LONDON - Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.

Son Heung-min gave Tottenham the lead in the 25th minute when his shot from the edge of the penalty area hit William Saliba and past Gunners goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal responded after 15 minutes when Gabriel Magalhães tried to collect Declan Rice's corner kick at the back post, but Radu Dragusin's header hit Dominic Solan. Over and over Antonin Kinski.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Kinski, who made his league debut following a £12.5m move from Sparta Prague, had a shaky first half and failed to score a minute before half-time. Being able to stop Leandro Trossard's low shot from outside the box was ultimately the team's biggest culprit. winner.

A tense second half ensued, with Arsenal creating the better chances until Spurs defender Pedro Polo hit the post in stoppage time, but Mikel Arteta's side were victorious and overtaken Nottingham Forest ranked second. However, leaders Liverpool still have one game to go: their rescheduled Merseyside derby against Everton on February 12. James Ollie

Arsenal are cutting into Liverpool's lead...

Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest a day earlier will only give Arsenal more motivation if the visit of their local rivals requires it. The last time Liverpool dropped points - against Manchester United on January 5 - Arsenal were already hosting Brighton.

This game week, however, they took full advantage.

Confidence in these sides has been shaken following back-to-back cup defeats to Newcastle United and Manchester United, and while it was far from a full performance, they secured a valuable victory that gave Arne Slott The team brought pressure ahead of the Reds. A tricky trip to Brentford on Saturday. -- Ollie

...Yet the striker's doubts remain

Despite this result, Arsenal were once again not at their best in front of goal.

Their final expected goals rating of 1.70 was significantly lower than against Newcastle and Manchester United, requiring a set-piece own goal and a goalkeeper error to beat Tottenham. Arteta shuffled his forward line here, giving Raheem Sterling a rare start - his third in the league since joining on loan from Chelsea last summer - and Tello Sade occupied the left wing, while Gabriel Martinelli was on the bench.

On a night when Arsenal showed spirit and fought hard to get themselves over the line, judgment shouldn't be too critical, but their overall performance in the final third did little to quell long-standing concerns that they may need to sign another players to strengthen their forward line this month. Kai Havertz had another incredible night in goal, while Sterling was better without the ball than with it. If they fail to win here, the clamor to sign a striker this month will grow exponentially, and while they have avoided that fate, there is no doubt that talk will continue.

Set-pieces have come to the rescue of Arteta's side again: Arsenal have scored four league goals from corner kicks against Tottenham Hotspur since the start of last season - the most in this period The team plays against the team with the most goals scored by their opponents. -- Ollie

Kinski's baptism of fire in the Premier League

This is Kinski’s introduction to life at Tottenham Hotspur. Since joining on January 5, he has kept a clean sheet for Spurs in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and in Sunday's FA Cup third round tie at Tamworth. But on his Premier League debut, the North London derby was a different challenge for Kinski and a severe test of his mentality and composure. He had Havertz constantly pushing him with every touch of the ball, ensuring he was always being rushed when trying to attack from the back.

Although his passing ability is basically good, he was caught by Havertz twice when he got the ball. While he did well to keep opponents hammering corners into his six-yard box, Solanke's own goal was trapped by his teammates as he tried to strike out. The Czech Under-21 star would have hoped for at least a glove when Trossard's shot went through his outstretched arms in the 44th minute.

But to his credit, Kinski stood his ground. He made a superb save from Martin Odegaard in the second half to help Arsenal maintain a one-goal lead. He looks like a shrewd signing for Spurs and could compete with Guglielmo Vicario as their first-choice goalkeeper while he recovers from a broken ankle, but his performances have been mixed. -- Tom Hamilton

Is Son Heung-min still the main player for Tottenham?

As Tottenham Hotspur searched in vain for an equalizer in the final throes of the game, their talismanic striker and club captain Son Heung-min watched from the bench. It was uncomfortable to see him replace Richarlison in the 78th minute.

Son Heung-min has long been irreplaceable at Tottenham, and rightly so. He is a club legend, a fantastic player, someone who can turn the balance of a game in the blink of an eye, but his substitution shows he is no longer untouchable. Son Heung-min had a very good start. After 25 minutes, his shot went wide and opened the scoring for Tottenham. It was his first goal in the Premier League since mid-December, when he scored in a 5-0 win over Southampton.

For the remainder of the game, he lingered around the halfway line looking for counterattacks, but Tottenham's transitional tactics were disappointing as the midfield kept spitting the ball out. He only had 24 touches, his second-lowest total in the league this season, surpassed only by his 18 touches in 33 minutes against Bournemouth. Ultimately, his numbers were put on hold and Richarlison failed to make an impact in his position on the left wing, with Spurs walking a tightrope on the equalizer while trying to prevent Arsenal from counterattacking.

Son Heung-min's substitution means he has only completed one game for Tottenham in the past eight Premier League games - when he played the full 90 games, Tottenham lost 4-3 at home to Chelsea. -- hamilton

Pressure remains on Postkoglu

It's hard not to sympathize with Anj Postecoglou's injury problems at Tottenham Hotspur. With the loss of two first-choice centre-backs, two left-backs and two goalkeepers, Tottenham's patched backline was always prone to looking vulnerable.

But that leaves Tottenham in 13th place after their 11th league defeat of the season. Only three teams in the relegation zone - Wolves (13), Leicester City (13) and Southampton (16) - have lost more. Postkoglu has two cup games to contend for - the prospect of next month's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool should keep him safe from any immediate danger, but it will surely come soon as the Australian when the pressure starts to increase.

They are now 14 points adrift of fifth place - which may be enough to secure Champions League qualification - and just eight points above the relegation zone. Even if mitigating factors are taken into account, outcomes must be improved. Like Arsenal, Spurs are under pressure to make a move in the market, but for completely different reasons. -- Ollie