• Arsenal overturned an early deficit to beat Tottenham in Wednesday's North London Derby
  • Gunners finally capitalised on Liverpool slip-up
  • More Emirates misery for Spurs

Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 in Wednesday night's North London Derby at the Emirates.

There was plenty of pressure on Mikel Arteta's side having succumbed to Newcastle and Manchester United in north London in previous outings, but the Gunners responded by securing three crucial points against their fiercest rivals.

The January midweek bout was far from a classic, but Arsenal's win meant they finally put some pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool while piling more misery on struggling Spurs.

How the game unfolded

The hosts were keen to put on a show pre-match, and there was a display of support for Gabriel Jesus, who's set to undergo knee surgery having torn his ACL at the weekend. There was an energy inside the Emirates which has failed to manifest in recent outings, and Mikel Arteta's side thrived in the opening stages.

Much like the fixture here last season, Arsenal were dominant territorially and stifled Tottenham's build-up. Antonin Kinsky's coolness in possession was tested by the Gunners' intensity, and the young goalkeeper was almost caught out on a couple of occasions.

Arsenal were able to pull Spurs' midfield apart and have their way with their north London rivals, but an early barrage of set-pieces failed to return an opener. Leandro Trossard came closest after Declan Rice overloaded Pedro Porro at the back post and teed up the Belgian, but his effort was blocked by Radu Dragusin.

Having been camped in their own third for the opening 20 minutes, Tottenham finally escaped thanks to surges from Djed Spence and Pape Sarr. The former created a good chance for Dominic Solanke with a sublime trivela cross but Gabriel was on hand to expertly shun the English forward. Dejan Kulusevski had a shot saved from the resulting corner before Son Heung-min found the back of the net via a William Saliba deflection to put the visitors 1-0 up.

A lead is often precarious in this fixture, and Arsenal's set-piece superiority manifested again as a wicked Declan Rice delivery was bundled into the Spurs net by Solanke after Gabriel challenged at the back post.

Arsenal's turnaround was complete before half-time as Leandro Trossard netted his first goal since the end of November. The Gunners have rarely had joy following high turnovers this season, but Trossard made Yves Bissouma pay by firing across and over the left glove of Kinsky with an emphatic finish.

Ange Postecoglou certainly wasn't keen on dying a slow death at the Emirates as he brought on James Maddison and Brennan Johnson in favour of Bissouma and Sarr at half-time. Bergvall moved to the base of midfield. Immediately, Spurs were able to turn the football match into a sport more commonly seen across the pond. There was a basketball feel to the start of the second half, although neither side were able to fashion clear-cut chances despite arriving in promising positions.

Arsenal's control returned after the hour mark with the visitors, forced to defend as Maddison and Kulusevski were precariously positioned ahead of teenager Bergvall, struggling to get close. The Gunners made the pitch big and slowed the tempo. Spurs had their moments in transition against a team who played 120 minutes on Sunday, but Arsenal proved stubborn once they settled in their defensive block.

There was plenty of cheerleading from the hosts in the closing stages as they sought to retain their advantage, with another toothless performance in the final third ensuring Spurs' deficit was only one. The visitors, however, couldn't create against the league's sternest defence, who held on for a 2-1 win.