Border – Stunning victory in the London derby with rival Tottenham, Arsenal continues to lead the Premier League rankings by 1 point compared to Man City but has played 1 more match. Arteta’s army has not been able to take the initiative in the championship race, but with what they have shown, the “Gunners” are receiving support from the majority of English football fans.
Convincing victory
The London derby at Tottenham’s stadium is considered Arsenal’s biggest challenge in the rest of the season. The home team, under the guidance of personality coach Ange Postecoglou, always plays very well in big matches. Besides, the familiar tense atmosphere between the “Roosters” and “Gunners” also always makes derbies between them very difficult to predict the results.
Arsenal has no choice but to win, because a stumble will cause them to fall behind Man City in the championship race. Arteta’s teachers and students lost the initiative after losing to Aston Villa in mid-April. However, immediately after that, Arsenal recovered quickly with two victories against Wolves and Chelsea. These wins show that the “Gunners” have grown significantly compared to last season, especially mentally.
Determination and strength helped Arsenal get off to a dream start at Tottenham Stadium. They played sublimely and easily scored 3 goals in the first half of the match. Two of them came from corner kicks, which are considered Arsenal’s most dangerous weapons this season. The other goal came from an exemplary counter-attack with the finisher being star Bukayo Saka.
A 3-goal lead seems to be enough distance for Arsenal to play leisurely for the rest of the match. But things didn’t go so smoothly. Tottenham, with the honor of the home team in the derby match with the most “unpleasant” rival, rose strongly in the 45 minutes of the second half. Goalkeeper David Raya’s mistake helped the “Rooster” have a goal to shorten the gap thanks to a goal. by Cristian Romero. The drama was pushed to a climax when Tottenham received a penalty in the 87th minute. Captain Son Heung-min made no mistake to bring the score to 2-3.
Arsenal fans lived in anxiety for the rest of the match as Tottenham increased the pressure in search of an equalizer. The scenario that “Gunners” fans feared the most did not happen. Arsenal kept the score 3-2 and got 3 very important points. The meaning of this victory is clearly expressed through the emotions of Arsenal players. They have overcome what is considered the most difficult level in the remaining journey of the season. Arteta’s teachers and students have 3 more matches ahead. They have two home matches that are considered quite easy against Bournemouth and Everton, with a trip to Old Trafford by Manchester United in between. The match at Old Trafford may sound difficult, but with the instability that the “Red Devils” are showing, Arsenal is fully capable of winning all 9 points in the last 3 matches of the season. Of course, even with that scenario, they will have to wait for Man City’s stumble to get the title.
Man City class
Playing behind Arsenal, Man City was under great pressure as they also had to win all 3 points. Their opponent is Nottingham Forest, a team that is not strong but is desperate for points to stay relegated. But pressures like this are all too familiar to Pep Guardiola’s teachers and students and they overcame the challenge with a familiar classy and poise style.
The star in this match for Man City is Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian conductor played an assistive role in both goals from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland. For Haaland, the goal against Nottingham helped the Norwegian striker concede the opponent’s goal for the 21st time since the beginning of the season and rise to the top of the scoring list.
A 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest helped Man City accomplish many goals. They still maintain the initiative in the championship race without spending too much effort. This was the time when Pep Guardiola himself admitted that many of his players were exhausted after a stressful season of fighting in many different arenas. Man City now needs gentle victories, just enough to win all 3 points but not exhaust the players’ health like the match with Nottingham Forest.
The defending champion has four more matches ahead. If they win, the trophy will naturally stay at Etihad for another season. But just one draw, everything will be very different. Man City is worse than Arsenal (+50 compared to +57) and that 7-goal gap is relatively large to cover in the short remaining journey. Therefore, to be sure to win the championship, Pep Guardiola and his team will have to ensure optimal results in all the next challenges.
Man City still has 2 home matches against Wolves and West Ham, matches in which it is very difficult for them to lose points. The away trip to Fulham – the team that has run out of goals – will not be too difficult. However, the Tottenham match has potential risks. Man City is not in good form in matches with the Big Six this season. In the first leg, they also let Tottenham draw 3-3 with the “Rooster”‘s final equalizer scored in the 90th minute by Dejan Kulusevksi.
It is ironic that Arsenal’s title hopes now rest on Tottenham’s shoulders. The hostility between the two teams is undeniable. Perhaps never in history have fans of the “Gunners” cheered for the “Roosters” in a match. But with the opportunity to end 20 years without winning the English championship, Arsenal fans can do anything. Son Heung-min and his teammates will now likely play a role in deciding who will be the “new king” of the Premier League!
Pep Guardiola went down in Premier League history when he reached the milestone of 300 matches leading Man City in this tournament. He is the 19th coach to reach this milestone, but only the 5th person to have 300 matches with only 1 team. The four people before Pep who did this were Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United, Arsene Wenger with Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool and David Moyes with Everton.
Hoang Hai
