Tottenham mocks Arsenal with sneaky full-time jibe despite derby defeat
The Gunners took the lead 15 minutes into the match when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg turned Bukayo Saka’s corner into his own net, before Saka got his name on the scoresheet with a fine finish just before the half hour mark. And the visitors all but killed off the contest with seven minutes of the opening period remaining as Kai Havertz headed in Declan Rice’s corner. Tottenham, much improved after the interval, were gifted a way back into the match when David Raya passed a clearance straight to Cristian Romero, who fired the ball beyond the Spanish goalkeeper. Son Heung-min then lashed a fine penalty into the top corner with three minutes remaining to set up a nervy finale.
But Arsenal clung on to end the day one point ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, although the Citizens have a game in hand. The result means Tottenham missed the chance to close the gap to fourth-place Aston Villa, with both sides battling to secure the final Champions League qualification spot. But Spurs got their revenge on Arsenal by reminding their neighbours of their failure in Europe. Mikel Arteta’s men held Bayern to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the first-leg of their quarter-final showdown but were then defeated 1-0 in Germany.
And the Editors tune over the sound system may have been enough to dampen the mood of some supporters in the away section of the ground. Arsenal have just three games remaining this season, while City have four in the league. And after the Gunners’ latest victory, manager Arteta said: “Mentally we were really solid, the changes worked and we got it done. For the second half, we thought ‘go out and get the fourth and kill the game.’ “We know they will have a lot of good moments, they will create and are coached really well.
But to come here two years in a row and do what we have done is a big credit to the team.”
