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On Sunday, September 15, Arsenal are playing against bitter rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs. the first North London derby of the 2024–25 Premier League season will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal will be traveling with a diminished team for the match. Captain Martin ̘degaard's ankle injury sustained during international service will keep him out of the lineup for at least three weeks, meaning Arsenal will be missing crucial players.
Declan Rice has also been banned for the recent victory over Brighton after being sent a red card. Another new arrival, Riccardo Calafiori, may miss the game owing to injury worries, while summer addition Mikel Merino is also out with a fractured shoulder.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham had good goalmouth play in the first half as they each had scoring opportunities. Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario denied Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, while David Raya had to make a few good stops. The first half of the North London derby has been action-packed, aside from outstanding play on the field. There were several Yellow Cards issued, slide tackles, and player fights.
Gabriel opens the scoring in the derby for Arsenal! 💥 pic.twitter.com/AHd09uxOUW
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 15, 2024
Finally, after almost an hour, the impasse is broken. Bukayo Saka's corner kick is met with a strong header by Gabriel to put Arsenal ahead. Gabriel was unmarked by Tottenham's defenders during the set-piece. Jurien Timber of Arsenal and Pedro Porro of Spurs also came together in the first half, which resulted in a furious altercation amongst players.
Arsenal wins the North London Derby
In his first derby encounter, new acquisition Dominic Solanke missed a fantastic opportunity, which proved costly for Spurs heading into the second half. Arsenal took the lead thanks to a close-range header from Gabriel, who was unmarked after Ballon d'Or 2024 contender Bukayo Saka's exquisite ball from the corner reached him.
Tottenham Hotspurs were unable to break through the defense in the last five minutes of stoppage time, despite many late attempts on the Arsenal goal, thanks to some strong defending from Saliba and Gabriel. Arsenal did a great job of controlling the game and keeping their opponents from North London at bay. This was a big-boy performance before a busy week that included trips to Manchester City and Atalanta.