Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal: 3 key takeaways from the North London derby

Spurs hosted Arsenal at Wembley in one of the most anticipated clashes of the game week twenty-nine. The Gunners looked to close down the gap to just one point between them and their North London rivals and on the other hand, Pochettino needed a win after two successive defeats.

The home side had better possession of the ball in the first half, but couldn't create any clear cut chances in the opening stages of the match with Harry Kane's shot getting ruled out for offside. The Gunners looked dangerous on the break and a defensive mistake by Sanchez saw Lacazette set Ramsey through who made no mistake to put it past Lloris to give Arsenal the lead.

The goal seemed to have opened the floodgates for the home side and they piled on the pressure only to be denied by a couple of outstanding saves by Bernd Leno. First 45 minutes was dominated by Spurs in the attacking sense but Emery's side took an all-important lead.

Spurs kept up the pressure in the second half and got their reward when Harry Kane converted from the penalty spot. Arsenal got a penalty of their own but Aubameyang's shot was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Here are the three takeaways from the game.

#3 A solid first-half show by Arsenal

The Gunners came into this game on the back of some good results. Their opponents, on the other hand, suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League. The team selection of Emery raised a few eyebrows before the game as they set up to stop Spurs and hit them on the counter.

Even the manager in his pre-match interview respected Tottenham's attacking prowess and benched the likes of Aubameyang and Ozil to prioritize the defense first in this all-important derby.

The first half went as planned for Emery with Ramsey giving Arsenal the lead and they defended with all the players behind the ball to take away any space for Spurs to play through. Arsenal started with 4-2-3-1 but shifted to 4-4-1-1 to add more numbers in the midfield.

Towards the end of the half, Bernd Leno came up with two stupendous saves - first to deny Eriksen with a reflexive left foot and then a strong left hand to deflect Sissoko's shot wide. It was a half in which Tottenham looked shaky while Arsenal got their tactics spot on.

#2 Harry Kane's sensational goal-scoring record against Arsenal continues

Harry Kane maintained his sensational goal-scoring record against Arsenal

Harry Kane is one the most prolific center forwards in the Premier League and indeed Arsenal is one of the sides he loves to play against.

The England International was out for a few weeks due to injury he suffered against Manchester United but made a comeback in the defeat against Burnley last weekend. However, he didn't look his usual best either against Sean Dyche's men or against Chelsea in the midweek which raised questions whether Kane got rushed through instead of waiting for him to be fully fit.

The game against Arsenal was a perfect opportunity for him to answer all the critics, but, he had to work hard for his goal today. In the first half, he put the ball in the back of the net only to be ruled out for offside. The Arsenal defenders were tight on him and did not let Kane any free space in the six-yard box.

Finally, Kane got his goal from a penalty which was awarded to Spurs after he was fouled inside the box by Mustafi. Kane registered his ninth goal against the Gunners.

#1 Two crucial points dropped by both the sides

Emery would be disappointed with the result

Based on the current circumstances, Arsenal fans would have been happy with an away point, but certainly not after the match.

Arsenal was clinical in the first half and defended well once they got the lead through Ramsey. Emery set his side to defend and hit Spurs on the counter and they certainly executed their plans brilliantly in the opening 45 minutes.

The onus was on Spurs in the second half and they did increase the tempo but could not break the Arsenal rearguard until a foul by Mustafi saw Spurs awarded a penalty which Harry Kane beautifully dispatched to make it 1-1.

When the match was heading towards a draw, Arsenal got a penalty at the other end. However, Aubameyang's weak attempt was saved by Lloris to deny Spurs a third defeat in a row.

It was a game which either side needed to win for their respective aspirations and Arsenal, in particular, would feel disappointed given the chance they got late in the second half to collect all three points.