Izuchukwu OkosiTottenham Hotspur twice came from behind to hold off North London rivals, Arsenal to a 2-2 draw in the first North London derby of the season at the Emirates stadium on Sunday evening.
The duo of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah were tormenting the visitors earlier in the game and it finally paid off as Spurs’ Cristian Romero inadvertently deflected Bukayo Saka cross into his team’s net.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelTottenham soon restored parity through Hueng Min-Son who got on to the end of a good cross by Nigerian-born Italian youth international Destiny Udogie.
With the score levelled at one-all, the match hung in the balance, with Arsenal exerting relentless pressure, seeking to replicate their outstanding performance against PSV earlier in the week.
Tottenham, however, demonstrated resilience, withstanding Arsenal’s attacks and remaining competitive. Arsenal’s supporters in the stands had high expectations, even though Spurs had started the season well. Unfortunately, Arsenal struggled to fulfil their early promise in the game.
Their path to regain the lead involved a penalty converted by Bukayo Saka, but this advantage lasted for just a minute, as Son promptly equalised for Spurs once more following an error from Jorginho.
Mikel Arteta had to make do without Declan Rice in the second half, as the high-profile signing appeared to have suffered an injury, leaving a noticeable void in the Gunners’ lineup.
In the end, Tottenham earned a well-deserved point, as Arteta’s team selection and tactical adjustments failed to yield the desired impact.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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