Arsenal vs Tottenham: North London derby ends in stalemate as a result of Jorginho's gift
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Arsenal settled for a draw against Tottenham || Credit: Imago

Arsenal vs Tottenham: North London derby ends in stalemate as a result of Jorginho's gift

Stephen Oladehinde 16:21 - 24.09.2023

Arsenal failed to keep hold of their lead as they played a draw against rivals Tottenham in the North London derby.

The Gunners were looking confident heading to the game after a comfortable win on their return to the UCL.

However, they could only settle for a 2-2 draw against a very determined Tottenham side at the Emirates.

Romero's first-half deflection and Saka scoring from the penalty spot gave the Gunners the lead twice, but Son’s goals put the visitors back into the game and earned them a point.  

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As it happened

Arsenal made two changes from the team that thumped PSV 4-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday. Fabio Vieira and Eddie Nketiah start, and Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard drop out of the eleven.

Just the one change for Spurs from the team that came back late to beat Sheffield United last weekend with Brennand Johnson given his first start for the club in place of Manor Solomon.

Both teams started the game trying to control possession and create chances at the same time.

However, it was Arsenal that made the first attempt that led to the opening goal of the game through a Saka strike.

The Arsenal forward cuts into space from the right and unleashes a curling shot which takes a big deflection off Cristian Romero and finds the corner of the Spurs net.

Tottenham also had a little spell of possession and created a few chances and one of the chances led to Tottenham’s equaliser. 

David Raya saved a Brennan Johnson shot after he flapped at a cross, but Tottenham came again with James Maddison getting to the byline, pulling back and Son Heung-min stuck out a boot to steer the ball into the bottom corner.

The referee blew the whistle for halftime with both teams going into the break with a 1-1 scoreline.

Bukayo Saka fighting for the ball during the Arsenal vs Tottenham game || Credit: Imago
Bukayo Saka fighting for the ball during the Arsenal vs Tottenham game || Credit: Imago

The second half started and Arsenal got the first chance from a corner to take the lead against Spurs.

The Gunners took a corner which was not cleared properly by the Tottenham defenders and the ball fell to the feet of Ben White who struck it towards goal but hit the outstretched hand of Romero.

The incident was reviewed by VAR and the referee was called upon for an on-field view. After the review, the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty.

Bukayo Saka held his nerve and chipped his penalty to the spot from which Guglielmo Vicario had just dived.

Arsenal’s goal did not take long as Tottenham got an immediate equaliser with a Jorginho nightmare. 

He allowed James Maddison to nick the ball off him and tear it away. He has Son Heung-min for company, finds him and the forward does the rest with a neat low finish.

The game ended in a 2-2 draw as Tottenham secured a draw against their rivals as both teams continued their unbeaten run.