Arsenal Rally After Team Meeting Fuels 4-1 North London Derby Win Over Spurs

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Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the north London derby has been linked by Viktor Gyokeres to a clear-the-air team meeting, as the Premier League title race intensifies and pressure from Manchester City grows after recent dropped points against Wolves.

Arsenal remain two points clear of Manchester City, who defeated Newcastle United on Saturday, though Mikel Arteta’s side have played one game more. Even so, the Opta supercomputer currently rates Arsenal as 83.4% favourites for the title, with Pep Guardiola’s team given a 15.8% chance of finishing top.

The north London derby win was Arsenal’s largest away league success at Tottenham since a 5-0 result in December 1978. Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze both scored twice in Sunday’s contest, as Arsenal responded emphatically after surrendering a 2-0 advantage in a damaging draw against bottom club Wolves.

Gyokeres has needed time to adjust since joining Arsenal and had a slow start at the Emirates Stadium. However, the forward now has eight goals in all competitions in 2026, more than any other Premier League player this calendar year, underlining a sharp rise in influence during the title run-in.

Despite this form, Gyokeres chose to emphasise the squad’s internal discussions rather than personal statistics. "It's important sometimes just to say what you feel and to let it all out in the group," Gyokeres said. "Most of us spoke. Everyone can recognise how different people feel in the moment and you get a better understanding of the feeling."

"When you speak in the group openly like that, you come closer together and it's very important to do that sometimes. If you're not honest, I think it's hard to improve. It was a good chat, we certainly enjoyed today, and now we're going to prepare for a big game against Chelsea next weekend."

Gyokeres believes that honest exchanges helped Arsenal reset after the Wolves setback and strengthened team unity before facing Tottenham. The heavy win, combined with favourable title projections, leaves Arsenal in a strong position before facing Chelsea, while Manchester City continue to chase with less margin for error.