Gary Neville names what he loved about Arsenal's win at Tottenham in North London Derby
Gary Neville has lauded Mikel Arteta and Arsenal after their 1-0 win away at rivals Tottenham. The Gunners earned bragging rights in North London thanks to Gabriel's second-half header from Bukayo Saka's corner.
Arsenal returned to winning ways after their controversial draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, on the eve of the international break, as Declan Rice was sent off. The triumph catapulted them back to second as they ensured their injury issues didn't impact them against Ange Postecoglu's side.
Following Liverpool's defeat at home to Nottingham Forest, Arteta's side were handed the opportunity to lay down an early marker in the Premier League. The Champions League returns to the forefront in midweek when Arsenal travel to Atalanta on Thursday before facing the top-flight leaders on Sunday.
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Arsenal frustrated their opponents on Sunday, stifling the attacking threat from the likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison. Gabriel rose highest as the Gunners continue to reap rewards from set-pieces with Saka delivering on a six-pence.
Neville compared the win to the type of victory that George Graham's Arsenal became synonymous for during his glory years in the Highbury hot-seat in the 1990s. He said: "Really impressive day for Arsenal.
"'One-nil to the Arsenal' was a song that used to be sung many many years ago but the ability to go away from home, be tough to beat, not be invested in an attacking sense but to have the know-how, the smartness to navigate a victory (is) really, really enjoyed it.
"I enjoyed it, a different win for Arteta but one that deserves a lot of credit."
Speaking after the triumph, Arteta said: "Super happy obviously. We know what it means to our club and our people to win a North London derby.
"We have the power to make them very happy so hopefully we achieved that. On the performance we had good moments and others where we had to suffer.
"We suffered because we had to adapt the plan because of the players that we had available. I loved it.
"The second we started to get that news, the team got hungrier and hungrier to play that game. It’s a big compliment to everybody at the club to behave in a certain way.
"It’s a tough week coming and instead of finding any excuses we did the opposite. We faced the challenge, played with courage and acknowledged the qualities we had to win the game."