Tottenham Vs Arsenal: Danny Murphy on why tottenham vs arsenal exposed Spurs' weaknesses

Arsenal's 4-1 win over Tottenham left few questions about the balance of the match, and the columnist Danny Murphy wrote that "they were attacking from every angle in the end". The north London derby — tottenham vs arsenal — exposed tactical flaws in Spurs' new 3-5-2 shape under Igor Tudor and left fans and the manager searching for answers.

How Arsenal dominated the right

Murphy noted Arsenal's superior quality and the clever way they exposed Tottenham's tactics. In the first half, when the game was still in the balance, Arsenal's biggest attacking edge was down their right-hand side, where Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were dominant. Timber's versatility — sometimes supporting, sometimes overlapping, sometimes making inside runs — and Saka's return to confident form were central to Arsenal's threat.

Tottenham Vs Arsenal: tactical breakdown

Spurs' 3-5-2 shape under new boss Igor Tudor did not simply sit in, and that approach left space for Arsenal to exploit in forward areas. Murphy said the system left Spurs reactive rather than proactive, with players having to cover long distances and mix up defensive duties. At times Xavi Simons, playing as a second striker, had to run back to the left-back position to help; on other occasions it was Pape Matar Sarr coming over from midfield, or Micky van de Ven covering from centre-half.

Sarr, Simons and the first goal

Sarr (the blue white circle on the far right) was left to deal with Saka in the left-back position and could not stop the cross that led to Arsenal's first goal. Spurs' system saw Simons and Sarr left to cover long distances to get back, which meant there was often a mixture of someone not used to defending in those areas and uncertainty about who was doing what and when. That lack of clarity proved costly against a side of Arsenal's quality.

Moments of quality and Gyokeres' finish

Murphy emphasised that Arsenal produced moments of quality when it mattered and looked back to the levels seen earlier this season. Timber was often left time on the ball to pick passes and he found Viktor Gyokeres for Arsenal's second goal. The Gunners ran away with the game in the end; Murphy described it as a great performance, not just a brilliant result.

Igor Tudor delivers home truths

Igor Tudor, in his first game in charge after being parachuted in to save Spurs' season and inheriting the squad from Thomas Frank, delivered blunt assessments after the 4-1 home defeat. Tottenham sit four points above the Premier League relegation zone and are the only team in the Premier League to have not won a game in 2026. With 11 games remaining to retain their Premier League status, Tudor said the squad must "become serious" and shed their "bad habits".

Tudor said: "I know the truth [about this team], now I saw the truth. It's not nice, but it is how it is. " He added: "Of course, I am confident [of survival]. I believe these are good players with bad habits. Nobody can tell me we don't have quality. But we need to change a mental switch and have this mental sharpness to be in the game from the first minutes and also the physicality to do this. "

He continued: "To be physical, you need to work hard, otherwise it's a problem. Too many players had problems. That's the result. " On what he learned, Tudor said: "That we need to work. Too many bad habits in the past. We need to look at ourselves, grow and be humble. We need to run more, play better, defend better, win duels, second balls. " He concluded: "[Arsenal] are strong, they have more power, more energy and they believe more. That's the key in the end. "

Fan views and reactions

Fans voiced strong reactions to the 1-4 result. Alan said: "Put in whatever manager you like, the problem is the mediocre players purchased who are not Premier League quality. We seem to buy anyone to plug the gap but it will never work - we need class players like we've had in the past, but we won't attract them in the Championship. "

Dan wrote: "What I expected really, much of the same from the past two seasons. Moments of hope and positive flashes, but mainly negative football and silly decisions. I doubt even Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp could make this current group of players perform well. If you had a team of workers in an office job who turned up each week and spent their day just mooching about the office, occasionally tapping some keys of the computer but producing nothing, they'd be sacked for failing to do what they're employed to do. Spurs are literally doing the equivalent of this on the pitch. "

Tristen said: "Playing three at the back is suicidal. Playing too many players out of their natural positions is also comical. This game was a free hit as fans weren't expecting a win, but a proper system and structure is the minimum we should have got out this game. On this system and style, we are favourites for relegation. " Fran added: "Shocking display from Spurs... Archie Gray too weak, Djed Spence keeps losing the ball. No real fight. Can't see a way out of it. "

Giso observed: "Arsenal's mentality will make them win the title because they played against Spurs like nothing went wrong in the previous game. " Vince warned: "A great result but let's not get carried away. This was a Spurs team missing key players through injury and unsurprisingly clunky in possession. Arsenal, meanwhile, were allowed to play their usual game - which they weren't allowed to at Brentford and Wolves and see what happened there. Still, it's a brilliant confidence booster for Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres and renews that all-important belief that this might be the season Arsenal cross the finish line first. "

Helen asked: "What's the earliest St Totteringham's day could be this year?" Tim summed up: "Another one-sided north London derby. The 4-1 scoreline really flattered Spurs. A very dominant performance and important to bounce back with three big points. Hard to name individuals in such a strong team performance, but Declan Rice, Eze and Gyokeres were immense, and that is not to mention the defence and David Raya. Onwards... "

Across the tactical analysis, Tudor's warnings and the fan reaction, the north London result underlined the scale of the challenge Spurs face after tottenham vs arsenal.

Closing: The 4-1 defeat combined tactical exposure, standout individual displays from Arsenal and a stark message from Tudor about the work required if Tottenham are to turn their season around.