Arsenal moved to within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool with victory over Tottenham in the north London derby at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners, who have played a game more than Liverpool, were desperate to return to winning ways after losing at home to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg and then going out to Manchester United on penalties in the FA Cup third round.
Arsenal suffered another setback when, totally against the run of play, Son Heung-min’s shot was deflected off William Saliba past keeper David Raya after 25 minutes.
The response came from a familiar route, Gabriel rising to meet Declan Rice’s corner at the far post five minutes before the interval after Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky failed to collect, the last touch coming off Dominic Solanke for an own goal.
Arsenal were ahead four minutes later when Leandro Trossard’s bobbling low shot beat Kinsky, who should have done much better.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the second half, but once again lacked the cutting edge to completely put the game to bed.
And although they closed out the win to keep themselves firmly in the title race, they were almost caught right at the end when Pedro Porro hit the outside of the post from a tight angle.
Arsenal do it the hard way
Arsenal’s fans and their manager reacted with what looked like huge relief as well as celebration when the final whistle sounded on the north London derby.
And this was a reflection of how Arsenal, even though they got a vital victory that keeps them on the heels of pacesetters Liverpool, made this a lot more difficult than it needed to be.
The sight of Gabriel hurling his shirt into the crowd showed just how important these three points were after two huge cup disappointments at home, but Arsenal still suffered familiar flaws that made the closing stages needlessly tense.
Arsenal dominated huge portions of this game – but to win it, they needed another set-piece and a shot by Trossard that should have been saved by Kinsky.
No-one could question the commitment and desire from Arsenal, or their superiority over a labouring Spurs, but once again a lack of cutting edge and a habit of over-elaborating when they got into danger areas drew groans of frustration from their supporters.
But even if Kinsky was hardly overworked, on this night all that mattered to Arsenal was victory.
It is still obvious, however, that if the latest Arsenal title challenge falters, it will be because of the lack of a reliable striker, especially with Bukayo Saka still on crutches after hamstring surgery and Gabriel Jesus ruled out for the long term with a serious knee injury.
Arteta must act in January if Arsenal are to maintain a serious pursuit of Liverpool.
