Arsenal’s best signing under Mikel Arteta emerges as Gunners beat Spurs without 7 key players

“We have people that are hard and have thick skin. They love the game and we love winning. In order to love the game and win you have to do things that people call ugly. Enjoying those ugly things is a big compliment to this team right now. When you’re able to do that normally you get a good gift.”

The exhaustion in this Arsenal side at full time was clear. Whereas in their previous two wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they have sprinted jubilantly over to the away end at full time, this year it was a slow but satisfied trudge. Ahead of a week that could have a huge impact on their season, even at this early stage, Arteta will be delighted with what his Gunners team were able to produce.

Gabriel superb

Think about the best signings Arsenal have made under Mikel Arteta. Declan Rice is probably quite high in the rankings. Leandro Trossard has scored some crucial goals and could have a decent case after costing just £25million. Surely though, Gabriel Magalhaes takes some beating.

The Brazilian arrived in the summer of 2020 and those of you with long memories won’t need reminding just how poor a side Arsenal were back then. Still from the chaos around him Gabriel has grown into one arguably the best centre back in the Premier League, if not the world.

Of course there’s his goals. His winning header on Sunday cemented him as the most prolific centre half in Europe’s top five leagues since his arrival in England. But his all round display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was something to behold as well.

The 26-year-old didn’t lose a single aerial duel, made the most clearances (7), made most ball recoveries (6) and made most blocks (2) in the match. On an afternoon where Arsenal had to dig deep, Gabriel was a leader once again. It was no surprise that Arteta was keen to shine a light on just how far he has come.

“The way he has evolved first as a person and then in his role in the club and the team has been phenomenal,” the Spaniard said. “It has been great to watch.

“This is why we are here, this is one of my passions to give players the environment, the support and coaching to grow, to prepare them for life and to get to levels they probably didn’t think [they could reach] before. Gabriel is one of the best examples of that. Why? He loves what he does, he applies himself extremely well and he wants it. When that happens, good things happen to these kinds of people.”

It’s fascinating to think that Arteta saw a level in Gabriel that the Brazilian didn’t see in himself. The only thing missing from his time at Arsenal is a trophy. His wining goal on Sunday could have been a huge step in correcting that.

Set pieces

With the players they had missing this was always going to be a tough game for Arsenal to dominate. That’s before you consider the calibre of their opposition, where they were playing and the fixture they were playing in.

Instead this was a match that would either be decided in transition or through a set piece. It turned out to be the latter.

Arsenal’s record from set pieces is well known at this point. Arteta was glowing about Nicolas Jover once again in the post-match.

“(He’s the best) in his field, in other fields, as a person,” the Spaniard said. “The relationship that we have, that’s why I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and then to Arsenal.

“Him and the staff have injected a belief to the players that there are many ways to win football matches. This is a really powerful one. It’s given us a lot so big compliment to all of them.”

There have been plenty of pieces praising Jover, and rightly so. Arsenal have scored over 40 goals from dead ball situations since he arrived.

In games like this where the Gunners aren’t at their best, the level of detail that goes into the set pieces is what turns one point into three. Who’s to say how crucial that could be come May.