Arsenal weathers pressure to beat Tottenham 1-0 in feisty north London derby

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal is leaving archrival Tottenham’s stadium with a win for the third season in a row after Gabriel Magalhaes' second-half header settled a feisty and physical north London derby in the Premier League on Sunday.

Tottenham had Arsenal pegged back for much of the game but couldn’t make its chances count as the visitors weathered the pressure before Gabriel secured a 1-0 win by scoring in the 64th minute. The Brazilian center back lost his marker and met a corner from Bukayo Saka with a thumping header from the middle of the box.

“It is a big derby and we are so happy to win here," said Gabriel, who celebrated boisterously in front of the away fans after the final whistle. “Let’s enjoy it now.”

The goal came largely against the run of play but secured a vital victory for Arsenal, which is already two points behind defending champion Manchester City and could ill afford to drop more points ahead of a trip to the Etihad Stadium next weekend.

The visitors were slightly fortunate not to be trailing early, though, as Tottenham took full advantage of Arsenal’s weakened midfield to boss proceedings for much of the opening hour.

Without the suspended Declan Rice and the injured Martin Odegaard, Arsenal never looked comfortable against Tottenham’s press and struggled to establish anything resembling its normal passing game.

But Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made two good early saves to keep Tottenham at bay, while Spurs striker Dominic Solanke failed to make the most of a couple of decent chances.

“We had to work really hard as you saw, we knew it was going to be a difficult game," said Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, who captained Arsenal in Odegaard's absence. "We had key players missing but we are a total team, the whole squad. We know that whoever comes on will be ready to help the team.”

It was a very different game compared to last year’s fixture, when Arsenal went 3-0 up before holding off a late fightback to win 3-2. But it had its usual share of physical tackles and temper flare-ups, with seven bookings handed out in the first half alone.

And Arsenal had to hang on in the final minutes again, although Tottenham’s only half chances for an equalizer came when Solanke sent a header straight at Raya in the 88th and Dejan Kulusevski sent his long-range shot over the bar in injury time.

Arsenal only had three senior outfield players available on the bench, including transfer deadline-day signing Raheem Sterling who came on for his Gunners debut in the 80th minute.

In Sunday’s only other Premier League game, Wolves hosted Newscastle in the later kickoff.

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Arsenal's Jurrien Timber and Tottenham's goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario square-up to each other during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tottenham's James Maddison is pulled back by Arsenal's Jorginho during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel, foreground, celebrates with teammate William Saliba after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Arsenal's Gabriel, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel, foreground, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in London, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

ROME (AP) — Roma fired coach Daniele De Rossi on Wednesday in a move that was surprising despite the Giallorossi going winless in their opening four Italian league matches.

De Rossi, a former Roma captain, was hired in January to replace the fired Jose Mourinho and impressed so much during the second half of last season that he was given a contract extension in June through 2026-27.

“The club’s decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” Roma said. “A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work done in recent months with passion and dedication.”

Roma added that “communication regarding the team’s technical guidance will follow.”

Roma hosts Serie A leader Udinese on Sunday.

One possible replacement for De Rossi could be former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, who was fired for his ugly outburst toward the referees in the Italian Cup final at the Stadio Olimpico in May.

Former AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli, who was reportedly close to signing with Al-Nassr — the Saudi Arabian club that Cristiano Ronaldo plays for — could be another option.

After opening with a scoreless draw at Cagliari, Roma was beaten 2-1 at home by Empoli. Draws at Juventus (0-0) and Genoa (1-1) followed — leaving Roma with only three points and in 16th place.

De Rossi had transformed Roma into a better attacking unit than Mourinho’s defensive teams but this season has produced only two goals.

Next week, Roma opens its Europa League campaign against Athletic Bilbao at the Olimpico.

Romelu Lukaku’s loan spell at Roma ended after last season but talented striker Paulo Dybala stayed with the club after considering a move to Saudi Arabia.

Roma’s American owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin have often made surprising decisions.

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FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi calls out to his players during the Europa League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE - Roma manager Daniele De Rossi speaks to his team during a Serie A soccer match against Atalanta at Gewiss Stadium, in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)

FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi waits for the start of the Europa League second leg semi-final soccer match between Leverkusen and Roma at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)