Mikel Arteta praises absentee-hit Arsenal after claiming ‘ugly’ win at Spurs

Mikel Arteta paid tribute to his Arsenal players after they brushed off a string of high-profile absentees to claim an “ugly” 1-0 win at rivals Tottenham.

This north London derby had been billed as potentially make-or-break for Arsenal despite being the middle of September after the Gunners dropped points at home to Brighton before the international break.

Manchester City’s fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday coupled with the unavailability of captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino cast doubt over Arsenal’s title credentials, but they answered them superbly in N17.