Arteta praises 'ugly' Arsenal in crucial Spurs victory

Arsenal's developing ability to win without being at their best, as they did in a hard-battled derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, could demonstrate the distinction as they endeavor to at last update Head Association champions Manchester City. Chief Mikel Arteta said his side were compensated for doing "monstrous things" to win thanks to one more objective yielded from a corner by their unpleasant neighborhood rivals. Gabriel Magalhaes' second-half header was sufficient to secure a critical 1-0 win over Spurs, denoting their third straight north London derby triumph away from home. What's more, having almost blown a 3-0 lead prior to sticking on for a 3-2 win in their last gathering in April, Arteta said he saw signs of progress in how the Gunners dealt with the closing stages. The Arsenal director said he was far more settled on Sunday "because after 0-3 to 2-3 (in the last game) you say, this can't occur". He told reporters: "They tossed everything at it, they attempted today yet I think we looked more composed, better coordinated and gave extremely, minimal away." Having lost chief Martin Odegaard to injury and Declan Rice through suspension, with new signing Mikel Merino yet to make his presentation because of a cracked shoulder, Arsenal's makeshift midfield was generally assured against a wasteful Spurs side. Arteta hailed the profundity of the group and their capacity to crush out results, a quality that was ostensibly missing on occasion in their new title challenges. "To cherish the game and dominate, you need to do a ton of things that sometimes individuals call them monstrous and getting a charge out of doing those terrible things is a major commendation for this group," he said. A north London derby will always feel like a must-dominate match, yet triumph felt almost essential for Arsenal who before the opening shot followed Manchester City by five. With City having acquired 91 points on normal in the last three seasons, Arsenal's excursion to the Etihad next Sunday might have been represent the moment of truth for their title credentials. Instead, with a dirty three points taken care of, Arsenal will travel north with an opportunity to go top of the association.