Trossard's Late Heroics Propel Arsenal Past Tottenham in Thrilling Derby

Leandro Trossard lifted the spirits at Arsenal with the winning goal, helping them recover from an early setback to secure a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at home on Wednesday, reclaiming second place in the Premier League.

The Belgian forward struck just before halftime, sealing a derby win that not only reignited Arsenal's title aspirations—narrowing the gap to Liverpool to four points—but also provided a much-needed boost following a challenging start to the year.

Last week, Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, followed by a penalty shootout loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round, putting their season at risk of spiraling out of control.

The situation worsened with Gabriel Jesus facing a season-ending injury, and when Son Heung-min's deflected volley put Tottenham ahead after 25 minutes against the run of play, it seemed Arsenal's troubles might deepen.

However, they responded impressively, winning their third consecutive Premier League north London derby for the first time since 1989. Arsenal now sits above surprise package Nottingham Forest with 43 points from 21 matches, while Liverpool, who drew with Forest on Tuesday, has 47 from 20.

"Outstanding today. From the first minute, we were really intense. We played with a clear purpose to hurt them and created an unbelievable atmosphere," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. "The attitude we showed, not feeling sorry for ourselves, was phenomenal."

In contrast, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had no qualms about his team's 11th league defeat of the season, leaving them in 13th place with 24 points. His side has won only once in their last nine league matches, and he acknowledged that much more was expected.

"We were nowhere near the level we needed to be in the first half in such a big game," he told reporters. "We were way too passive."

Tottenham struggled to escape their own half in the opening 20 minutes but nearly scored on their first attack when Djed Spence's low cross seemed destined for a tap-in by Dominic Solanke, only for Gabriel to execute a superb interception.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya then made an excellent save from Solanke, but he was left helpless when Son's volley deflected off William Saliba, wrong-footing him.

The hosts equalized in the 40th minute through a familiar routine. Declan Rice's corner left Tottenham keeper Antonin Kinsky scrambling, and Gabriel's header deflected off Spurs forward Solanke into the net.

Tottenham had reason to feel aggrieved, as the corner leading to Arsenal's equalizer was incorrectly awarded, but a downcast Postecoglou didn't dwell on it.

Just four minutes later, the turnaround was complete. Tottenham lost the ball in a dangerous area once again, and Trossard was played in by Martin Odegaard, firing a left-foot shot past Kinsky, who would have been disappointed not to get a hand on it.

After the break, Arsenal missed opportunities to extend their lead, with Kai Havertz and Odegaard failing to capitalize. It nearly cost them when Pedro Porro struck the outside of the post deep in stoppage time, but Arsenal held on to secure the points.

Arteta's side remains unbeaten in 11 Premier League games, and while there is still a gap to Liverpool, the victory over Tottenham could be the catalyst they need to challenge Arne Slot's team.

"The three points are the most important thing. Hopefully, we can now go on a run because this is the most crucial part of the season," Rice said.