LONDON – It was a close, heated north London derby that saw Arsenal beat Tottenham 1-0, making a big statement early in the season.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were missing a number of key players and Gabriel’s header secured a big win that takes them to 10 points from four games. It was a determined, professional performance from the Gunners.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham created plenty of chances, dominated possession for large parts of the game and feel they could have won. They will be pleased with their performance but unhappy with their second consecutive defeat, having taken just four points from their first four games of the season.

Here’s a look at what we learned from Tottenham vs Arsenal.

Gunners squad much stronger than expected

Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney were all missing from Arsenal’s squad on Sunday but they found a way to secure an impressive derby win. They were not at their best, with the duo of Odegaard and Rice massively missing in central midfield, but Arteta’s players were pragmatic as the manager took a deep look at his squad, adapting their playing style accordingly when they lost the ball. Players such as Jorginho, Martinelli, Timber, Trossard and Partey, all of whom can be considered substitutes in a fully fit squad, did a good job of covering for the absences. Arsenal’s bench was littered with teenagers, with Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling coming off the bench late to get the win over the line. With a difficult test at Atalanta on Thursday and a big trip to Manchester City next Sunday, Arteta’s squad will be stretched to the limit this week. It’s not ideal, but this injury crisis earlier in the season has shown that Arsenal’s squad is a lot stronger than we originally thought. That will be very pleasing for Arteta as they still have a long battle ahead of them as they chase Manchester City.

The pressure on Solanke is growing

Dominic Solanke played like a player who knows he cost $85 million this summer. He has yet to hit the mark at Tottenham and two moments highlighted his immobility as Spurs’ goalscoring problems continue. In the first half, Spurs won the ball back on the edge of the box and Solanke was right in the thick of it. He had a free shot on goal inside the box. But he had his head down, couldn’t line up his feet and Arsenal cleared before he could get his shot off. Late in the second half, Maddison slotted it in but Solanke couldn’t line up his feet and the chance went to waste. Loud groans echoed around Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium on both occasions and there will be louder still as Solanke continues to look like he’s walking through treacle. The high expectations placed on him already seem to be weighing on him and this is spreading throughout Spurs’ attack as both Heung-min Son and James Maddison looked leggy and simply off the mark. Things were going pretty well for Spurs until the final third, but the lack of precision is becoming a worrying trend at the start of this season.

Wood is ideal for The Arsenal team

Jurrien Timber is exactly the kind of character that Mikel Arteta wants in The Arsenal team. He is perfect and has what it takes to become their spirit animal. Timber is solid, reliable, fiery and plays right on the edge of what is acceptable. His tackle on Pedro Porro was worth a yellow card, nothing more, and his reaction in the ensuing scuffle to grab the towering Vicario and stand tall proved he is ready for battle. After missing pretty much an entire season in 2023/24 due to injury, Timber is hungry and making up for lost time. His ability to put the team first, play seamlessly in multiple positions and maintain his focus will be crucial for Arsenal, especially in the coming weeks as they deal with key injuries in areas where Timber can step in. Timber’s personality and spirit are a perfect fit with Arteta and the other key players in this Arsenal team. At the end of this season, it feels like Timber is earning a ton of praise for his adaptability, aggressiveness and determination.