Son brace earns Spurs point at Arsenal in thrilling North London derby
Having made a winning return to the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Mikel Arteta described some of his side’s play against PSV Eindhoven as “phenomenal” after they extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches.
The visit of fierce rivals Tottenham – who came into the contest level on points with the Gunners – promised to be a stern test. However, it was one-way traffic during the opening 20 minutes, with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah both seeing sharp efforts saved by Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs goal.
Encouraged by their dominant start, Arsenal’s early pressure was rewarded in the 26th minute, when a curled strike from Bukayo Saka was diverted into his own net by Cristian Romero.
Having failed to lay a glove on the hosts during a one-sided opening half-hour, Spurs gradually grew into the match before HT, and after David Raya denied Brennan Johnson with a brilliant diving save, the visitors found an equaliser when Son Heung-min tucked home after excellent work from James Maddison.
In a similar tale to the first half, Arsenal emerged after the restart on the front foot, and the Gunners were ahead within eight minutes, as Saka converted from the spot following a handball from Romero in the box.
Undeterred, the Lilywhites produced a remarkable response, levelling the scores just 90 seconds later, as Maddison pounced on a mistake from Jorginho before threading a pass into the path of Son, who finished clinically past Raya.
After a breathless start to the second period, both sides looked to regain some semblance of composure heading into the final 20 minutes.
Spurs remained the more dangerous in the final third, with Son firing a close-range strike into the side-netting, while Kai Havertz missed the target with a speculative effort at the other end. Roared on by the fervent home crowd, the hosts pushed for a dramatic winner in ten minutes of stoppage time.
But the Tottenham rearguard held firm as both teams settled for a hard-fought point.
Despite Arsenal losing ground on Manchester City at the top of the PL, the draw extends their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches (W7, D2), while Spurs remain ahead of the Gunners on goal difference ahead of a crucial clash against Liverpool next weekend.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur)
