LONDON – A closely contested north London derby was ultimately decided by a set piece, with Arsenal capitalizing on a recurring weakness for Tottenham Hotspur under manager Ange Postecoglou. In the 64th minute, Bukayo Saka’s corner kick found defender Gabriel, who was unmarked and scored with a powerful header, securing a 1-0 victory for Arsenal.
This goal marked a trend; three of Arsenal’s last four Premier League goals against Tottenham have resulted from corner situations. Since last season, Tottenham has conceded 18 goals from set pieces, excluding penalties, a figure only surpassed by Nottingham Forest.
Postecoglou faced questions about this ongoing issue after the defeat, which left Tottenham with just four points from four matches. “There’s a narrative going on that I don’t care about set pieces,” he told reporters. “We work on them all the time, just like we do for the other aspects of the game. For the most part, we handled Arsenal’s threats well, but we switched off for one moment.”
Despite expressing confidence in the long-term development of his team, Postecoglou acknowledged his current challenges: “It’s my burden to carry, and I’m happy to do that. There’s a bigger picture at play which is more important than the finer details of our progress.”
Before the derby, he noted that the team’s four points could have easily been nine based on their performances against Leicester City, Everton, and Newcastle United. While Tottenham started well against Arsenal, they struggled to generate ideas in attack, leading to Gabriel’s decisive goal.
Son Heung-min’s performance dwindled, and new signing Dominic Solanke, valued at £65 million, appeared frustrated. The midfield lacked the creativity needed to penetrate Arsenal’s defense. Postecoglou expressed disappointment in his team’s struggle in the final third, stating, “It’s not a lack of trying; we’re just going through a phase where we perform well but aren’t getting the rewards. That’s football.”
Last season, Tottenham started strongly under Postecoglou, winning eight of their first ten Premier League matches. However, they have struggled early this season, failing to match that form. “In isolation, our football this year is likely more consistent than our first four games last year, but our results don’t reflect that,” he said.
Next weekend, Tottenham will face Brentford at home.