Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in a thrilling North London derby showdown at the Emirates Stadium.
Ange Postecoglou’s side came from behind twice to secure a point on Arsenal’s turf – a feat Spurs hadn’t achieved since 2019.
Despite making a winning return to the Champions League in midweek, Tottenham were always going to prove a much more difficult test for the Gunners.
However, it was Arteta’s side that started on the front foot in an opening 20 minutes that saw Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah both seeing sharp efforts saved by Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs goal.
Arsenal’s early pressure was rewarded in the 26th minute when a curling effort from Bukayo Saka was diverted into his own net by Cristian Romero.
Going one nil down just before the hour mark was the wake-up call Spurs needed, and they gradually grew into the game with David Raya forced into a remarkable save to deny Brennan Johnson.
With half-time approaching, Spurs found an equaliser when Son Heung-min tucked home after excellent creative work from James Maddison.
Much like the opening period, Arsenal emerged from the interval firing on all cylinders, and the Gunners were ahead within eight minutes, as Saka converted from the spot following a handball from Romero in the box.
Undeterred, the Lilywhites produced a remarkable response, levelling the scores just 90 seconds later, as Maddison pounced on a mistake from Jorginho before teeing up Son, who finished expertly.
After a breathless start to the second period, both sides looked to regain some semblance of composure heading into the final 20 minutes.
Spurs remained the more dangerous in the final third, with Son firing a close-range strike into the side-netting, while Kai Havertz missed the target with a speculative effort at the other end.
Arsenal pushed for a dramatic winner in ten minutes of stoppage time with the home crowd firmly behind them, but Tottenham’s rearguard held firm as both teams settled for a hard-fought point.
The Gunners may have lost ground on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, but the draw extends their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches (W7, D2).
Meanwhile, Spurs remain ahead of their North London counterparts in the table courtesy of their superior goal difference and will hope to maintain their unbeaten run when they host Liverpool next weekend.
Arsenal
David Raya (6/10) – Asides from a remarkable save to deny Johnson, nothing spectacular from the Spaniard.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (7/10) – Was vital in the build up phase. Saw a lot of the ball but not at the expense of his defensive duties. Limited Kulusevski’s impact to the bare minimum.
Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10) – Struggled to cope with the threat from Son but was strong in his tackles.
William Saliba (6/10) – Also failed to keep up with Son’s movement and trickery but was solid at the heart of defence.
Ben White (6/10) – Not his best performance in an Arsenal shirt but was decent in his defensive responsibilities.
Declan Rice (6/10) – A solid first half display from the Englishman, maintaining a 100% success rate in ground duels.
Martin Odegaard (6/10) – Clumsy in possession at times but an all-round decent display from the Gunners skipper.
Fabio Vieira (4/10) – Was largely a passenger in the opening period. Didn’t see much of the ball, failed to make an impact and was taken off at half time.
Gabriel Jesus (7/10) – Posed a threat from out wide and kept Porro chasing his tail for most of the proceedings. Was denied a first half goal with a stunning save.
Edward Nketiah (4/10) – Other than unnecessarily clattering into Vicario, he failed to trouble Spurs’ backline in another underwhelming display from the Englishman.
Bukayo Saka (9/10) – Constantly had Udogie on the back foot. Caused Spurs a lot of problems down the right flank and forced an error that led to goal.
Substitutes
Jorginho (3/10)
Kai Havertz (4/10)
Reiss Nelson (5/10)
Emile Smith-Rowe (NA)
Tottenham Hotspur
Guglielmo Vicario (7/10) – Was a commanding presence in the Spurs backline. Made a couple of exceptional saves to deny Arsenal.
Pedro Porro (5/10) – Lost the ball one too many times and struggled to contain Jesus. Not much to report from an attacking sense.
Cristian Romero (4/10) – Was decent until his unfortunate error that led to goal and never really recovered from the setback.
Mickey Van de ven (6/10) – Another solid performance from the Dutchman. Looked comfortable on the ball and gave little away.
Destiny Udogie (6/10) – Had no answer to Saka’s flair, trickery and 1v1 ability. Got burned one too many times but his all-round display was decent.
Pape Matar Sarr (6/10) – Held down the fort with aplomb. Saw a lot of the ball and was strong in his duels.
Yves Bissouma (6/10) – Not a vintage display from the dazzling Malian midfielder but did well to make his prescence known.
Dejan Kulusevski (5/10) – Like Johnson on the other flank, showed flashes of his brilliance but never really sparked into life.
James Maddison (8/10) – Another remarkable display from the creative midfielder, setting up two goals to keep his side in the tie.
Brennan Johnson (5/10) – Barring his sight of goal in the first half, didn’t really offer much in an attacking sense. Nevertheless, Spurs will be sweating over his fitness after being forced off in the 63rd minute.
Heung-Min Son (9/10) – A captain’s performance from the South Korean, handing his side a lifeline twice in the game.
Substitutes
Manor Solomon (6/10)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (5/10)
Richarlison (5/10)
