Arsenal made it four wins in a row as they got the better of their local rivals Tottenham in the north London derby and a major reason for this was the colossal presence of Takehiro Tomiyasu who refused to let any player pass him.
From the kick-off, it was clear that the Gunners came to the Emirates looking to establish their dominance. They did not give Spurs a moment to breathe and that led to the opponents making mistakes on a regular basis.
Emile Smith Rowe gave Arteta’s side the lead and then assisted the second for captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. And the third goal of the first half was scored by Bukayo Saka which all but confirmed that the north Londoners had done enough to seal the victory.
Despite a late goal from Heung-min Son, the visitors never looked like they were going to make a comeback. A huge reason for this was the defensive commitment shown by the Gunners including Tomiyasu who marshalled the right flank brilliantly.
The Japanese international who is quickly becoming a fan favourite has endeared himself to the supporters with his style of play. Always willing to give everything, the defender ensured that the Spurs attackers did not get much joy. There was a lot of praise being showered on him as seen on Twitter. Here are some of the best reactions:
Thank god we signed TOMIYASU instead of ROYAL
— HugoEnzo (@AFCHugoEnzo) September 26, 2021
Tomiyasu what a player 👌
— Joe 💙 (@JoeNorrish_AFC7) September 26, 2021
Monster performance from Tomiyasu. It took a lucky ricochet to finally get behind him late in the game, otherwise totally shut them down.
— Dan Critchlow (@afcDW) September 26, 2021
Special mention for Tomiyasu!
Not many had heard of him before he joined, but not many will forget him now, he’s been unbelievable! pic.twitter.com/GSfD3e03Yy
— SeanAFC (@SeanAFCGunner) September 26, 2021
We struck gold with Tomiyasu. Monsterclass vs Son
— William 🦋 (@AFCWilliam__) September 26, 2021
Tomiyasu what a performance. Emerson doesn’t come close to his level.
— Hussain (@MHGooner95) September 26, 2021
Arsenal Fever View:
At the start of September, Arsenal were sitting at the bottom of the table having not won a game and not scored a single goal. But in the space of a few weeks, the Gunners have managed to win three games in the league and leapfrog Spurs who were on top of the table not too long ago.
More than the result, it was the kind of performance seen on Sunday that would have made Mikel Arteta happy. This was clear to see as the manager celebrated each goal with a lot of passion and gusto.
Now, the challenge for the team is to continue playing like this on a regular basis. With the likes of Tomiyasu guarding the defence, that is certainly possible and after a tough start to the season, Arsenal are getting back on track and there is a lot more to come from them.
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