The pomp and ceremony of the pre-match build-up attempted to add fuel to the idea that Arsenal are full of angst. “They are very nervous!” boomed over the stadium’s public address system. Only they weren’t. They had a bloodthirsty mentality and the only bottle they displayed was of the bold and bold variety that underpinned a beautiful victory.
Invoking the nerve gods was an understandable impulse given recent weaknesses. But little did Tottenham know that Arsenal had spent the last few days healing, unifying, preparing and energizing themselves behind closed doors. Mikel Arteta reflected on how his group experienced the period between inexplicably wasted points against Wolves and confidently piercing the hearts of their rivals four days later.
“You have to get up because at some point you feel angry, upset, embarrassed,” he said. “And we’re all of different nationalities, we all have different feelings, and you have to unite everyone. We said, ‘OK, let’s love the players when they need it most.’ It’s been a pleasure to spend that time with them, to align everyone. But then, you have to live on the field.”
The way they did it was notable for the way Arsenal’s attack caught fire. They have been waiting a while for that to happen, possibly all season in terms of a constant flow of united forward players expressing themselves as a group. Eyes have been on the three signings brought in last summer to freshen up and add depth to Arsenal’s front line. Arteta persevered (well, he had to), particularly as he waits for Kai Havertz to be strong enough to take on a more serious load.
Viktor Gyokeres had his best game for Arsenal (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze were selected to start (with Noni Madueke as a last-minute substitute). They have found it very difficult at times since joining Arsenal. However, during a particularly wild second half, both Gyokeres and Eze seemed to have received a monstrous dose of confidence. Who were these guys? Where had they been hiding?
“You have to show it when it’s important,” Arteta said. “When things are really on edge and people are hesitant, that’s when you have to stand up.”
Of all the places and all the times to break their offensive inhibitions, it couldn’t be more significant than later on, with a title on the line and steam rising from the pressure cooker of the Premier League. It was no coincidence that the attackers as a whole felt lively alongside Bukayo Saka at full speed. Arsenal’s talisman has not had the easiest season, hampered by hamstring and then hip injuries, searching for a fresh rhythm after major surgery last year.
Reinstalled in his usual right winger position, he was in charge of tormenting Tottenham from the beginning. He provided a sort of technical leadership and it soon became clear that his connection with Eze, when they are both in the mood, has tantalizing possibilities.
Arteta was enthusiastic about Saka’s contribution: “I loved his attitude, his presence, how dominant he was in the game. From the beginning, the first immediate reaction is like (bang) he wants to take over the game and he really wants to say: I’m here. And that’s what I love.”
Saka was at the center of so much positivity. His intention was rewarded when he cut the baseline and made a cut towards Eze. With his first touch, he launched the ball upwards and, as it fell, he stretched like a ballet to throw it.
Amid the celebrations, Declan Rice reminded his teammates to keep a cool head. And yet…
Arsenal’s ability to drop a banana skin under their own feet is remarkable. Rice made such an unusual mistake by providing something to a team that had created nothing. He dallied as he ordered near his own area, giving Randal Kolo Muani the chance to score on Tottenham’s first real chance of the entire game.
Briefly, talk of nervousness seemed appropriate, but Arsenal’s second-half attack erased that possibility. Once they regained the lead, they played with a different focus and energy. Something more than the caution of perceived protection was sought.
Gyokeres excelled in all departments. It’s been a long time coming. Both goals demonstrated a perfect game from the center forward. For the first, he took a clean touch and launched his shot, with a touch of curl, into the net. His second was also emphatically beaten. But other than that, he chased and linked the game with gusto.
The fact that Eze enjoyed the occasion helped his performance improve. Clever touches and deceptive moves – this was what Eze’s Arsenal couldn’t miss. This was the Eze that captures the imagination when he can spread his wings.
Eze now has five goals against Spurs for Arsenal (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
His productivity against the team that chased him during the summer, before that fateful conversation with Arsenal, has been the highlight of a season of complex adaptation. But if a childhood Arsenal fan is to have a sweet spot, it might as well be against the old enemy. He followed a hat-trick at the Emirates with a couple here for a phenomenal comeback against this special opponent.
“I could see that he wanted to prove something,” Arteta reflected. “He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t confront him the other day from the beginning, and some of the decisions I made. And I have to understand how we are going to get the best out of him now.”
So here’s the problem. When Arsenal beat Tottenham by the same scoreline in November, they followed it up with a stylish 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich, and the characteristics of this emerging team seemed full of promise. Since then, there have been many ups and downs along the way, as they struggled to find the swagger of potential winners during the season’s hard work.
It remains to be seen whether this version of medicine aided by Tottenham-induced happiness is a more substantial turning point. Perhaps the best way to deal with nerves is to attack.
As Arteta summed up: “We show what we are made of, but then we have to show it again and again and again.”