Arsenal entered the North London derby with pressure to win, after a stumble against Wolves that made the Premier League title race balanced with Manchester City. If one of the two teams wins the rest of the season, including a direct confrontation at the Etihad in April, they will be crowned.
Coach Mikel Arteta's team responded perfectly with a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. This is Arsenal's eighth consecutive unbeaten match in the North London derby, with 7 wins. However, it should be admitted that this is also one of the weakest versions of Tottenham in this series, when coach Igor Tudor only has 14 key players available and the team is facing the risk of relegation.
Despite the convincing victory, the problems that had been revealed in previous draws have not completely disappeared.
After Eberechi Eze opened the score for Arsenal, Declan Rice gathered his teammates and signaled to stay calm by pointing his finger at his temples. But just 24 seconds later, he himself lost the ball in the penalty area when trying to overcome pressure, creating conditions for Randal Kolo Muani to score his first goal in the Premier League. Rice just awkwardly smiled and raised his hand to apologize - a moment that quickly spread on social networks.
In terms of expertise, he may lack a passing plan, similar to the mistake that Martin Zubimendi made in the defeat to Manchester United in January. However, for Arsenal skeptics, this situation becomes evidence of psychological instability at a crucial moment.
Rice's emotional leadership style is not new. There were times when he scolded himself after the draw with Nottingham Forest, or got angry with the referee when he was still playing for West Ham United in the Europa League.
Frankly speaking, emotional outbursts may be the biggest weakness remaining in Rice's skill set. If Arsenal wants to maintain their position in the championship race and if he personally aims for the title of Player of the Year, such uncontrolled moments will not be allowed to repeat.
History often stands on the side of the winning team, and for Arsenal fans, the derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur is the only thing to remember. However, before that match, the atmosphere around the team was not pleasant and Mikel Arteta appeared more irritable than usual at the press conference.
The reason stems from a video on TikTok posted by Wolvers' media department, mocking Arsenal for their time-wasting actions right before Edozie scored the equalizer in the previous match. The clip spread strongly in the days before the derby, and Arteta was asked if he watched it.
No" - he replied briefly, then added: "What I read was Rob's press conference, their coach, and what he said about us as well as the messages he sent me. He said we are the strongest team in the league. I care about that more than anything else that I don't know who posted. Especially when I don't read those things".
This statement reminded many people of last season's situation, when Arteta said Luis Enrique and the Paris Saint-Germain coaching staff told him that Arsenal played better in the UEFA Champions League semi-final, even though PSG won 3-1 overall. Luis Enrique later refuted: "Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I completely disagree".
Those back-and-forth statements show that Arteta always defends the team in his own way, but sometimes also inadvertently creates more debate outside the pitch.
Arsenal entered this weekend with a 5-point gap from Manchester City, although they have played one more match than Pep Guardiola's team. The two teams both scored 56 goals, but in terms of attack depth, it is difficult to confirm that the "Gunners" possess more sharp options than their direct competitors.
On Man City's side, Erling Haaland still leads the Golden Boot race with 22 goals. Antoine Semenyo is third with 13 goals and has had an impressive start with three goals in the Premier League since moving from Bournemouth. In addition, Phil Foden (7 goals) and new signing Tijjani Reijnders (5 goals) are notable strikers, while Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush are gradually regaining their form.
On Arsenal's side, scoring efficiency still depends heavily on set pieces. However, Viktor Gyokeres's double against Tottenham Hotspur could become a turning point for the sprint stage. Bukayo Saka also showed positive signs when scoring in the match against Wolves.
If Eberechi Eze maintains his scoring form against other opponents besides Spurs and Crystal Palace, The Gunners' attack will have more stability needed for the championship race.
