Arsenal battle back with Spurs
Written By: Robert Halter
Arsenal faced Tottenham Hotspur at home, beginning of September. In the opening minute, from a cross by Sead Kolasinac, a curling strike by Nicolas Pepe, missed the top left corner. On ten minutes, following a poor goal kick by Hugo Lloris, and header on from Granit Xhaka, the ball was scuffed past the left post by Alexandre Lacazette. But in the next attack, the Lilywhites struck first, as from a Lloris goal kick, Kane’s header went to Heung-Min Son, whose pass cleared the way for Erik Lamela, whose strike was spilled by Bernd Leno, and from the rebound, Christian Eriksen, tucked the ball away. In the fifteenth minute, from a Harry Winks assist, Eriksen ran through and bent the ball into the clutches of Leno. On eighteen minutes, Eriksen found Son, whose curling strike was turned over by Leno. In the twenty third minute, from a cross by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a Pepe header was blocked by Danny Rose, and from a Pepe corner, and miss placed header from Jan Vertonghen, the ball was slashed wide by Lucas Torreira. Three minutes later, Toby Alderweireld lunged into Lacazette, and from the free kick, Pepe sent the ball sailing past the left post. On thirty six minutes, Winks set up Kane, who had his strike scrambled out by Leno, but as Son put the ball back in, Kane was unable to find a touch. In the next two minutes, a careless challenge by Lacazette on Lamela, presented Spurs a free kick, and Eriksen curled the ball over which Leno turned away. But after this, a reckless foul by Xhaka on Son, resulted in referee Martin Atkinson, awarding the Lilywhites a spot kick, which Kane despatched by sending Leno the wrong way. In the forty third minute, from Matteo Guendouzi’s over the top ball and a cross from Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a low strike by Pepe, was smothered from Lloris. Just before the break, Moussa Sissoko brought down Aubameyang, and a free kick by Lacazette was spilled out from Lloris, but after that, from Guendouzi’s delivery, Pepe set up Lacazette, who weaved his way through to score as he rammed the ball into the top left corner. On forty six minutes, a cross by Maitland-Niles was headed down by Lacazette into the body of Lloris. Then a half asleep Lloris tried to find Vertonghen with a weak kick, but the ball was intercepted by Aubameyang, but Lloris had a lucky escape as the ball went back to him. In the fifty second minute, Son collected the ball from Lamela, before his left footed shot took a deflection off Xhaka and then the finger tips of Leno. But Arsenal responded as Pepe supplied Torreira, and a snap shot by Guendouzi was turned behind from Lloris. Then from Xhaka’s corner, and header on by Lacazette, an out stretched Kolasinac, could not convert the ball at the far post. But on fifty nine minutes, Kane struck the inside of the left post, after he had played a one two with Eriksen. On the hour, Spurs replaced Lamela with Dele Alli which followed with an Arsenal change of Dani Ceballos for Torreira. Within two minutes, Maitland-Niles teed up Ceballos, who whipped in a strike from distance which Lloris flipped over. Soon afterwards, Lacazette was taken off for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Then, Aubameyang missed with a header from Kolasinac’s cross in the sixty eighth minute. But three minutes later, Aubameyang was on the score sheet as he poked in a delivery from Guendouzi, with his out stretched right foot. Winks got booked for bringing down Guendouzi, and as Ceballos laid the ball out to Xhaka, his low drive was clawed away from Lloris. Then from a Ceballos corner, as Mkhitaryan and David Luiz forced the ball out, Pepe fired wide. After Son went off for Giovani Lo Celso, a VAR decision ruled out a goal by Sokratis Papastathopolous, after an offside Kolasinac made the cross. On eighty five minutes, from Xhaka’s pass, the ball was driven behind the goal by Pepe. At the end from Alli’s ball, Kane found Sissoko, who blazed over as the North London derby concluded with a two all draw.