Discussion surrounding the shocking away form of Arsenal in the Premier League this season has come to the fore once again this afternoon, following the club’s defeat at the hands of Tottenham in the North London derby.
Matchup
The Gunners travelled to Wembley today on the back of a morale-boosting 5-1 victory over Everton last weekend, with January signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both impressing in their first starts for the club.
Tottenham, meanwhile, dispatched of Newport County by 2 goals to nil in the FA Cup 4th round during the week, with their last Premier League outing having seen Mauricio Pochettino’s men twice fight back from behind to secure a remarkable point at Anfield versus Liverpool.
First-half
The early goings of today’s crunch derby saw Tottenham control the majority of the possession, with Arsenal looking dangerous on the break on a couple of occasions.
Chances of note were few and far between over the opening half-hour, aside from a Harry Kane header nodded disappointingly over the bar by the Englishman.
However, there was a major question of what could have been for Arsenal with just 11 minutes on the clock, as Jack Wilshere’s gorgeous slide-rule pass sent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang clean through on the home side’s goal.
The Gabonese hitman looked to have timed his run perfectly, only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside.
Immediate replays showcased the fact that Aubameyang looked to have been onside, though, with Jan Vertonghen having been stood ever so slightly behind the rest of Tottenham’s defensive line.
Opener
The second-half saw Spurs come out in even more dominant fashion, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men putting their fierce rivals on the back foot from the off.
And the hosts’ superiority in possession didn’t take long to pay off, as Ben Davies wicked delivery from the left saw Harry Kane rise highest to nod a wonderful header into the bottom-left corner of Petr Cech’s goal.
There was controversy surrounding the nature of the header, though, as many pointed to the fact that Kane had used marker Laurent Koscielny to aid his jump.
Result
Whatever the case may have been, it was difficult to argue with the fact that Spurs deserved the lead, with Pochettino’s men going on to create a number of further clear-cut chances before the full-time whistle.
Kane’s strike proved crucial in the end, though, with Tottenham earning the bragging rights in the final edition of the North London derby this season.
Struggles on the road
The result has since garnered attention for plenty of reasons, with the frankly embarrassing form of Arsenal on their travels having come to the fore across social media once again:
Arsenal Away Form 2017/18:
Games: 14
Wins: 3
Draws: 4
Losses: 7
Goals For: 15
Goals Against: 22Relegation standard form. pic.twitter.com/HnZo9TbHth
— John Smith. (@ByJohnSmith) February 10, 2018
Arsenal home form second only to City, the less said about their away form the better. pic.twitter.com/aeqdumjBLf
— Amey (@waveringradiant) February 10, 2018
Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the main difference between Wenger & Mourinho