A 10-man Arsenal were able to come away from White Hart Lane with a point in a 2-2 North London derby against Tottenham last night.
Alexis Sanchez’ 76th minute strike rescued the Gunners from season-crushing defeat, cancelling out a close-range finish from Toby Alderweireld and a wonder goal from Harry Kane.
Aaron Ramsey had initially put Arsenal ahead, but the defining point in the contest came early into the second-half, when Francis Coquelin’s sliding challenge earned a second yellow card. It came close to costing Arsenal three points, although some think the Frenchman has an underlying pattern of recklessness.
The on-fire Spurs have had their momentum halted somewhat by a midweek loss to West Ham and this slip-up against a 10-man side, yet having just barely scraped their way to a share of the spoils, this result will hardly bring confidence of a push toward the title at the Emirates.
Here is a breakdown of how the media reported it.
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“Many Arsenal fans hail Francis Coquelin because he runs around a lot and puts in a load of tackles. What many fail to realise is that it’s only because of his own awful touch or pass that he has to go charging around to put in last-ditch tackles.
“He’s been taken off when on a yellow before and lucky to escape a double in games when he’s remained on the pitch. This was coming, it was just a case of when, not if,” according to Metro.co.uk.
“The England striker [Kane] still had much to do but magnificently curled home his 20th goal of the season in all competitions from a tight angle, the ball clipping the inside of Ospina’s far post before nestling in the net,” Goal.com said.
“Given the circumstances they found themselves in when Kane’s wonder goal put Spurs 2-1 ahead, Arsenal will be delighted to have come away from White Hart Lane with a point,” Bleacher Report claimed.
“However, they’ll also be left wondering what might have been. When the game was 11 vs. 11, there were no obvious signs of a Spurs comeback.”
“The chance to go top of the table, even for a few hours, was gone and while they remain three points ahead of their rivals in second place, Spurs will feel they should have extended the advantage.”
“It was the best of Arsenal, it was the worst of Arsenal,” the Guardian said.
“Arsène Wenger’s team showed great heart and skill to come back from 2-1 down with 10 men on the pitch. And yet if there is a keynote to the unique frustrations of the late Wenger years it is just this tendency to play their best football when the day, has all but gone.”
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