Manager Jamie Redknapp said after the Gunners’ 4-1 win on Sunday that Arsenal are in a different league to Tottenham and warned that could become a reality with the threat of relegation looming.
Spurs’ new manager Igor Tudor has said his team will “100 per cent” avoid relegation this season, but a heavy defeat at home to their north London rivals in his first game in charge leaves them in 16th place, four points above the bottom three.
Spurs are winless in the top flight in 2026 with 11 games remaining in the Premier League campaign.
Tottenham remain in 16th place, four points above the relegation zone.
On Sunday, the doubles of Victor Gokeres and Ebelesi Eze secured bragging rights, giving them a five-point lead over the leaders in the process. Arsenal fans chanted from the away side of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that they would “never play again”.
“They were fantastic today. I felt we were in control of the Arsenal team,” Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“It was a complete mismatch. They were in different leagues but Arsenal were very classy. They were much better than Tottenham. It was like two different leagues.
“If Tottenham aren’t careful they could end up in a different league. They can’t keep performing like this.
“They haven’t won a game (in the league) in 2026. They’re a team without character. They’ve ignored character. They have to show character in some way. They can’t go on like this year after year.”
“Arsenal were good, but Tottenham were too good.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Tottenham and Arsenal.
Neville: Spurs’ relegation would be the shock of the century
Gary Neville believes Tottenham have done enough to beat this relegation, but said relegation would be the “shock of the century”.
“Tottenham are in trouble,” he said. “Last season they really got around it a little bit, but they always got around it and managed the Europa League games and won enough points. It never really felt like they were going to go down.”
“They have some things to do this season and they should do it quickly. I look at West Ham and I look at Nottingham Forest and there’s something about them that makes me think they’re going to get points.”
“Tottenham can’t just sit back and think this is going to happen. They’re going to have to work hard to get themselves out of this mess.
“It’s unthinkable. But in terms of football, they haven’t been successful for years and haven’t been able to find the right way to do things. And this is the second season they’ve been in this position.”
“It’s not a fluke anymore. This is your pattern and it’s going to be the shock of the century. It would be absolutely crazy to think they might disappear from this league, but I don’t think they will disappear.”
“They showed attitude for 55, 60 minutes against Arsenal. In the end they just lost to a better team. They showed a little bit of stamina that we need going forward.”
“If you’re playing a team here where the crowd isn’t as excited and the players aren’t as excited, you’ve got to try to show the same toughness because it’s easy to show that sometimes in a north London derby where you have to do it in a manager’s first game and it’s almost forced.
“But when the cameras are off and they’re playing teams next week and the week after in the middle of the table, and maybe their motivation is a little bit lower because of the nature of the game, are they going to be as tough, as persistent, as hard-working and as pressured?
“We need to do that, because in this league you end up with just a few percentage points.”
Tudor: “We didn’t try hard enough, Arsenal were much better”
Tudor’s first game in charge was a stark reminder of the current problems plaguing Tottenham, with 11 senior players missing through injury or suspension, and also highlighted the rift between them and their north London rivals.
“I’m disappointed because I didn’t give enough effort. Arsenal were much better,” Tudor told Sky Sports after the match.
“This time there were too many differences between the teams, even the physical problems we caused with 11 players (on the pitch) and three (substitutes).”
Tottenham manager Igor Tudor during the 4-1 loss to Arsenal
“It’s good to look at a team like this (like Arsenal) and show them where they should be. It shows effort and effort, because we struggle with a lot of things.
“Psychologically, we need to get out of this moment. The only way is to work. Be quiet, stay humble. And look to the future every day and continue to grow day by day, week by week. This moment is too strong.
“We need to work. We had too many bad habits in the past. We, each part of the team, need to look at ourselves, grow and be humble. It’s all about work. We need to run more, we need to work to win duels and second balls.”
“We prepared this in four or five days, but it was faster than that.
Tottenham’s remaining Premier League matches
“The players showed passion and wanted to run and run. But we didn’t press high and win the ball. They’re stronger, they have more power and energy. They believe more. That’s the key in the end. That’s it. Take the lesson.”
Despite the defeat, Tudor is confident of guiding the club to safety. He added, “Of course I’m confident. They have some bad habits, but they’re a good group of players.”
“No one can say we don’t have quality, but we need to change, we need to mentally switch on and have the mental acuity to be in the game from the first minute or two. We also need to be physical.”
“One or two players didn’t have good moments, but today it can happen. Too many players had problems. That’s the result.”
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Tottenham Hosper caretaker manager Igor Tudor has not held back on his side’s performance following their 4-1 home defeat to Arsenal, but is confident they will avoid relegation this season.
Van de Ven: “Arsenal were the better team”
Spurs defender Micky van de Ven echoed Redknapp’s claims on Sunday afternoon after admitting that a good side had been sent off with bragging rights.
“I think Arsenal were the better team overall,” he told Sky Sports. “We were still in the game in the first half and it was 1-1. They scored in the second minute of the second half to make it 2-1 and after that it was really difficult.”
“I think maybe we could have done a little bit better in terms of pressing. We pressed quite high, but Arsenal got out of there a few times and it’s difficult to fight back right away.
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Victor Gokeres sealed Arsenal’s victory with his second shot of the match.
“They were just a good team today and produced much more than us.
“There are risks when you press high and go man-to-man, if one guy is too slow you get open and that’s what you have to deal with, but if you press high and win, you have a lot of chances to score.
“But on the other hand, if they come out, that’s a big risk.”
Asked if Spurs were in a relegation battle with 11 games remaining in the Premier League season, Van Deven added: “We just need to win games. We have to take it step by step. Fulham are next and that’s the most important thing for us.”
