Arsenal’s season looked to be drifting away from them before a comeback full of courage and spirit defeated arch-rivals Tottenham 2-1.
Mikel Arteta’s men have moved themselves to within just four points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a Dominic Solanke own goal and a Leandro Trossard winner just before half time.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 43 |
Tottenham fans were outraged at the awarding of a corner for Arsenal’s first goal, Gabriel Magalhaes once again proving to be a handful in the air from set-pieces as his header deflected off Solanke.
Myles Lewis-Skelly broke an Cesc Fabregas’s record by becoming the youngest player to start a North London Derby and was outstanding. However, it seems fans are becoming frustrated with one player in particular in the Gunners outfit.
Arsenal fans are getting tired of Raheem Sterling
I was at the game last night and whilst the atmosphere was electric and the players were almost carried to the final whistle by the fans, Raheem Sterling was subject to frustrations from Arsenal supporters.
The frustrations stemmed firstly from Sterling failing to convert an early chance when he was played clean through by Lewis-Skelly and seemed to slow his run instead of getting a shot off at goal- it was a great chance to take a much-needed early lead.
Following that there were cries of “Speed it up Sterling!” amid the winger’s hesitation when given the ball in wide areas. There were also shouts of “Go at him, don’t be scared!” in reference to the England international’s reluctance to take on defender Djed Spence.
| Match Statistic v Spurs | Raheem Sterling |
| Possession lost | 13 |
| Duels won | 7 |
| Duels lost | 7 |
| Tackles made | 5 |
| Passes into attacking area | 0 |
| Dribbles past an opponent | 0 |
Whilst Sterling’s work rate and endeavour could not be questioned, being at the game it felt like the winger was afraid to make a mistake and felt like he did not have the beating of his fullback.
On commentary, on TNT Sports coverage of the game, pundit Ally McCoist was asked about Sterling’s performance and stated: “He’s done ok but I feel he has played a safe game, done everything safe. Is that what you want from one of your attackers?”
Sterling’s performance highlights the need for Mikel Arteta to sign Bryan Mbeumo
With the Injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri, Sterling has become Arsenal’s fifth choice right winger, with Gabriel Martinelli also being used there on occasions.
Sterling’s underwhelming performance and the fact Arsenal missed chances once again in the Spurs game has highlighted the heightening need for Arteta to strengthen in forward areas.
Arsenal have been linked with a double swoop for Bryan Mbeumo and Viktor Gyokeres amongst a host of other names in forward areas. Mbeumo has scored 13 goals this season for Brentford and his style of running at defenders with pace could be the perfect foil for the injured Saka.
In addition, the fact that Mbeumo is a left-footed player who operates on the right-hand side means that he would slot into the Arsenal style of play should he be persuaded to move to North London.
There is a title to be won for Arteta and his men and an addition such as Mbeumo could be the catalyst to breaking that trophy drought and winning Arsenal their first Premier League since 2004.
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