Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham: What Were The Main Talking Points As The North London Rivals Play Out A Thriller At The Emirates?

In what was a thrilling affair from the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, Arsenal and Tottenham saw the latest installment of the north London derby finish in an action-packed 2-2 draw.

With all eyes falling on the English capital this weekend, the Gunners sent the home support into overdrive midway through the first-half as Cristian Romero unfortunately turned the ball into his own net.

However, with Spurs gaining a recent reputation for their new-found resilience under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham dragged themselves level just three minutes before the interval as Heung-Min Son swept home and past a helpless David Raya.

In a real rollercoaster affair on Sunday afternoon, things only after the half-time interval as chances fell at both ends of the Emirates pitch.

With the red-hot Bukayo Saka converting from the penalty spot following Romero’s adjudged handball in the six-yard box, Mikel Arteta’s side appeared to be sat in pole position to make a heavyweight statement.

Nevertheless, with second-half substitute Jorginho caught out just seconds after the restart, it was Son who grabbed his second of the afternoon and produced another remarkable comeback for the top-four hopefuls.

In a contest that once again lived up to its billing, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Sunday’s north London derby.

Arsenal miss out on what they had billed a real chance

Suffering title heartbreak last season as they missed out on the chance to get their hands on a first Premier League trophy since 2004, Arsenal have their sights set on mounting another charge this time around.

Opening their Champions League adventure with a stellar display at the Emirates earlier in the week as they cruised their way to a 4-0 victory against Dutch giants PSV, the Gunners were looking to lay down another marker here.

However, after taking the lead twice on either side of the half-time break, Arsenal will be feeling that they missed out on the chance to make a heavyweight statement on Sunday afternoon.

Winning each of Tottenham’s previous three trips to the Emirates by an aggregate score of 8-3, Arteta will know that his side still have work to do if they’re to dethrone City this season.

Arteta still seeking defensive stability

While Arsenal might have breezed their way to that 4-0 Champions League romp against PSV in midweek, it is no secret that the Gunners are still trying to find some domestic stability at the back.

Pegged back twice here and showing some recent defensive inconsistencies, the one-time Manchester City coach has seen his budding squad muster just a trio of clean sheets from their previous nine Premier League appearances continuing on from last season.

Dropping points prior to September’s international break as they played out another thrilling 2-2 draw at home against Fulham, Sunday’s hosts are yet to record a top-flight clean sheet at the Emirates since opening the new campaign.

Although Arsenal might be enjoying a free-scoring run in the final third, Arteta will be desperate for his side to find a similar defensive steel that they showed last season.

Tottenham show their improvements under Postecoglou

Entirely missing out on a European finish and coming under a huge amount of scrutiny last season, Postecoglou was brought to the white half of north London in an attempt to steady the ship.

While the Lilywhites might have been heartbroken as England skipper Harry Kane completed his blockbuster £100million move to Bayern Munich this summer, Spurs have only gone from strength to strength under the former Celtic boss and are riding a real wave of momentum.

Putting in another all-action performance here and causing Arsenal a string of issues on either side of the half-time break, Postecoglou deserves all of the plaudits that have come his way since arriving in north London.

Crowned August’s Manager of the Month and really bringing a feel-good factor back to Tottenham, it is no secret that Spurs have their sights set on mounting a genuine top-four charge this time around.

Son & Maddison have formed a lethal partnership

Although many around the white half of north London might have been wondering how Tottenham’s attack would cope in the post-Kane era, Spurs aren’t showing any signs of an issue.

With Son appointed as Spurs’ new full-time captain over the summer, the South Korean ace has continued to flourish since taking over his role.

Heading into September’s international break with a hat-trick away at Burnley as Tottenham claimed an action-packed 5-2 win, the one-time Bayer Leverkusen starlet has now notched five goals in his last two Premier League appearances.

With England international James Maddison also making an immediate impact since arriving in north London, Tottenham’s new attacking duo have already struck up a lethal partnership.

Match Report

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliva, Zinchenko, Rice, Odegaard, Vieira, Saka, Jesus, Nketiah

Subs: Jorginho, Havertz, Smith Rowe, Nelson

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Bissouma, Sarr, Kulusevski, Maddison, Son, Johnson

Subs: Hojberg, Richarlison, Solomon

Goals: Arsenal: Romero OG (26’), Saka (54’ P) – Tottenham: Son (42’, 55’)

Yellow Cards: Arsenal: Odegaard, Havertz, Nketiah – Tottenham: Romero, Sarr, Bissouma, Udogie

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Robert Jones