It wasn't pretty, but Arsenal claimed all three points on Sunday as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to win the latest edition of the North London derby.
The match was atypical for Arsenal as they were thoroughly dominated in possession at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Gabriel's powerful 64th-minute header was all that was needed for the Gunners to earn another victory over their rivals.
Arsenal struggles in possession and creating chances were due in large part to absences of influential midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, who missed the match due to suspension and injury, respectively. Jorginho and Thomas Partey were inserted into the starting XI by Mikel Arteta to replace the unavailable players, and while they did an admirable job filling in for the regular starters, Arsenal's tactics changed along with the personnel.
“We had to work really hard as you saw, we knew it was going to be a difficult game," Jorginho, who wore the captain's armband in Odegaard's stead, told Sky Sports. "On these days you have to work hard and we know we can count on each other as teammates.
"At the end it paid off and we are so happy that we won. We had key players missing but we are a total team, the whole squad. We know that whoever comes on will be ready to help the team. We are really proud of the team."
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