Deal: Mikel Arteta set Declan Rice on a transfer quest, hurting Tottenham.

I’d like to start this talking points piece with Mikel Arteta’s final

answer to a news conference question… pfft.

Thank god Arsenal avoided a totally undeserved

Tottenham equaliser as they pressed for a draw as the

clock ticked down to full-time in the North London Derby.

Arsenal has seen this tale several times in the last week,

with a performance and dominance that warranted far more than the scoreline indicated,

but on this occasion, the outcome did reflect who was the better side.

It was an incredible build-up to the game itself, with the days

preceding it lacking the usual dread and apprehension I had for this game.

Not that the stakes were particularly high; they were maybe the highest of the previous three games,

but the short time to react to Sunday’s penalty shootout horror took away the opportunity to stew and worry.

The injuries suffered by both teams have also prevented us from having our

regular combined XI and pre-match talk.I had no idea how the game would play out;

every eventuality had crossed my thoughts,

but Tottenham taking the lead following a period of total dominance preceding a tense comeback?

I assumed that if the Gunners were the protagonists with no challenge,

they would cruise to a comfortable victory, whereas if Spurs scored first,

it would be such a mental blow after this week’s disastrous results that they would struggle to react.

Mikel Arteta set Declan Rice on a transfer quest, hurting Tottenham.