Ian Wright is honestly doing my head in lately twerking for that Sly Sports job at the expense of being biased against us. There was no Spuds domination of Arsenal today, we created 5 goals, 3 for us and 2 for them. They didn’t trouble us in the slightest until after the first.
I’m so glad that Ian Wright is our unashamedly biased rep on that desk. I disagree, He is mostly always excellent.
That desk today on the Premier League’s global coverage included Adebayor and Tim Sherwood. Wrighty could have been a drooling idiot and still provide the most coherent discourse.
Why was Son interviewed when he didn’t play today? Weird.
Chris wood needs investigating
Richard Keys should go fuck himself with a cactus.
What a pathetic cunt he is.
He’d probably enjoy it too much
expecting a brand new “GET. DOWN. THE TUNNEL.” jingle tomorrow!
I read that as ‘circus’.
Produced some can’t unsee images in my head did that.
That was a massive. We move. COYG!!!!!
Saka is World class, shay given just compared him to arjen robben…….and……wait for it………Damien duff
I hate that I’m not fully enjoying this run in coz I keep looking over my shoulder at city. City could’ve easily lost that game to 3 of the worst misses youl ever see. After Haalands goal I switched it off, n now I’m goin to bed disgusted, after what should be the most joyous victory of the season. Statistically we are better than them, so my 1 small hope is that the law of averages dictstes the season shud end with us Victorious. If we win, I’m going to be unbearable. Sorry for the rant.
Whatever happens in the league, I hope City wins FA cup as I hate united much much more than I hate City.
Son said they dominated the game. He mean dominated possession. Son is also part of the spurs delusional network.
Always in Arsenal’s shadow.
They obviously need to be more dominant. Hopefully sp*rs will dominate every game they play next season and get relegated.
We won All that matters Raya made a howler, ALL keepers do, even Rambo. However he was rock solid after and that takes some doing. Also he very rarely makes mistakes! Dec was watching the ball, he didn’t see the spud booted him in the nuts which was fucking hilarious (almost worth conceding a penalty) It was accidental, no harm done because we won! What I love is how the team rallies round and supports each other after a mistake, yelling and finger pointing is not the answer, camaraderie is. All players in all teams make errors. Only the best… Read more »
Watched on the telly and I did the old ‘can’t sit down’ once the penalty was given until the final whistle went, at which point my mighty roar scared our cat half to death. Absolutely delighted of course, but the soul crushing feeling while watching Cheats FC and hoping they’ll drop points is now getting to me. You just know they’ll win. Our only (tiny) hope is Fulham imo. Do not even think about Spurs putting in a shift in that game. Even if Spurs can get CL by beating City they will still throw the game. No way will… Read more »
What the hell is Son smoking saying the dominated?! We gifted them 2 goals and allowed them back in for the last part. We should have a bit more care/luck in front of goal would have seen us out of sight.
Also, for once I completely disagree with Wrighty. Richarlison didn’t get in our heads. That screwed up faced bleached haired prick would never have scored even if we played for another 24hrs.
Raya was caught in two minds. I think he wanted to play an actual pass to Gabriel, but when he saw Romero (of all people) close that channel, he wanted to change his mind in the middle of the action and ended up with that cheeky attempt at a lob.
Forgivable, especially since we went on to win. Push City all the way. Something tells me they’ll drop points.
Do y’all think Richard Keys knows he’s a c*nt, or is he oblivious to his own c*ntiness?
City had better drop points before spurs, because spurs will absolutely throw that match
such is their professionalism
in fact they will all contact a brentford striker and have him put money down for a spurs loss
such is their professionalism
Does anyone else find nic jover on the touchline to be super pantomime and a bit annoying? He’s doing a fan job tho.
I’m all for the being free and expressive tho, just please be authentic about it. I feel Arsenal’s identity is about being authentic. So please where a shiny purple top hat next time and give the drama a good go