Match Report: 2 Points Dropped Rather Than 1 Gained as Spurs Frustrate Arsenal
On Saturday, Arsène Wenger took charge of Arsenal for a record-breaking 44th north London derby. The Gunners boss had lost just 6 heading into the latest meeting with Tottenham and the early signs suggested that that firgure would not increase. However, despite their dominance, it was Spurs who took the initiative 10 minutes into the second half as Nacer Chadli slotted past Wojciech Szczesny to fire the away side in front. The Belgian has found his feet in the Premier League this season and now has 4 goals in 5 appearances, a stark contrast from last term when he scored 1 goal in 24.
As the game wore on, Arsenal huffed and puffed for an equaliser and their efforts were duly rewarded as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fired into the roof of the net following some questionable defending from Mauricio Pochettino's side. The hosts pressed for a second as the minutes ticked by, but the spoils were shared as both sides were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal can perhaps feel a little aggrieved that they could not secure all 3 points in a game they controlled for long periods. The Gunners enjoyed the lion's share of possession (69% to 31%) over the 90 minutes and had more attempts on goal (16 to 6) and on target (6 to 4) than their bitter rivals. The performance of the home side was all the more impressive considering they lost both Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey to injury in the first half. Losing the two is a blow, but Ramsey's withdrawal allowed Mesut Özil to play in his more favoured central role.
The German started the game on the left, but his redeployment to the middle saw him thrive as he earned a WhoScored rating of 7.64 - only man of the match Oxlade-Chamberlain (8.34) scored higher of all players on the pitch. No player completed more successful dribbles (4) or attempted more passes (73) than Özil in the Emirates stalemate in what was an impressive performance from the attacker, who has recently looked back to his best.
If Spurs have anyone to thank, though, for coming away with a point, it's Hugo Lloris, who was the visitors' highest rated player (7.63). The Frenchman is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the game and he proved why with 5 saves, including an excellent low stop to deny Per Mertesacker just 2 minutes after Chadli had opened the scoring. Arsenal's goal aside, the Spurs defence was solid with Jan Vertonghen, Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue and Ryan Mason in particular central to their point-attaining efforts at the Emirates.
Between them, the trio made 11 tackles and 13 interceptions to frustrate the Arsenal attack, epitomised in the 6 yellow cards received in Saturday's derby, more than any team has picked up in a single league match this season, though one was for Chadli's celebration in the wake of his goal. Nevertheless, this disrupted Arsenal's rhythm and the hosts could have secured all 3 points had it not been for Spurs' doggedness in the encounter.
"Look at the shots on goal, our time on the ball, they (Spurs) can say they had a good result today," a visibly irritated Wenger said in his post-match press conference. One can understand his frustrations in a match they largely dominated. The Gunners may be one of two undefeated teams in the Premier League so far this season, but four draws from the opening six games is not the form of title hopefuls. The draw means Arsenal now sit six points off table toppers Chelsea, who they meet next weekend.
Pochettino, however, was more enthused about the result, in what could be rightly be considered 1 point gained rather than 2 dropped, despite going 1-0 up. Spurs have endured a mixed run of form of late, winning none of their last four league games, but a point at the Emirates is a good result for his team. They may not have deserved a positive result from the encounter, such was Arsenal's dominance, but it's likely the Argentine would have accepted a draw had he been offered it before kick off.
Do you think Spurs were lucky to come away with a point in the North London Derby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
