Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: Gunners reignite Premier League title hopes with comeback win in the north London derby

There were five minutes to go until half-time in the North London derby and the atmosphere at The Emirates was about to turn ugly. Not the kind of ugliness that bedeviled Arsène Wenger’s final days, but whiny, anxious and frustrated.

It was the kind of anger that comes from being confronted with the specter of the mundane, when you’ve been promised so much more. And while Arsenal trailed with a Son Heung-min goal, normality, another season of trying and failing to win the league, stared them in the face.

But seasons have strange moments and perhaps it is Arsenal’s turn. Leandro Trossard won a corner that should have been a goal-kick, Arsenal scored from it, forcing Dominic Solanke into an own goal, and then scored again through Trossard on the edge of the break.

The ugliness turned to Ange Postecoglou instead. As the match neared its end and Spurs slumped to their eleventh league defeat of the season, leaving them languishing in thirteenth place, eight points above the relegation zone, ‘AngeOut’ started to become popular on X.

Arsenal have now won seven and drawn one of their last nine games against Spurs, and only the bottom three have lost more than Tottenham this season. Spurs’ pride is being trampled upon.

This is not the form of a team that a few seasons ago aspired to participate in the European Super League. Those of us who enjoy watching the football Postecoglou’s side play and believe that Spurs’ fortunes will turn around will be hoping that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy remains loyal to him.

But after this defeat, after struggling to get past non-league Tamworth in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, after a series of humiliations, Postecoglou is walking a tightrope. Nervous days lie ahead for those who still believe he represents the club’s best hope for a bright future.

Spurs’ season has been derailed by injuries, particularly in defence, and Wednesday night’s back five was the tenth different combination of goalkeeper and back four that Postecoglou has been forced into during the season.

Despite everything, despite popular belief, Spurs have remained relatively resolute at the back. Before this match, Postecoglou’s side scored only nine goals from eleven away games, the best record in the division.

The concern for Arsenal fans was whether their failing striker could produce the guile or ruthlessness to break down Spurs after the frustrations of recent games against Newcastle and Manchester United underlined how much they miss the injured Bukayo Saka.

They went into this match with the news that striker Gabriel Jesus had torn his cruciate ligaments in Sunday’s match against United and would be out for the rest of the season. Raheem Sterling got only his third league start since his summer transfer from Chelsea.

Sterling had a chance in the first three minutes. Arsenal tore into Spurs and put them off their pace from the start and Sterling almost latched onto a Myles Lewis-Skelly pass before being denied by Djed Spence’s tackle at the latter.

Spurs couldn’t get out of their own half. Arsenal were completely dominant. They came close again when Kinsky hesitated with the ball at his feet and Havertz blocked his clearance attempt. For a moment it looked like the German striker would get an open goal, but Kinsky fell on the ball like a man throwing a cloak on an open fire.

Spurs finally broke away when Spence made a great run down the left and crossed with the outside of his right foot. Solanke stretched to get there but Gabriel made a brilliant intervention, tapping the ball behind him for a corner.

Dejan Kulusevski forced a good save from David Raya shortly afterwards and suddenly Spurs were full of confidence.

When Arsenal only half avoided a corner midway through the half, Son met him on the volley and a deflection off Thomas Partey put the ball past Raya.

The match was now in full swing, the home crowd balanced between roaring encouragement and shouts of frustration.

Trossard executed such a perfect Cruyff spin that poor Pedro Porro twisted his knee and fell to the ground as he tried to adjust his body to his opponent’s feint.

A few minutes before half-time, Trossard won a corner. The Arsenal fans who claim there is a deep state conspiracy against them, orchestrated by PGMOL officials, might want to watch replays of his challenge with Porro. It shows that the last touch was Trossard’s. It should have been a goal kick.

Arsenal took full advantage of their bit of luck. Rice curled a corner to the back post with speed and accuracy, Kinsky was transfixed and Gabriel rose above Dominic Solanke and Radu Dragusin to nod the ball towards the unguarded net. It hit Solanke on the way and was recorded as an own goal.

Five minutes later, as the clock passed into extra time, Partey dispossessed Yves Bissouma in midfield and the ball was worked wide of Trossard on the left.

Trossard took a few steps forward and then unleashed a fierce attack that bounced awkwardly in front of Kinsky and evaded his attempt to parry before slotting into the net. It was a great attack, but Kinsky should have saved it.

There was no chance that Postecoglou would opt for caution in the second half. Instead, he brought on James Maddison for Bissouma and Brennan Johnson for Pape Sarr at half-time.

Arsenal should have taken the lead ten minutes after the break, but Sterling and Havertz turned the chance into a comedy of errors with a few miskicks and aerial shots. Sterling was substituted shortly afterwards. It hadn’t been his night.

After a period of exhaustion, the match came back to life twenty minutes before the end. Gabriel made another fine block to deny Solanke at one end before Arsenal stormed forward and Declan Rice turned his man inside out before aiming a piledriver straight at Kinsky.

Arsenal pressed and pressed for a third, but although Porro hit the post with a stinging shot in the final minute of extra time, it turned out they didn’t need it.