Pundits claim Arsenal’s winning derby goal should not have been allowed

Gabriel rose above the defender to power home a header in the 64th minute, but there was discussion over whether the goal should have stood

Gabriel scored the only goal of the match as Arsenal won 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Getty Images)

Arsenal battled to a 1-0 win over Spurs in the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon, courtesy of a goal from Gabriel.

The centre-back rose above the Tottenham defence to head home in the 64th minute from Bukayo Saka’s corner, with Arsenal going on to win the game thanks to plenty of resolute defending.

And despite no real protest to the goal from Spurs players, Sky Sports pundits suggested that the goal should not have been allowed to stand.

When reviewing the goal, Jamie Redknapp mentioned that Cristian Romero struggled to get to grips with Gabriel throughout the game, before Les Ferdinand pointed out that the Argentine “gets a little shove in the back”.

“If a centre-forward does that, the referee gives a foul against him. They don’t even look at it,” said the former Spurs striker.

“He does need to be stronger, it is poor defending, but he does get a shove in his back,” he added.

Paul Merson agreed, saying that he “would be disappointed if I didn’t get a foul”.

“He [Romero] is in the wrong position, everything is wrong about his defending. You have to be side on, seeing the ball and the player.

“To start off with, you’ve got to be an arm’s length away, and he’s standing with him. But I would expect a foul,” added the former Arsenal man.

Redknapp was more critical of Romero, saying that he “has got to do better with his own defensive responsibilities”, as well as pointing to Vicario’s problems when defending corners.

Spurs have now conceded 18 goals from set-pieces since the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

The win puts Arsenal second in the league behind Manchester City, who they face at the Etihad on Sunday, 22 September, while Spurs now have just four points from their opening four fixtures of the season.