BBC pundit Troy Deeney has heaped praise on an ex-Gunner who left north London in the summer, with the former Arsenal ace now really impressing at his new club.
Arsenal back to winning ways after 1-0 win away to Tottenham
Manager Mikel Arteta was in spirited mood after his side came away from their trip to Tottenham with all three points on Sunday, not to mention all the North London Derby bragging rights.
While Spurs dominated possession and created openings of their own, a resolute Arsenal thwarted Ange Postecoglou’s side, with star defender Gabriel Magalhaes making the home side pay for their lack of cutting edge in the final third.
Gabriel claimed Arsenal’s winner 64 minutes into the contest, rising above all others to thump a close-range header past Guglielmo Vicario from a corner, who was again made to pay for a lack of assurance in dealing with set pieces.
Tottenham failed to fight their way back from only goal of the game, with Arteta praising Arsenal’s derby display, which was made all the more impressive considering they were without a host of first-team players in club captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Spurs vs Arsenal (last 7 meetings) | |
|---|---|
Date | Result |
15th Sept 2024 | 1-0 Arsenal win |
28th April 2024 | 3-2 Arsenal win |
24th Sept 2023 | 2-2 draw |
15th Jan 2023 | 2-0 Arsenal win |
1st Oct 2022 | 3-1 Arsenal win |
12th May 2022 | 3-0 Spurs win |
26th Sept 2021 | 3-1 Arsenal defeat |
“The people that we have, I think I already spoke about it during the week, people that are harder, they have thick skin, they love the game and they love winning,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Spurs.
“In order to love the game and win, you have to do a lot of things – sometimes people call them ugly. Enjoying doing those ugly things is a big compliment of this team right now, and when you’re able to normally, you get a good gift.
“We’ve won three years in a row here. I don’t know when’s the last time that this has happened, so that’s a big thing. I think they believe already, we’ve won a lot of big games. It’s a big week coming up and that’s going to give us a lot of energy and belief. Obviously, there are a lot of things to get better today. I don’t think we’ve done, especially with the ball, the simple things right at all. We will get better.”
Before Sunday, it was actually 35 years since Arsenal last beat Tottenham three times in a row away from home, so the Spaniard broke a record which spanned over three decades on a memorable afternoon.
Troy Deeney hails Emile Smith-Rowe after quitting Arsenal
Arsenal’s team were not the only players to enjoy a fruitful weekend, though, as midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe continues to shine for new club Fulham – after the Englishman joined them for a club-record £34 million in the summer window.
Reports claimed that Arteta would’ve ideally liked to keep Smith-Rowe, but the 24-year-old certainly won’t be regretting his switch across London so far. Indeed, he provided an assist for striker Raul Jimenez in their 1-1 draw at home to West Ham on Saturday, building upon his goal against Leicester City around three weeks ago.
Smith-Rowe is having a real influence at Fulham right now, starting all four of their opening Premier League matches, coming after saw his game time at Arsenal diminish in the seasons before leaving.
The £60,000-per-week Hale End academy graduate could be one of the signings of the season if he carries on this form, and pundit Deeney has showered praise on Smith-Rowe, naming the player in BBC Premier League Team of the Week.
“He’s decided to turn into an absolute monster and is just doing his thing,” said Deeney on Smith-Rowe’s performances at Craven Cottage. “He probably had to leave Arsenal to go to a smaller pond and be that big fish. Anything good that comes out of Fulham is through him. He was excellent.”
