At 4 am on January 16th, the 21st round of the Premier League featured a North London derby with Arsenal hosting Tottenham. Tottenham took the initiative as visitors, with Son Heung-min scoring the first goal for his team. However, Arsenal managed to turn the tables in a passive situation, benefiting from Solanke's own goal and Trossard's contribution, ultimately defeating their league rivals. Arsenal's 2-1 victory highlighted the impact of Arteta's decision to bench the £55 million player, which proved to be an immediate success, ending their two-game losing streak.
In this round of Premier League matches, Arsenal's competitors Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea all drew, but Arsenal did not disappoint their supporters by securing a crucial three points. In the 25th minute of the game, Tottenham struck first, with Son Heung-min completing a volley from near the penalty area. The ball took a deflection and flew into Arsenal's net, putting the Gunners behind.
In the 40th minute, Arsenal capitalized on a corner kick to pull one back, with Gabriel's header hitting Solanke and changing direction to find the net. Four minutes later, Odegaard provided an assist as Trossard advanced down the left flank and scored with a shot, giving Arsenal the lead. Neither team was able to change the scoreline in the second half. After the win, Arsenal accumulated 43 points, ranking second in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Manchester City followed in positions 3 to 6 with 41, 38, 37, and 35 points respectively. Liverpool, with a game in hand, led the table with 47 points.
Arsenal's victory over Tottenham was significantly influenced by Arteta's decision to adjust the starting lineup. In previous matches against Newcastle and Manchester United, Arsenal had started with Martinelli as the left winger, resulting in consecutive losses. Facing Tottenham, Martinelli was benched, and Trossard started on the left, leading to Arsenal's win. Trossard was very active in the match, scoring the winning goal and completing 3 shots, 2 dribbles, 1 key pass, and being fouled twice. Martinelli came off the bench in the 61st minute but continued to underperform, lacking breakthroughs, being at a disadvantage in physical confrontations, and taking unreliable shots.
Arsenal's victory had little to do with Martinelli, and in fact, the team's attack seemed to falter when he came on. Martinelli, valued at €55 million, has made 29 appearances for Arsenal this season, starting 22 times, but only contributing 6 goals and 2 assists. Martinelli's playing style is straightforward and mechanical, lacking variation. Trossard, valued at €30 million, showed great flair in the match. For Arsenal's left winger position, the order of preference should be Trossard, Sterling, and then Martinelli.