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Finally, the North London Derby comes to an end. Once again, a controversial yet entertaining match, filled with drama and passion, ends with both the sides taking home a point. Arsenal bagged an early lead through Ramsey, but Kane's controversial penalty cancelled out the Welshman's solo effort. We saw a 90th-minute penalty awarded for Arsenal, which was again a bit controversial, but they didn't have Harry Kane on their side. Aubameyang missed it, hitting straight into Lloris' gloves, and the Frenchman made up for his abysmal performance on Wednesday against Chelsea.
Arsenal had their chances. Lacazette had two clear cut chances to put Arsenal on a comfortable 3-goal lead but surprisingly, he failed to hit the back of the net. Aubameyang had his chance as well, and he missed too. Last time at the Emirates, Aubameyang scored and so did Lacazette. This time they both failed.
On the other hand, Tottenham had much difficulty in playing the final third balls. Arsenal were robust defensively and the defensive partnership of Koscielny and Sokratis almost won them an away clean sheet for the first time this season, only to see Mustafi concede a horrific penalty. The double save by Bernd Leno to deny Eriksen and Sissoko kept Arsenal in the game.
Here are the 4 talking points from the match:
#4 Leno's moment of magic
Bernd Leno bagged a 5-star performance tonight, single-handedly winning his team a point against a full-fledged Tottenham side who were keen to get back to winning ways.
Leno is certainly staying with the London side for a long long time. Arsenal conceded only 1, that too through a controversial penalty as Harry Kane managed to send Leno the wrong way, but the Gunners were still better defensively than their rivals.
Bernd Leno has once again proven why he was signed for 18 million from Bayer Leverkusen. He has been massive for Arsenal this season, and he proves his worth time and time again.
#3 Penalty calls that should have never come
Premier League needs VAR, now more than ever. The game between Tottenham and Arsenal at Wembley should have ended in a convincing 1-0 win for Arsenal but the referees had to spoil it. Kane's penalty in the 74th minute should not have been a penalty, because he was offside alongside four other Spurs' players when Eriksen played the ball in. Though it was a clear foul by Mustafi on Kane, it should have been an offside call before that.
In the 90th minute, Aubameyang took the opportunity to win the penalty by clearly diving, followed by a soft push by Sanchez. Aubameyang won the penalty and luckily for Spurs, the Gabon international missed it. It was a poor penalty by Auba which went straight to the keeper, and Lloris pushed it aside with ease.
This was a season-defining game for Arsenal and it should have been a win for the Gunners. However, wrong calls from the referee led to a hard-fought point for Spurs which might probably result in Arsenal being left out of the top 4 by the end of the season.
#2 Inconsistency in the Arsenal forwards
This would not please Arsenal fans, but the truth is Lacazette and Aubameyang haven't been at their best this season. Though they have scored nearly 30 goals together this season, they have been leaking easy chances in front of the goal.
Alexandre Lacazette has been on fire in his last 5 games, scoring four times and assisting twice. Emery showed faith in the Frenchman by putting him ahead of Aubameyang in the starting contention, but he disappointed. Lacazette had two clear cut chances to make it more for Arsenal but the 26-year-old choked a bit.
His partner-in-crime Aubameyang wasn't any good either, as he missed a crucial penalty which could have won his side 3 vital points in the race for top 4. So in short, the dynamic duo had a bad game in terms of scoring as well as creating, and as they play Manchester United at the Emirates, we have to wait and see how this pair bounces back from their current woes.
#1 Unai Emery outclassed Pochettino with his tactics
Questions were asked on Unai Emery's team selection for such an important game as he dropped Aubameyang, Torreira, Ozil, Kolasinac and Niles. However, he answered his critics with a clinically balanced performance throughout the game.
Arsenal looked lethal on counters, as they have been trained to play the ball in quick transitions. Unai Emery's plans were clear. He wanted an early goal and he got it through Ramsey. The game could have ended in a 1-0 win for Arsenal but Mustafi had different plans. He conceded a blatant penalty by literally pushing Kane in the back, and the English man scored, as he very often does.
With a vital away game against Rennes coming up in the Europa League as well, Unai Emery knew what he had to do. His team selection was spot on, as we clearly saw why he chose Monreal over Kolasinac and Mustafi over Niles. Arsenal needed the defensive cover tonight. Unfortunately, they could not win the three points.
