Tottenham Vs Arsenal: Arsenal’s 4-1 derby thrashing exposes Spurs’ tactical and form crisis
Tottenham Vs Arsenal ended 4-1 as Arsenal ran away with the north London derby, exposing Tottenham’s tactical weaknesses under Igor Tudor and leaving Spurs just four points above the Premier League relegation zone.
Arsenal’s quality and the scoreline
Arsenal’s superior quality showed in a 4-1 win that could easily have been by more; they created 20 chances to Tottenham’s six and outplayed Spurs for long periods. The performance was described as a great one for Arsenal rather than just a brilliant result, with moments of quality and skill in attack when it mattered.
Tottenham Vs Arsenal: how Arsenal attacked down the right
The Gunners’ most consistent attacking edge came down their right-hand side, where Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber were dominant. Timber, singled out as one of the best attacking right-backs, mixed support, overlaps and inside runs and often had time on the ball to pick his passes; Timber found Viktor Gyokeres for Arsenal’s second goal, and was left free on the right to set up Gyokeres for that score. Saka, who had been questioned recently, was back to his confident best in this game.
Peppered into that flank work were concrete defensive mismatches for Spurs: Pape Matar Sarr was left to deal with Saka in a left-back position and could not stop the cross that led to Arsenal’s first goal, Djed Spence needed help when Saka and Timber doubled up, and Xavi Simons — playing as a second striker — was sometimes having to run back to the left-back spot to help. On other occasions it was Micky van de Ven covering from centre-half.
Tactical gaps in Tudor’s 3-5-2
Spurs’ 3-5-2 shape under new boss Igor Tudor did not simply sit in and, by leaving space in forward areas, handed Arsenal exploitable openings. The system often forced Simons and Sarr to cover long distances and produced situations where someone not used to defending in those areas was left one-on-one, and where players were not always sure who was doing what and when — a combination that is not ideal against a team like Arsenal.
Even with pre-match attempts to rally belief — the on-pitch announcer Paul Coyte urged fans that something remarkable could transform “a small flame” into “a roaring fire” — the messaging looked confused on the night, particularly with a new manager regarded as one of the best firefighters in the business having to manage a fragile squad.
Spurs’ form, injuries and the relegation maths
The defeat left Tottenham in 16th place and just four points above the relegation zone, a position made more precarious by recent form: Spurs have not won any of their last nine top‑flight games and, across the past dozen matches, they have the worst form in the division. In that spell they took only seven points, with a win at Crystal Palace and a comeback draw against Man City the only positives, while Nottingham Forest and West Ham each recorded 12 points in the same period, closing a five-point gap on Spurs.
Injury and availability problems compound the situation: Spurs are missing more players than any other Premier League side, with 11 players unavailable. Captain Cristian Romero was suspended for the derby, long-term absences of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have contributed to an underwhelming attacking output, and Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert are now missing too. The squad is seriously stretched and will have to juggle a Champions League knockout bid in tandem with a relegation fight.
Moments that captured the contest
The match swung in narrative terms as well as on the pitch. There was a time in the first half when it felt like a close-run thing, but Tottenham’s haplessness ultimately prevailed over the idea that Arsenal might bottle the match. Arsenal were level at half-time yet have, for the third league game in a row and the fourth in the past six, conceded within 10 minutes of scoring — a recurring quirk noted after the game.
Declan Rice moved from pointing at his temples to urge teammates on after taking the lead to waving his hands in apology after giving the ball away that allowed Spurs to equalise; while Rice remains a leading candidate for player of the season, there is also the possibility his campaign will be recalled with images of him shaking his head sadly. Home fans poured out after Viktor Gyökeres had made it 4-1.
What comes next for Tottenham
With 11 games to go, Spurs face a run-in that will demand a swift change in form: their final two fixtures of the season include a trip to Chelsea and a home game with Everton and could prove to be must-win encounters. The club must address mentality and availability while balancing their Champions League commitments if they are to arrest a slide that has made relegation a real possibility.
