Tottenham v Arsenal player ratings: Van de Ven 8, Maddison 5; Gabriel 8, Saka 6

Gabriel’s second-half header was enough for a depleted Arsenal side to secure a 1-0 win at North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and keep the pressure on Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

With an away tie at City in seven days, Arsenal’s fixture at their rivals in their quest to be champions following a home draw against Brighton prior to the international break already looks a crucial one.

But without key duo Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, the Gunners secured all three points following Gabriel’s 64th-minute goal to state their title credentials and leave Spurs with just one win so far this term.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admitted his side “didn’t deliver” during the game. "It's very disappointing in a big game for us and our supporters. We didn't deliver so you have to take the pain from that," said the Australian.

"It has been the story of our season so far, we played in their half and created chances but we lack a bit of belief in the final third. That's what we need to fix. It was always going to be decided in moments and they capitalised on theirs.

"It's me who has to give the guys the way forward. It's not for a lack of trying by the lads, we are just going through this early part of the season where we are playing well but not getting rewards for it.

"We handled set-pieces pretty well but we switched off for one and paid the price."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his team's "top drawer" defensive performance. "They are a great side and create an unbelievable atmosphere, we knew it would be tough," said the Spaniard. "We believed we could hurt them, we weren't the best with the ball today.

"The way we defended was top drawer. We want to play a different game but they put a structure that is extremely difficult to match up so we decided not to do that.

"We just work on heading the ball, having the right delivery and winning the ball. It is about the right timing. Over the season the team has to go over hurdles so I am delighted."

Arsenal have now won on their last three visits to Tottenham, losing just once, in May 2022, in their last eight meetings with their bitter rivals.

Next up is their Champions League opener at Atalanta on Thursday before taking on Pep Guardiola's champions next weekend.

Arteta believes Arsenal's latest success behind enemy lines will stand them in good stead for a daunting week.

"We won three years in a row here. That is a big thing in the history of the club," he said. "It is a tough week coming up. The players believe already. We have a won a lot of big games, but this will give us a lot of energy and belief."

Since the start of last season, Arsenal have scored more goals (23) from dead-ball positions than any other team in the Premier League.

No wonder Arteta turned to embrace Nicolas Jover, the German assistant coach poached from Manchester City as Arsenal's set-piece guru, immediately after Gabriel's goal.

"I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and to Arsenal," he said. "Together with the rest of the staff, they have injected the belief that there are many ways to win games and this is one of them, so big credit to them."