Arsenal vs Tottenham score, result, analysis from Premier League North London derby as Son silences Gunners

By | September 24, 2023
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An engrossing North London derby ended 2-2 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday as Tottenham twice fought back from a goal down to deny Arsenal victory.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, unbeaten in Premier League action this season and fresh from a 4-0 midweek win over PSV on their UEFA Champions League return, had been in buoyant mood heading into the contest. The Emirates was truly in party mode midway through the first half when Cristian Romero stuck out a leg to block Bukayo Saka’s shot but only managed to turn the ball into his own net.

Ange Postecoglou has got the feel-good factor back at Spurs, though, and there was no real sense of panic from the visitors even as Arsenal looked in control. Shortly before the break, Son Heung-min turned in James Maddison’s cross to silence the home fans.

Saka restored Arsenal’s lead with a penalty early in the second half, smashing the ball home after Romero had been punished for a handball that is sure to drive plenty of additional debate around the merits of VAR and the clarity of the Premier League’s current rules and their application. However, barely a minute later, Maddison was playing in Son to slide home another equaliser after Jorginho, on for Declan Rice at halftime, had lost the ball in his own half.

MORE: The latest Premier League standings

Arsenal vs Tottenham final score

  Fulltime Goalscorers
Arsenal 2 Romero OG (26), Saka P (54)
Tottenham 2 Son (42, 55)

Lineups:

Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Rice (Jorginho, 46′), Vieira (Havertz, 46′) — Saka (Smith Rowe, 90+7′), Jesus (Nelson, 77′), Nketiah

Tottenham (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vicario (GK) — Udogie, Van de Ven, Romero, Porro — Bissouma, Sarr — Johnson (Solomon, 62′), Maddison (Hojbjerg, 77′), Kulusevski  — Son (Richarlison, 77′)

MORE: How Bruno Fernandes’ wondergoal saw Man United beat Burnley

Arsenal vs Tottenham analysis

Why can’t handball be simpler?

Manchester United fans are a vocal bunch on social media and there was no surprise to see them out in force after the penalty decision at the Emirates.

As a loose ball bounced up in the Spurs box, Ben White turned and shot towards goal, around five yards out. Romero rushed in to block, planting his right foot down, thereby lifting his left arm for balance. White’s shot struck the defender’s raised hand, and although red-shirted players and fans alike screamed for a penalty, referee Robert Jones was initially unmoved. VAR soon intervened, encouraged him to check his pitchside monitor, and, eventually, he gave the penalty.

Suddenly, screenshots comparing this incident with one from Spurs’ 2-0 win over Man United were everywhere. In that game in August, with the scores at 0-0, Alejandro Garnacho fired a shot on target and Romero, in eerily similar fashion, blocked the shot with his arm. On this occasion, there was no encouragement from VAR for the referee to reconsider his decision to give just a corner.

As with most issues regarding what officials do and don’t do, the problem lies in the consistency of the implementation of the rules. The only significant difference between the incidents was that Romero was around 10 yards further forward when he blocked Garnacho’s shot. Distance from defender to goal does not seem to be a valid reason to award one penalty and not the other, according to the rules. Of course, if either of these incidents occurred in a Champions League game, both would unquestionably be penalties because UEFA’s guidance on the handball rule is different.

The Premier League could make things so much easier for players, officials, and fans, with clarity over things like this.

Declan Rice injury could leave Arsenal looking lightweight in midfield

There’s an old epithet around defensive midfielders dating back to the days of “water carriers” patrolling the middle of the pitch: basically, when they’re doing the job well, you don’t even notice they’re there.

That’s obviously no longer the case in modern football, where data analytics proliferate and every over-the-shoulder glance by a player is scrutinised. Rice is also a footballer boasting a broad skillset that makes him a lot more than just an energetic defensive screen, however valuable that particular trait might be. But he had what you could easily call a quiet first half against Spurs, and yet, once he went off, things looked much worse for Arsenal.

The balance with Jorginho and Kai Havertz was not as good as it was with Rice and Fabio Vieira in the first 45 minutes, particularly against midfielders as energetic as Maddison, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma. As some Arsenal players were still getting back to their positions after celebrating Saka’s goal to make it 2-1, Jorginho found himself on his own in the Gunners’ half, panicked under pressure from Maddison, and couldn’t cover the ground quickly enough to catch him. The lead was gone, after lasting barely a minute, and Arsenal wouldn’t get it back.

If Rice’s injury is anything serious, Arteta will be worried, particularly with the small matter of the visit of Manchester City on October 8.

MORE: How long is Declan Rice out for?

Harry who? Son and Maddison can be Spurs’ new great partnership

No Spurs player looks to have benefited from Ange Postecoglou’s arrival more than Son Heung-min. Having looked lost in the latter stages of Antonio Conte’s poisonous time in charge, the South Korean star is back playing with a smile and a swagger.

Deployed as the centre-forward against Arsenal, Son’s movement caused a headache for the Gunners’ defence and his two finishes were ruthless: the first a devilish touch to score through a crowd, the second a composed side-foot with the target at his mercy for his 150th goal for the club.

