Arsenal secured their first north London derby win since 2014 with a comprehensive 2-0 success against Tottenham.
Arsene Wenger’s men had failed to win their last six games against their local rivals, but first-half goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez secured victory.
Spurs had every right to feel aggrieved about the award of the free-kick that led to Arsenal’s opener, while both goals had hints of offside, but they were outplayed throughout as their poor record in big away games under Mauricio Pochettino continued.
What they said
Tweet of the match
Big gameitis again for Spurs thus far. For all their progress under Pochettino the lack of victories over the big teams is alarming.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 18, 2017
Star man – Mesut Ozil
2️⃣ goals in just 305 seconds meant we weren’t able to share it at the time…
…but this @MesutOzil1088 stat ???? pic.twitter.com/7cfZcuAeEM
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) November 18, 2017
Moment of the match
Davinson Sanchez had appeared to win the ball cleanly from Alexis Sanchez on the Arsenal left, but referee Mike Dean spotted a foul from the Spurs defender. And from the resulting free-kick, Ozil swung in a fine cross which was met by a Mustafi header. Tottenham had every right to feel aggrieved about the award of the set-piece, but there was no doubting the quality in both the delivery and the finish from Arsenal’s German duo.
View from the bench
Pochettino has rightly earned plenty of plaudits for his work at Tottenham, but this latest defeat raises more questions about his record in big games. Since the Argentinian took over, Spurs have won just one of 17 league trips to the other big-six clubs – a 2-1 win at Manchester City in February 2016. With Pochettino targeting Premier League and Champions League glory, it is a problem he is going to have to sort quickly. A trip to the Etihad Stadium is under a month away.
Player ratings
What a performance by @MesutOzil1088 – he receives a deserved standing ovation as he leaves the field ????#AFCvTHFC ???? 2-0 ⚪️ (85) pic.twitter.com/LRvFy27Z5a
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) November 18, 2017
Who’s up next?
TICKETS: Updated information for our @ChampionsLeague clash with Borussia Dortmund on November 21 –https://t.co/nSqKuASa8j pic.twitter.com/KcRX5xq21z
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 20, 2017
Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham (Champions League, November 21)
