Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the North London derby in the sixth week of the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium, London, Sunday (26/9).
Arsenal who played at their best only needed 12 minutes to lead 1-0. The goal that opened the hosts’ victory was scored by Emile Smith Rowe.
In the 27th minute, Arsenal were able to increase the advantage to 2-0. This time, it was Smith-Rowe who acted as feeder for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal.
Smith-Rowe’s measured bait from inside the penalty box was able to be maximized by Aubameyang through a left foot shot that was lodged in the Tottenham goal.
The joy of the Arsenal fans was multiplied because Mikel Arteta’s men were able to increase the score to 3-0 just seven minutes later. The host’s third goal was scored by Saka through a horizontal shot in the penalty box.
In the second half, the Arsenal vs Tottenham match was more balanced. Arsenal are no longer free to apply pressure because Tottenham play more aggressively.
Tottenham even got two chances to reduce the position through Harry Kane. Kane’s first chance was blocked by an Arsenal defender and the next opportunity could still be secured by the home goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal try to respond to the pressure launched by Tottenham. Opportunities were obtained by Aubameyang but the shot he directed into the right corner of the goal did not manage to shake Hugo Lloris’ goal.
Tottenham’s efforts to reduce the new position bore fruit in the 79th minute. Son Heung-min scored Tottenham’s goal which made the score 1-3 after receiving Sergio Reguilon’s low pass.
In the second half of injury time, Tottenham almost scored the second goal in this match. Lucas Moura fired a shot from outside the box which Ramsdale saved and then hit the crossbar.
After that opportunity Tottenham were no longer able to score an additional goal. The score 3-1 for Arsenal’s victory lasted until the second half ended.
Harry Kane was a disappointment. Kane returned to play from the first minute of this match. He was supported by Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura in carrying out their duties as targetman.
However, Kane’s role as a goal-scoring pedestal was not able to be carried out by Kane in this match. The England captain failed to register his name on the scoreboard despite having recorded four shots.
The failure to score was not the only negative aspect of Kane’s performance. The 28-year-old striker also lost a lot of balls in this match.
Based on available data, Kane’s percentage of winning duels with balls only reached 33 percent. He also only won 20 percent of the duels for the ball down.
Kane’s most worrying record in this match is related to ball possession. Kane lost so many lost the ball reached 11 times.
So far, Kane has not been able to put his name on the scoreboard with Tottenham in the Premier League. From eight appearances in all competitions, Kane has scored just three goals with two goals coming in the UEFA Conference League and one goal in the English League Cup.
Kane himself at the beginning of this season was widely rumored to be joining last season’s Premier League champions, Manchester City. However, Kane’s transfer to Man City was not realized because Tottenham set the price too high for Kane.
