Mauricio Pochettino’s side controlled most of the north London derby and Arsenal’s point came via an unlikely move from their manager

A late spell of pressure ensured Arsenal snatched a point, but Tottenham’s excellent organisation without the ball meant Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated the midfield zone for long periods. Spurs were typically proactive and wonderfully cohesive in open play, with Arsenal’s best chances coming from the unlikely route of set-pieces and crosses.

Both teams were playing a 4‑2‑3‑1 formation, but the two coaches demanded different things from their attacking line of three. Arsène Wenger allowed Mesut Özil freedom to drift laterally into the channels, largely free from defensive duties, while Joel Campbell and Alexis Sánchez, converted forwards, took up aggressive positions high up against the opposition full-backs. At times, it looked like the home side were playing a 4-2-4.

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Arsenal had plenty of attacking options but they left Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla exposed in the centre of midfield throughout the first half. Cazorla, in particular, endured an incredibly difficult game, repeatedly caught in possession by Tottenham’s midfielders – and he was substituted at half-time, with the midfield scrapper Mathieu Flamini introduced to provide much-needed steel.

Cazorla’s struggles were precisely because Pochettino took the opposite approach to Wenger, and Tottenham were excellent without the ball. His most advanced central midfielder, Mousa Dembélé, played an entirely different role from Özil, much closer to his two midfield colleagues and therefore in a position to close down, often starting the midfield pressure and setting an example to those behind. A high-tempo game based on pressing is perfect for the Belgian, who is physically impressive and capable of slaloming forward past opponents to launch attacks.

Crucially, Spurs’ wide players had strict instructions when they were attempting to regain possession. Érik Lamela and Christian Eriksen pushed inside, ensuring Spurs were capable of compressing Arsenal’s midfield space both vertically and laterally. Coquelin and Cazorla were often pressurised by two Spurs players, turning away from one opponent before encountering another immediately.

The central pressing of the wide players meant Spurs were often weak on the far side, and vulnerable to a switch of play out to the Arsenal full-backs. Even then, both Danny Rose and Kyle Walker boast tremendous acceleration and were happy to sprint forward to confront their opposite numbers, with the centre-backs Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld shifting across to take care of Sánchez or Campbell.

With such a congested midfield zone, both teams struggled to create chances from central positions. Arsenal’s creative options simply weren’t getting the ball – Ozil’s best passes were in the second half, from the flanks – while, going the other way, Dembélé and Dele Alli made poor decisions after dribbling forward to the edge of the Arsenal box.

That is typical in matches featuring heavy pressing, with midfielders tired from closing down and lacking confidence in possession, meaning longer balls are often more effective. However, in the absence of Theo Walcott, Arsenal could not go long in behind the defence – Olivier Giroud tried to make runs into the channels but simply didn’t have the speed. And this approach was precisely how Spurs took the lead – Rose’s curled ball into the channel wouldn’t have been anything more than a speculative pass, but Laurent Koscielny chased Harry Kane rather than attempting to play offside and it became a perfect assist.

Yet Arsenal battled back and dominated the final 20 minutes. While the substitute Kieran Gibbs was the unlikely hero in an unfamiliar left-wing position, equally crucial was Wenger’s decision to introduce Flamini for Cazorla. It was an atypical Wenger substitution – introducing a defensive midfielder for a playmaker when chasing the game – but he recognised the need to get hold of the midfield zone. Flamini helped shield the defence, and in turn ensured Arsenal’s attacking players were more justified in their advanced positioning. The fact he was forced into that change, though, demonstrated how much Arsenal had struggled against Spurs’ press.