Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 hits and flops as Alexandre Lacazette penalty settles thrilling derby | Premier League 2020-21

North London is red as Arsenal fight back to down Tottenham Hotspur.
North London is red as Arsenal fight back to down Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium in the 2020-21 Premier League.

A goal from Martin Odegaard and a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette helped the Gunners wipe out Erik Lamela's early lead for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentine, who replaced the injured Son Heung-Min in the first half, was later sent off for a second bookable offence.

Harry Kane also had the ball in the back of the net in the 83rd minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Tottenham Hotspur maintained pressure on Arsenal during the dying moments of the game but couldn't find the equaliser. The loss marked Jose Mourinho's third against Arsenal in his entire career.

The defeat keeps Tottenham Hotspur below Everton in the league table, on seventh, while Arsenal remain in mid-table.

On that note, here are the five hits and flops in the match:


Hit: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Martin Odegaard scored his second goal for Arsenal and his first in the Premier League.
Martin Odegaard scored his second goal for Arsenal and his first in the Premier League.

Martin Odegaard was on target for Arsenal once again, inspiring the Gunners' comeback with a superb effort.

While it' was not necessarily his best performance, the young Norwegian was still dangerous, causing Tottenham Hotspur plenty of problems with his incisive passes.

Capping off a positive showing with a fine goal, especially in a tense derby, will do Odegaard a world of good.

That was his first league goal for Arsenal since arriving in January, but certainly won't be the last if he maintains this form.

Could Arsenal really be the club where Odegaard finally lives up to his potential?


Flop: Harry Kane (Tottehham Hotspur)

Harry Kane was underwhelming in the derby.
Harry Kane was underwhelming in the derby.

The North London Derby's most prolific scorer, Harry Kane, looked anything but that on the day.

Kane was by no means disappointing, but he didn't put up a show either. Perhaps, 'anonymous' would the best way to describe him Because the only time he could really be seen was when he hit the post late on.

As the Lilywhites amped up the pressure on Arsenal during the final moments, Kane got one more chance to make something happen from a free-kick.

However, the striker arrowed his effort well over the bar, and that was it for him and his team. Kane's enduring image from the game was a cynical challenge he made on Gabriel and got away, rather fortuitously.

Hit: Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur)

Eric Lamela scored one of the best goals of the season so far.
Eric Lamela scored one of the best goals of the season so far.

Eric Lamela only featured against Arsenal by virtue of an injury to Son Heung-Min, but he didn't take much long to justify his substitution.

Lamela produced an audacious 'rebona' just after the half-hour mark through a crowded Arsenal box to put Tottenham Hotspur in front.

It was an incredible finish and certainly a 'goal of the season' contender too.

He, of course, had a few other bright moments in the match, but nothing beats a finish like that, as it helped keep the pressure on Arsenal for a while.


Flop: Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur)

Erik Lamela went from hero to zero pretty quickly.
Erik Lamela went from hero to zero pretty quickly.

Well, it didn't take much long for it all to go down for Eric Lamela, who went from scoring a sensational goal to getting sent off later in the game.

The 29-year old first went into the books in the 69th-minute for a sliding challenge on Thomas Partey and should've exercised caution after that.

But he continued to be reckless and swung an arm in the face of Kieran Tierney in an attempt to block him off. That left the referee with no choice but to brandish a second yellow and send him off.

Tottenham Hotspur were already 2-1 behind at the time and had to play with a numerical disadvantage for the final 12 minutes, which certainly made their job of coming back in the match that much more difficult.


Hit: Kieran Tierney (Arsenal)

Kieran Tierney was the 'Man of the Match' for Arsenal.
Kieran Tierney was the 'Man of the Match' for Arsenal.

It says a lot about Arsenal's performance when their best attacking player on the day was a left-back.

Kieran Tierney was superb going forward and even assisted Odegaard after a blistering run down his flank.

He never sacrificed his defensive responsibilities while helping out in the attack, while also making sure that Gareth Bale was kept at bay in the game.

The Scot's tally of six tackles was also the highest in the match as Tierney produced an excellent all-round display.

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