Both were set up by James Maddison, who might not be filling in for Harry Kane’s goals but is certainly applying the creative touch the England captain brought to his boyhood club. Son and Kane set a record 47 goal combinations in the Premier League, and it was hard to see how Spurs would cope with that creative link severed.

Well, Maddison now has four assists in 2023/24, and two of those came for Son today. Just 45 to go, then…

Arsenal vs Tottenham live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime: Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham

90 + 10 mins: RICHARLISON! Wow, that caused a panicky intake of breath from Arsenal fans! Fine work from Bissouma set Spurs away, Kulusevski pulled back the cross, and Richarlison’s first-time shot deflected wide. Arsenal clear the corner, and that’s all she wrote.

90 + 8 mins: There haven’t really been any major chances since Son’s second equaliser. Arsenal have had most of the play in these last 15 minutes or so, but they haven’t managed to create much.

90 + 6 mins: A spell of Spurs pressure ends in a Richarlison shot deflecting up and looping dangerously towards the goalline, but Raya catches and keeps it from creeping over.

90 + 1 mins: SAVE! Vicario gets down to get a hand to Saka’s low strike from 18 yards out. It looked like it was just creeping wide, but the Spurs keeper wasn’t to know.

90th min: There will be TEN minutes of added time, something that was celebrated by both sets of fans!

89th min: There’s concern for Saka now, who fell under Udogie and seemed to get his leg trapped. He’s up and walking, but he’s clearly a bit sore.

86th min: Chance for Havertz! Romero’s clearance bounces up kindly for the former Chelsea man, but he can’t control his shot and it flies over the bar. At the other end, Saliba gets across superbly to stop a Spurs counter.

82nd min: There’s a bit of anxiety around the stadium — well, more than a bit — as we enter these final minutes. Do these teams go for the win or make sure they don’t lose?

77th min: Maddison does in fact go off, along with Son, with Richarlison and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on for Spurs. Reiss Nelson has replaced Jesus for Arsenal.

69th min: Chance for Son! Kulusevski’s clever pass puts the South Korean through in the box, but he can’t squeeze it in from a tight angle. That all came from Maddison once again robbing Jorginho of the ball — a challenge that left the Spurs man in discomfort after apparently jarring his knee. He seems okay.

67th min: Nketiah slides in to block a Vicario pass and completely takes out the Spurs keeper. The striker gets a yellow card for the challenge, but to be honest, he’s lucky: he lunged in with a straight leg, studs outstretched, but just missed Vicario’s planed left shin.

62nd min: Johnson pulls up after sprinting back to help in defence, and he can’t continue. That’s a shame for the winger, who has performed well.

55th min: GOAL! TOTTENHAM HAVE EQUALISED! What an earth are you doing, Jorginho?! The substitute dithers in possession and is tackled by Maddison. Suddenly, it’s two-vs-one, Maddison slides it to Son, and he slides it past Raya. What a game!

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54th min: GOAL! Saka makes no mistake, firing straight down the middle of the goal after several settling deep breaths. Arsenal lead again!

52nd min: PENALTY TO ARSENAL! Ben White’s shot on the turn hits the hand of Romero, inside the six-yard box. There’s a long check by VAR and by the referee at the pitchside monitor, and the decision is to award a spot-kick to the Gunners.

46th min: Two significant changes at halftime: Fabio Vieira and Declan Rice are OFF for Arsenal, replaced by Kai Havertz and Jorginho.

Second half: We’re off and running again.

Halftime: Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham

It’s all square at the break, Son cancelling out Cristian Romero’s own goal shortly before the interval. This one is finely poised.

45th min: That goal seemed to stun the Emirates into near silence. Arsenal were in full control of this game, but somehow Son got between three defenders to equalise, after Saka — who seemed to mock Maddison’s dart-throw celebration earlier — let his England teammate get away too easily.

42nd min: GOAL! TOTTENHAM ARE LEVEL! Raya makes a mess of a cross but blocks Johnson’s effort, and it seems like the danger has passed. However, Maddison skips away from Saka too easily, cuts the ball back, and Son squeezes a finish into the far corner.

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40th min: SAVE! Fabulous from David Raya! Dejan Kulusevski’s reverse pass gives Son space in the box, he cuts it back to Johnson, but Raya claws the ball off the line!

37th min: Spurs try a couple of breaks forward but they come to nothing. Saka then tees up Martin Odegaard, but his shot is comfortably saved by Vicario.

32nd min: What a chance for Jesus! James Maddison is robbed of the ball inside the Spurs box but Jesus can’t hit the target. That was a huge opportunity for 2-0.

30th min: Saka switches play to Fabio Vieira and Van de Ven defends superbly, with Jesus behind him waiting to pounce. Arsenal smell blood here.

26th min: GOAL FOR ARSENAL! The Gunners lead and it’s an awful moment for Cristian Romero! Saka cuts in from the left and Udogie obligingly gives him time and space to shoot. It’s not a great effort, but Romero waves a leg at it, and the ball flies into the net with Vicario committed to the dive.

