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Ikenna Ngere
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Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s North London Derby, climbing to second place in the Premier League standings.
Despite dealing with injuries to key players like Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino, along with the absence of Declan Rice due to suspension, the Gunners managed to claim all three points.
Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko were also unavailable for the match.
The decisive moment came in the 64th minute when Gabriel Magalhaes headed in from a pinpoint Bukayo Saka corner, giving Mikel Arteta’s side the lead.
The defender’s towering header proved the match-winner in a game that saw multiple yellow cards and heated exchanges between the two rivals.
Both sides had their share of opportunities in the first half, with Arsenal’s Jurien Timber and Tottenham’s Pedro Porro involved in a scuffle that intensified the derby atmosphere.
New Spurs signing, Dominic Solanke missed a key chance in his derby debut, which proved costly for the home team.
Tottenham pressed for an equalizer as the match progressed, but Arsenal’s defence, led by Gabriel and William Saliba, stood firm.
Their resilience ensured the Gunners held on for a clean sheet, denying Spurs any late breakthrough during five minutes of stoppage time.
With this defeat, Tottenham dropped into the bottom half of the table after four games. At the same time, Arsenal’s victory propelled them to second place, just two points behind league leaders Manchester City, whom they face next Sunday.
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