LONDON — A thrilling, fiery derby was played out in North London as Arsenal beat Tottenham 1-0, making a major statement at the start of the season.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had so many key absentees and Gabriel’s header sealed a huge victory, taking their tally to 10 points from four games. It was a determined, professional display from the Gunners.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham created many chances, dominated the ball for large parts of the game and will feel they could have won. They will be happy with their performance but also unhappy with a second defeat in a row, given they have just four points from their first four games of the season.

Here’s what we learned from Tottenham vs. Arsenal.

Gunners team much stronger than we thought

Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney were all missing from Arsenal’s squad on Sunday, but they managed to record an impressive derby win. They were not at their best, with Odegaard and Rice sorely missing in midfield, but Arteta’s players were pragmatic as the manager dug deep into his squad and adapted their style of play when they ceded possession. The likes of Jorginho, Martinelli, Timber, Trossard and Partey, all of whom could be considered fringe players in a fully fit squad, did well to cover for the absences. Arsenal’s bench was full of teenagers, with Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling coming off the bench late in the game to seal the win. With a tough test at Atalanta next Thursday followed by a huge trip to Manchester City next Sunday, Arteta’s squad will be pushed to their limits this week. It’s not ideal, but this early season injury crisis has shown that Arsenal’s squad is a lot stronger than we first thought. That will be very welcome for Arteta, given the long road they face as they chase down Manchester City.

The pressure on Solanke is increasing

Dominic Solanke has played like a player who knows he cost $85 million this summer. He has yet to score for Tottenham and two moments sum up his stiffness as Spurs’ goalscoring woes continue. In the first half, Spurs won the ball back on the edge of the box and Solanke was in. He had a free shot on goal inside the box. But he had his head down, couldn’t get his feet right and Arsenal cleared before he could get his shot off. Late in the second half, Maddison slotted him in but Solanke couldn’t get his feet right and the chance fizzled out. On both occasions, there were huge groans through Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and they will only get louder as Solanke still looks like he’s running through treacle. The high expectations placed on him seem to be weighing him down already and that’s spreading to the entire Spurs attack as both Heung-min Son and James Maddison looked leggy and just wide. Spurs have performed reasonably well up until the final third of the pitch, but the lack of clinical sharpness has been a worrying trend at the start of this season.

Wood is perfect for this Arsenal side

Jurrien Timber is exactly the kind of character Mikel Arteta wants in this Arsenal side. He is perfect and has the ability to become their spirit animal. Timber is solid, reliable, fiery and plays right on the edge of what is acceptable. His tackle on Pedro Porro was worthy of a yellow card, nothing more, and his reaction in the ensuing melee to grab the towering Vicario and stand tall showed he is ready for battle. After missing most of the 2023-24 campaign through injury, Timber is hungry to make up for lost time. His ability to put the team first, play seamlessly in multiple positions and maintain his focus will be crucial for Arsenal, especially in the coming weeks as they deal with key injuries in areas where Timber can come in. Timber’s personality and spirit are a perfect fit for Arteta and the other key players in this Arsenal team. By the end of the season, it looks like Timber will be receiving plenty of plaudits for his adaptability, aggression and determination.