After a tense and hotly-contested draw in the North London derby, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta spoke positively about his opponents, but insisted it is too early to assess Tottenham’s credentials for the season.
Ange Postecoglou‘s first taste of a North London derby ended in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon, but it could be argued the Spurs boss could have taken all three points from the game.
Arsenal drew first blood in the game, after Cristian Romero clumsily knocked the ball into his own goal from a Bukayo Saka strike. Tottenham were level just before the break, however, when James Maddison laid in Heung-min Son for a clever finish in the box.
In the second half, Arsenal regained their lead when Cristian Romero was penalised for a handball, and Saka stuck away the resulting penalty. But, just moments later, Maddison and Son combined once more to bring the game back into balance.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Senegalese midfielder #29 Pape Matar Sarr (L) vies with Arsenal’s German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz (C) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium in London on September 24, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to the press after the game (via Football.London), Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted Spurs brought admirable energy to the tie, and revealed his side were ‘affected emotionally’ by the away side’s second goal.
He said: “We’re disappointed not to win the game, especially when you go ahead twice. It’s a shame that we didn’t win it. When we scored again and then conceded straight away it affected the team emotionally.”
On Tottenham and their chances for the season ahead, Arteta added: “I think they are a really good side. They’ve got a really good coach. You can see the spirit in the team and the energy around them, but six games is too early [to make a judgement on what they will be fighting for at the end of the season].”
Spurs Web Opinion
Arsenal took their eye off the ball, quite literally, to let us back into the game so quickly, and we should have made the most of that period of dominance thereafter.
He’s right about one thing, though, it is too early to really assess what we are capable of this year, but I’m very happy that we went out fighting in this derby and took the game to Arsenal.
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