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Arsenal faced Wolves in early February – awarded a penalty which saw David Luiz sent off and lost 3 points due to an individual error. Between that game and yesterday’s North London Derby, the Gunners have played eight more times and offered their opponents a goal in five of those encounters following other individual errors.

Tottenham entered Sunday’s derby after winning their last five in a row and were only favored to claim their second UAE victory in the Premier League era.

Still, it was Arsenal who brought the game to their opponents – they pressed high and tackled. Emile Smith Rowe was pushed back by the crossbar early on, and the left flank was a constant threat to Tottenham as he and Kieran Tierney continually found dangerous positions and apparently took turns delivering a number of tantalizing balls.

Above is the expected value possession exemplified by the first and second half assists that highlight Arsenal’s success in the first 45 minutes to their left – the brightest area equates to an EPV plus raised.

However, Arsenal found themselves late on the half hour when Erik Lamela scored with Sp * rs’ first shot (and their only one up to 75 minutes), and although it was not the result of a individual error, it was a punch. which reeked of “here-we-go-there-again”.

Mikel Arteta’s team reacted well – Cédric hit the post after a good job on the left side of Smith Rowe and Tierney – before Martin Odegaard finally rewarded their efforts and above all, before Jose Mourinho had the chance to correct anything during the break.

Above are the cumulative Expected Possession Value (EPV) and EPV playflow graphs that depict the likelihood that either team will score possession in Sunday’s game.

Possession Value examines the area / area of ​​the court where a pass is made, and in which area / area it manages to find a teammate and quantifies the outcome – establishing the likelihood that a team will score from individual possession.

It also does a very good job of depicting a football match in graphic format. As above, Arsenal were in full control of Sunday’s game until around the 75th minute. At that point, the Gunners were in the lead when Alexandre Lacazette scored on the spot after being mowed down by Davinson Sanchez and the visitors were reduced to 10 men after Lamela’s second booking.

Mourinho’s side had to attack and Arsenal struggled to contain them as nerves set in, but managed to hold on for 3 earned runs and gave Mikel Arteta their first derby victory.

Above are the Possession and Field Tilt charts. Field Tilt measures the share of passes made in the attacking third.

Of all their time in the final third, Arteta’s team have amassed a whopping 72% Field Tilt – averaging one shot every 7.4 minutes. For context, Tottenham shot an average of one shot every 16 minutes and of those 6 attempts, 83% arrived after falling behind.

Above is the network of passes and positions to the second sub at 64 minutes and the individual net possession value odds from Sunday’s 2-1 win.

For anyone with an eagle eye – I’ve included up to the second substitution to better reflect Arsenal’s network of passes and positions, but please note that Saka was replaced by Nicolas Pepe at half-time .

Unsurprisingly, Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard all produced the highest progressive possession values ​​of the day, but they also played a number of regressive passes to recycle possession that impacted their value. net – however, their performance – especially in the first half – was outstanding.

Smith Rowe created more shots than the entire Sp * rs team combined (3), as Arteta cleverly targeted his right side with an out of position Matt Doherty receiving no help from winger Gareth Bale.

Tierney collected his third Premier League assist of the season and Odegaard scored his second goal in two games.

Above are the individual passing cards for Arsenal’s starting XI – Greens are successful | the blues fail

Martin Odegaard ranked 1st for passing in the penalty area (2), 2nd for progressive passes (5) and applied more pressure in the final 3rd than anyone on the field (12). In Arsenal’s biggest week of the season, the loaned Norwegian produced two Man of the Match performances and is getting better and better with each game.

Above are the individual defensive actions for Arsenal’s starting XI and the average territory covered by those defensive actions minus the outliers.

Granit Xhaka was also impressive in Sunday’s win – both influential in stopping transitions and retaining possession. He is more than capable of producing such displays for the Arsenal and as I mentioned in previous columns – there is a lot to like, but perpetual mistakes are never far away. However, when the mistakes don’t manifest, it’s easy to see why it’s been rated so highly by managers past and present.

Xhaka was first for tackles and interceptions (5), and pressed well throughout. The Switzerland international completed 96% of his 68 passes made, leading all players.

Kieran Tierney’s defensive performances are also worth mentioning – the Scotsman won 100% of his duels and posted a 100% win rate as he continually sought to take Arsenal forward, but never forgot his defensive responsibilities.

Above are the collective defensive actions for Saturday’s meeting on both sides – the defensive actions include challenges, aerial duels, tackles, ball recoveries, interceptions and fouls.

And finally, the plot above illustrates Tottenham’s intentions to enter the North London Derby – to sit deep, absorb the pressure and catch up with Arsenal at the break. It’s a tactic that has worked so well in the past for Jose Mourinho, but yesterday credit must go to Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard dropped his captain for disciplinary reasons and stayed true to his footballing philosophy, as his Arsenal side finally took a break and produced a performance few predicted before kick-off .

He has now beaten every manager in the “Big 6” Premier League and I hope his Arsenal side can start from here and end their season strong.

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