The ‘very unusual’ thing Kai Havertz did against Tottenham which helped secure Arsenal victory

Arsenal’s victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby was impressive given the players they were missing, as others stepped up.

Midfielders Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino were injured, whilst Declan Rice was suspended after his red card against Brighton.

This meant that Jorginho wore the captain’s armband despite Bukayo Saka giving the team talk before the game, and Leandro Trossard came into the midfield.

Kai Havertz continued in his role as a striker, but did not find the back of the net as he did in two of Arsenal’s previous three games.

However, the German played a crucial role for Mikel Arteta’s team in the victory, and his performance becomes even more impressive upon further examination.

Kai Havertz’s selfless role in Arsenal win at Tottenham

Despite starting as a striker, Havertz dropped into deeper positions to help his team out, and put in an incredible shift, as he won more duels than both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes combined.

Former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke has now highlighted Havertz’s impact on the match, with his number of touches unusually high given his position.

“It is very unusual for centre forwards to enjoy the most touches in a game, but that is what happened here with the German enjoying 51 in this north London derby,” Clarke told club media.

“That shows how hard Havertz worked to put himself about, in and out of possession, so it was no surprise to see that he covered 10.77km; second only to Jorginho (11.09km) on the day.”

Havertz was also ranked top out of anyone on the pitch for intensive and off-the-ball runs as his movement caused Spurs nightmares, whilst he recorded more pressures than anyone else.

“It was also Havertz who held the ball up superbly under pressure from the counter-attack which led to the corner we scored from. He anticipated Leandro Trossard’s volleyed forward pass into space, sprinting from deep to win a foot race against speedy defender Micky van de Ven,” Clarke added, pointing out Havertz’s impact on the winning goal.

Kai Havertz stepped up for Arsenal in the North London derby

With Odegaard and Rice absent, Arsenal were missing a lot of physicality in the middle of the park. Veterans Jorginho and Thomas Partey helped seal the win as they started, but it was clear that they needed extra support.

This came from Havertz, who stepped up on yet another big occasion. His movement helped Arsenal defensively, and when he got on the ball, he helped his side drive forward.

Havertz was heavily criticised when he first joined Arsenal and struggled in midfield, but he is now becoming a complete attacker who can offer so much in a variety of roles under Arteta.