PLANE SAILING
When your fans are planning an airborne protest, the team you most want to play are Arsenal
THE planned plane protest never happened and maybe this result will be enough to change the mood at Spurs.
You tend to be forgiven for any failings as long as you beat the arch enemy and that is exactly what Jose Mourinho’s men did yesterday.
Spurs fans had promised to hire a plane with a “Levy Out” banner during the game because they are fed up with the club’s hierarchy after a frustrating season. But you can always rely on Arsenal’s frailties to do you a favour when you need a result.
For all of their promise going forward, they Gunners were undone by familiar failings.
Mikel Arteta has a huge rebuilding job on his hands at Arsenal. The previous few positive results have not changed that and here it was underlined by some fundamental mistakes.
Arteta will have to change the club’s whole DNA when it comes to defending because they make the same basic errors time and time again.
Whether it is Sead Kolasinac’s sloppy pass or poor marking at a corner, every opponent knows that they will get a chance against Arsenal at some stage in the game. Tottenham just had to dig in, show resilience, and grind out a victory – which is exactly what they did.
It was not pretty but, rather in keeping with Mourinho’s philosophy, it was effective.
The harsh reality is that these two north London giants can no longer be called Premier League superpowers.
Arteta faces a long-term rebuilding job and Mourinho, despite a proven track record, is still to convince the Tottenham There is so little to choose between the two teams – Tottenham leapfrogged Arsenal into eighth – and that’s surely a statement that should please neither.
Gunners should be kicking themselves because they squandered a position of superiority.
Alexandre Lacazette’s 17thminute thunderbolt gave them the lead after Granit Xhaka pounced on Serge Aurier’s heavy touch which conceded possession.
But that was in keeping with the game. Kolasinac’s poor pass two minutes later wrongfooted David Luiz, who could not recover, and in nipped HeungMin Son, who rounded Emiliano and then dinked the ball over the Arsenal keeper.
Even without a crowd and no atmosphere, it was still a cracking game. Ben Davies’ 30-yard shot was tipped onto the bar by Martinez, who was excellent again in goal for Arsenal.
Dani Ceballos was terrific in midfield, Xhaka was hard-workfaithful. ing, and Hector Bellerin was back to his best, while Tottenham talisman Harry Kane looked much sharper and fitter and his influence grew as the game wore on. Lacazette played in PierreEmerick Aubameyang, who lashed his shot against the crossbar after 59 minutes when he really should have scored. That was Arsenal’s big moment – and their chance to win the game had gone.
From then on, Arteta’s men began to look increasingly ragged in defence and twice Kane got past the erratic Shkodran Mustafi down Tottenham’s left.
In the 71st minute he fed Son and Martinez had to make a brilliant save at the Tottenham forMartinez
ward’s feet. You could sense another Spurs goal was coming as Arsenal began to look increasingly vulnerable. And the decisive goal came after 81 minutes from a Son corner.
Arsenal’s zonal marking did not work and Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld’s glancing header beat keeper Martinez and flew into the far corner.
Incredibly, Arsenal have now dropped 15 points from winning positions since manager Arteta took charge in December. It suggests that if the Arsenal gaffer can iron out elementary mistakes, then they will be in a far better position next season.
It was a huge win for Mourinho, a result that pushes Spurs towards a European place which would provide some consolation after such an up-and-down season.