Arsenal
Saliba’s combative display frames one-sided north London derby
Saliba’s social post capped a combative display as Arsenal dominated Spurs, limiting them to 0.07 xG
Two images bookended William Saliba’s latest social media post and, taken together, they captured the tone of Saturday’s north London derby. Saliba’s running battle with Tottenham became the defining feature of an imperious defensive display made up of scuffles, pinches and pokes, shirt pulls and sly jabs in the ribs.
Richarlison produced a spectacular strike from 40 yards, spearing a consolation over David Raya while Spurs trailed by three goals, yet it was Saliba who emerged as the dominant figure. With Gabriel injured and watching from the dugout and Piero Hincapié making his first appearance in a north London derby, Saliba assumed the mantle of Arsenal’s aggressor in chief.
Tottenham’s frontline, including Richarlison, were largely muzzled. Arsenal limited Spurs to just three shots, none inside the penalty area, and an xG of 0.07, the lowest recorded by any team across all 119 Premier League games this season. Declan Rice captured the mood with a comment beneath Saliba’s post: “Locked up.” No wonder Mikel Arteta “enjoyed every minute of it.”
Sunday’s victory is the opening point in a busy week for Arsenal. Saliba faces a different test on Wednesday night when Bayern Munich visit the Emirates and Harry Kane represents a tougher proposition. Unlike the demonstrably tactile Richarlison, Kane’s game is laced with subtlety; Saliba has twice faced Kane at the Emirates before and the England captain found the net on each occasion.
Chelsea will provide another challenge next weekend for an Arsenal backline missing Gabriel. Enzo Maresca began the trip to Burnley with a front pairing of Liam Delap and João Pedro, while Marc Guiu impressed off the bench with a goal as he pushed his case for more minutes.
Saliba’s social post underlined a clear on-field message: in a derby dominated by Arsenal, his physicality and presence set the tone and offered a warning about the tests still to come this week.
Arsenal
Ødegaard and Havertz cleared as Atlético deal with late-night hotel disturbance
Ødegaard and Havertz available; Atlético staff woken by fireworks outside their hotel before match..
Mikel Arteta confirmed a timely boost for Arsenal with Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection for Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Atlético Madrid. Havertz had missed the first leg in Spain after damaging his hamstring against Newcastle United, a setback that sidelined him for that match. Viktor Gyökeres has since scored three goals across the subsequent two matches but “lacks the craft and guile of his teammate,” leaving Arteta with tactical choices to consider given Atlético’s typical defensive setup.
Against an opponent likely to press aggressively in spells while affording limited space behind their backline, Havertz is described in the original report as the more natural option through the middle. “We need options,” the Arsenal boss warned, “we need the capacity to play different games, whether it’s from the start or after. So it’s really, really good news for us to have them both back.” That flexibility is important for a manager preparing for a two-legged tie.
Arsenal’s preparations have been brightened by the return of those two players. Atlético’s preparations were disrupted on the eve of the match after multiple members of the playing and coaching staff were thought to have been woken at around 1.30 a.m. by fireworks set off outside Atlético’s hotel in east London. A second batch were released 20 minutes later, which convinced club staff this was a targeted approach. MARCA report that the club swiftly complained to UEFA about this interference.
An additional detail is that Atlético chose to stay in a different hotel to the one they used when they met Arsenal earlier in the Champions League this season. Manager Diego Simeone said this was down to finances while club president Enrique Cerezo laughed it off: “The economy is the economy.”
Off the field Arsenal continue to wait on Jurriën Timber. The fullback has not featured since being forced off with a groin problem against Everton in mid-March. Arsenal have lost four of six domestic matches in Timber’s absence, tumbling out of both cup competitions and allowing Manchester City back into the Premier League title race. There is no clear timeline for Timber’s return.
Arsenal
How Arsenal’s Most Recent Champions League Final Unfolded — 2006 Recall
Arsenal’s last Champions League final came in 2006 at Stade de France, where they lost 2-1. Campbell.
While Arsenal Women were celebrating their place as Europe’s top team at the end of the 2024–25 season, the men’s side were left to confront the gaps in their trophy cabinet. Mikel Arteta’s team go into this campaign hopeful of going all the way, with just 90 minutes separating them from a spot in the final.
The last time the men reached a European Cup final was in 2006. Arsène Wenger’s side became the first London team to reach a Champions League final when they travelled to the Stade de France to face Barcelona. Arsenal had progressed through a weak group and then eliminated Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal in the knockouts without conceding a single goal.
Barcelona arrived with a line-up featuring Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Deco, with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta on the bench. Lionel Messi was in his first season as a starter but did not play beyond the round of 16 after a season-ending hamstring injury.
Barcelona starting XI: Valdés; Oleguer, Márquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst; Edmilson, Deco, Van Bommel; Giuly, Eto’o, Ronaldinho.
Arsenal starting XI: Lehmann; Eboué, Touré, Campbell, Cole; Pirès, Gilberto, Fàbregas, Hleb; Ljungberg; Henry.
The final swung early. Jens Lehmann became the first player in the history of the European Cup to be sent off in the final after hauling Eto’o to the ground outside the box, an event that erased a late Ludovic Giuly goal which was pulled back because of the red card. Despite going down to ten men, Arsenal took the lead when Sol Campbell headed home a Thierry Henry free kick shortly before half-time.
Barcelona levelled in the 76th minute through Eto’o and took the lead four minutes later when substitute Juliano Belletti scored the winner. That result left Arsenal as the first team to finish as runners-up in the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.
Arsenal have lost three major European finals: the 1999–00 UEFA Cup final (defeat to Galatasaray on penalties) and the 2018–19 Europa League final, a 4–1 loss to Chelsea in which Olivier Giroud opened the scoring and which proved to be Eden Hazard’s final appearance for the Blues.
Arsenal
Arsenal in control after City draw — how the remaining fixtures stack up
Arsenal can clinch the title with three wins; Man City sit five points behind with a game in hand. .
Arsenal enjoyed an almost perfect gameweek as they move within sight of a first Premier League title in more than two decades. Manchester City’s dramatic stumble at Everton, Pep Guardiola’s men scoring a last-gasp equalizer in a 3–3 draw, left the title effectively in Arsenal’s hands.
If Arsenal win their remaining three matches nobody can stop them from ending the long trophy drought. City are now five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand. They remain in the race but are reliant on others doing them favors and, realistically, must win all of their remaining fixtures to have any chance of reclaiming top spot.
Remaining fixtures
Arsenal
– West Ham United (A) – May 10
– Burnley (H) – May 18
– Crystal Palace (A) – May 24
Man City
– Brentford (H) – May 9
– Crystal Palace (H) – May 13
– Bournemouth (A) – May 19
– Aston Villa (H) – May 24
On paper Arsenal are favourites in each of their remaining matches, but the league often produces surprises. The Gunners first travel across the capital to the London Stadium to face relegation-threatened West Ham United. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have been strong on home soil recently and will be fighting for survival, while Arsenal could be affected by fatigue after the Champions League semifinal second leg.
Arsenal’s penultimate fixture at home to already relegated Burnley offers a clear opportunity to bolster goal difference. The managerless Clarets have won just one league match since the beginning of November.
The trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace will be a stern test if the title still hangs in the balance. There is a strong chance Oliver Glasner rests players in his final Premier League match as Palace manager, with the Eagles likely to be playing in the Conference League final three days later.
Manchester City face an extra match to navigate, the rearranged home fixture with Crystal Palace on May 13. The Eagles have sometimes proved tricky opponents for City, such as in last year’s FA Cup final, but Guardiola’s side will still be favourites in their Etihad fixtures.