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23rd min: Spurs are persisting in their attempts to play out via Sarr and Yves Bissouma, and Arsenal are snapping at their heels every time. And yet, the Gunners aren’t really doing much when they do manage to win the ball back. It’s all a bit cancel-each-other-out-y at the moment.

19th min: Pedro Porro gets forward for the first time, and it’s a heck of cross from the Spurs right-back that Ben White has to be alert to clear. Sarr’s follow-up balloons somewhere towards the River Thames.

16th min: Another save! Destiny Udogie’s backpass is lazy and suddenly Nketiah has a chance, but his shot is blocked by Vicario at the near post.

14th min: Good save, Guglielmo Vicario! Jesus met Bukayo Saka’s lofted pass to the back post but the Spurs keeper reacted well to claw the ball away. Not sure it was going in, but it was fine work nonetheless from the Italian.

8th min: Jesus tries to free Eddie Nketiah down the left, but Micky van de Ven makes an excellent sliding tackle to stop the striker’s progress. Nothing to split these two in the early exchanges.

4th min: SON HAS THE BALL IN THE NET — but he is very, very offside! Pape Sarr shot from the edge of the box following a corner, and Son poked in the ball at the left-hand post, but he was at least four yards behind the last Arsenal defender. No need for VAR there.

2nd min: Gabriel Jesus, starting on the right of Arsenal’s attack, snaps into two challenges to stop Spurs playing their out of their own defence. The visitors eventually break forward and Brennan Johnson has a sight of goal, his shot deflecting over.

Kickoff: Here we go! The North London derby is underway.

5 mins to KO: “I think they should be very confident,” says ex-Spurs striker Les Ferdinand on Sky Sports in the UK. We’re about to find out how confident they are…

20 mins to KO: The loss of Leandro Trossard, apparently to a rear thigh muscle complaint, could be significant given Gabriel Martinelli is also unavailable. It’s also clear that, for now at least, David Raya is very much Arsenal’s No.1 in goal.

As for Spurs, this is quite the full debut for Brennan Johnson in attack.

1 hour to KO: The teams are in!

1 hour 30 to KO: Postecoglou has done plenty of good work to impress his own fans in his first few months in charge but a win today would go down a treat with the Spurs faithful. 

His fine start has also left his counterpart Arteta singing his praises too.

Arteta said: “I really like him. I had players and I know players that had him and they always speak really, really highly of him. That’s not a coincidence.

“You can tell straight away he’s fitting in the right way. That’s the beauty of this league that we have top, top managers.”

2 hours to KO: These two teams were heading in opposite directions last season. Now, the north London derby is a match that pits together two teams with designs on challenging not just for the top four, but possibly for the Premier League title.

Arsenal vs Tottenham lineups, team news

Arteta hasn’t risked Brazilian star Gabriel Martinelli in this match due to an ongoing thigh injury.

Leandro Trossard misses out with a muscle injury.

Arsenal lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Rice, Vieira — Saka, Jesus, Nketiah

Subs: Ramsdale, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Kiwier, Jorginho, Elneny, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Havertz

Veteran winger Ivan Perisic has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee problem and Postecoglou is still without Rodrigo Bentancur and Ryan Sessegnon.

Tottenham lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vicario (GK) — Udogie, Van den Ven Porro, Romero, Porro — Bissouma, Sarr — Son, Maddison,  Kulusevski  — Johnson 

Subs: Forster, Veliz, Richarlison, Davies, Solomon, Dier, Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp

What time does Arsenal vs Tottenham kick off?

This Premier League clash takes place at the Emirates Stadium in London, UK and kicks off on Sunday, September 24 at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:

  Date Kickoff time
USA Sun Sep. 24 9:00 a.m. ET
Canada Sun Sep. 24 9:00 a.m. ET
UK Sun Sep. 24 2:00 p.m. BST
Australia Sun Sep. 24 11:00 p.m. AEST
India Sun Sep. 24 6:30 p.m. IST
Hong Kong Sun Sep. 24 9:00 p.m. HKT
Malaysia Sun Sep. 24 9:00 p.m. MYT
Singapore Sun Sep. 24 9:00 p.m. SGT
New Zealand Mon Sep. 25 2:00 a.m. NZDT

WATCH: Free Premier League five-day trial for all new subscribers with Fubo in Canada

Arsenal vs Tottenham live stream, TV channel

Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA — Peacock
Canada —

Fubo Canada
UK Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League Sky GO, Now TV
Australia — Optus Sport
India Star Sports Select 1 Hotstar VIP,
JioTV
Hong Kong Now Premier League 1 and 2 (Ch.620-622) Now TV
Malaysia Astro SuperSport 3 Astro Go, sooka
Singapore Hub Premier 1 StarHub TV+
New Zealand Sky Sport 1 NZ Sky Sport NOW

UK: This match will be available for live broadcast and streaming via Sky Sports’ services.

USA: This game is available for streaming via Peacock.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada, with a new FREE five-day trial for new subscribers.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA

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