Rosicky thunderbolt seals derby win

Tomas Rosicky scored an absolute peach of a goal just over a minute into the game as Arsenal ran out 1-0 victors over North London rivals Spurs on Sunday afternoon. It was far from a classic derby but we managed to seal a crucial victory that ensured we stayed in the title race. Having lost to Stoke a few weeks back, we've bounced back in near perfect fashion beating Everton, drawing with Bayern and now also seeing off local rivals Spurs. However if we're to maintain a substantial challenge then we'll need to prove ourselves a lot more than we've done. In terms of the line-up that was played there were a few changes from Bayern in the week. Rosicky replaced the injured Ozil whilst Gibbs returned at left back in place of Vermaelen. Szczesny was back in the starting line-up having not started against Everton and being suspended in midweek. Meanwhile Lukas Podolski retained his place.

Tomas Rosicky's early goal sealed the points

A defeat for either side simply wasn't good enough. If we had lost then the title race would be all but over, and with a Spurs defeat a Champions League place now looks a very tough ask. Especially considering the top four are all gunning for the league title. A win over our North London rivals held an added significance to the game, if any was needed at this stage of the season. Every game from now on in is effectively a cup final. After last season's game against Bayern we went unbeaten for the rest of the campaign, lets hope the same happens this year too.

We couldn't have got off to a much better start. Tomas Rosicky, a man Spurs fans must be sick of the sight of having scored in the FA Cup tie and a game a few years previously, scored the opener. It was an absolute rocket of a shot just over a minute into the game. Arsenal won the ball back and managed to break away with the Czech international down the right hand side. He managed to find the Ox but his touch was poor and it bounced nicely for Rosicky to crash the ball home at the far post. It was beautiful technique and it was a cracking way to start the derby.

That early goal kind of killed the game off though. Spurs had the majority of the possession throughout the game and we hardly made any passes. A rarity for us. Despite being pegged back for the majority of the match, we created some brilliant chances. Tottenham played a ridiculously high line throughout and they were very lucky we didn't win by more than one. Chamberlain got beyond the defence in the first half and found himself one-on-one with Lloris. However he got it horribly wrong and dinked the ball wide. Meanwhile Lukas Podolski fired an effort into the side netting and the Ox fired another shot wide, although this time via a deflection.

The effort of the defence simply cannot be faulted though. Tottenham tested us with over 25 crosses which Mertesacker and Koscielny had a field day dealing with. They were absolutely sensational and once again reaffirmed why they are perhaps the best center back pairing in the league. There was a moment in the second half where Szczesny looked a little shaky. He spilt the ball at the feet of Chadli who was then met by Per and Koscielny who managed to create a wall and somehow deny what seemed a certain goal. It summed up the display of the two perfectly. Had it not been for them then a draw seemed a likely result.

Overall it was a very ugly win, and it wasn't great to watch. A wins a win though and you can't complain when you've just beaten your rivals in their own back yard for the first time in years. It was a real backs to the wall performance and summed up the resilience of the team this season. This campaign Tottenham have failed to score against us in three meetings. 4-0 on aggregate is the score for the fixtures between the two sides in 2013/14. A very satisfying thing to be able to read.

Tougher fixtures lie ahead though. We have Chelsea, Swansea, Man City and Everton in the League before an FA Cup semi-final tie against Wigan to look forward to. It really will be a testing and vital period which could potentially shape how our season will pan out come May.

we have Chelsea, Swansea, Man City and Everton in the League before an FA Cup semi-final tie against Wigan to look forward to. It really will be a testing and vital period which could potentially shape how our season will pan out come May. - See more at: http://www.arsenation.co.uk/spurs-v-arsenal-preview-must-win-game/#sthash.VCaw9GS5.dpuf

we have Chelsea, Swansea, Man City and Everton in the League before an FA Cup semi-final tie against Wigan to look forward to. It really will be a testing and vital period which could potentially shape how our season will pan out come May. - See more at: http://www.arsenation.co.uk/spurs-v-arsenal-preview-must-win-game/#sthash.VCaw9GS5.dpuf

we have Chelsea, Swansea, Man City and Everton in the League before an FA Cup semi-final tie against Wigan to look forward to. It really will be a testing and vital period which could potentially shape how our season will pan out come May. - See more at: http://www.arsenation.co.uk/spurs-v-arsenal-preview-must-win-game/#sthash.VCaw9GS5.dpufThe teams lineups:

The teams line-ups:

Spurs: Lloris, Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose, Sandro(69), Bentaleb, Townsend, Eriksen(82), Chadli(69), Adebayor.
Subs: Friedel, Walker, Paulinho(69), Sigurdsson(69), Lennon, Kane, Soldado(82).

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain(85), Rosicky(69), Cazorla, Podolski(77), Giroud.
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen(85), Jenkinson, Monreal(77), Flamini(69), Gnabry, Sanogo.

My man of the match: Laurent Koscielny.

Referee: Mike Dean.