RIGHT, BOTTLE THIS UP NOW, ARSENAL
Monday 27th September by Tom Ball
Arsenal extended Tottenham's losing run to three league games with a 3-1 victory at the Emirates. The Gunners leapfrogged their North London Rivals to tenth in the table and extending their winning run to three games.
Last week Spurs came out the blocks like they smelt Chelsea's blood. That turned out to be their own as they got picked apart in a second-half rampage. However, the difference this week was that the rampage came in the first forty-five. Just after the half-hour mark, Arteta's men had the game wrapped up with a performance Arsene Wenger would be proud of. The free-flowing, ruthless counter-attacks that people came to the Emirates to see in the first half of the last decade were present on Sunday evening.
Emile Smith-Rowe rewarded the Gunners' intensity twelve minutes in slotting home Bukayo Saka's low cross. The reaction inside the Emirates represented a jubilant relief. Back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the last two seasons saw the already divided and vocal fanbase to a place many of them had no experience. However, welcoming their arch-rivals to the Emirates with fans for the first time in two years hardly gave room for any other outcome. The last time Spurs won away at Arsenal was November 2010.
The first goal seemed to kick off what seemed like more of a celebration. Martin Tyler described the Gunners' start as 'busy and purposeful'. Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka, two of the countries most likeable young talents, seemed to glide past the Spurs players with inspiration and enjoyment. It seemed more of an emotional ceremony of a game than a cold-hearted battering - Arsenal fans may believe the contrary. Topped off by a mature and talismanic performance by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After finishing off a scintillating Arsenal counter-attack, the Gabonese striker echoed Thierry Henry's famous knee slide celebration which can be found immortalised in bronze right outside the stadium. The Arsenal great watching from the stands. This is, and always will be, a great moment for their fans, beating Spurs always is. But what does this mean for the Gunners?
This is an Arsenal team brimming with confidence. Many critics would have skimmed over a pair of underwhelming 1-0 wins over Norwich and Burnley. However, the players' reaction, especially at Turf Moor, was a sign of a mentality change. The nature of those performances may not be the driving factor, however, many will tell you that football is a results business.
The positive fallout from Sunday presents a question: Can this mentality continue? Many ex-players will tell you it's easy to get up for the rivalries, the derbies and the titanic clashes of enemies. Playing an average Spurs in front of a full Emirates breeds an expectation for great performances. We have seen the polar opposite Arsenal team against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City, scoring no goals and shipping nine. Why does it take this occasion to formulate that ruthlessness?
Arsenal fans will feel agitated at the talk around how bad Spurs were. They may feel it's a deliberate diversion from how great their own team was. However, Arsenal producing in a performance against a rival isn't new - they did the double over the European Champions last season. It's their dramatic inconsistency that drags them back down the table. The best teams maintain a standard, no matter who they are up against. Arsenal couldn't be further from this in recent times. This story has been told many times. They win a big six clash and we all ask: Is this a turning point? The long term answer always ends up being no.
An opening set of fixtures that probably couldn't have been worse are now behind them. Early blips in player fitness and availability seem to be behind them. Arsenal can now begin to get some momentum, in terms of results and on an individual basis.
Whether you agree or not, this is most likely a make or break season for Mikel Arteta. Back-to-back eighth-place finishes, followed by the most expensive transfer window of any Premier League team demands progress. These players are playing a huge role in Arteta's team, Ramsdale seems to already be the first choice, along with Ben White. Martin Ødegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nuno Tavares are all playing considerable minutes. These arrivals were not just investments, they were reinforcements, intended to instantly improve Mikel Arteta's team and in turn, his fortunes.
Optimism should be reserved for this result, however, things turn very quickly for Arsenal. They should enjoy this moment but also bottle it up. They were faultless, regardless of Spurs, they did not step a foot wrong. If they continue this until May, they will be a lot further up the table than many expected them to be after they were battered at the Etihad, bottom of the league, no goals next to their name. They ended the relegation talk in these last three games, now a push for continental football should be on the agenda.