LONDON. – Tottenham came from behind twice to secure a hard-earned point in the north London derby against Arsenal in a 2-2 thriller at Emirates Stadium.
In a relentless encounter, Arsenal took the lead after 26 minutes when Bukayo Saka’s shot was deflected into his own goal by Spurs defender Cristian Romero.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had made the big decision by keeping David Raya in of goal ahead of Aaron Ramsdale and he justified that faith with two fine saves from Brennan Johson as Spurs went in pursuit of an equaliser.
Raya should have done better, however, when Spurs levelled three minutes before half-time. He could only claw away a cross allowing an attack to continue, ending with James Maddison crossing for Son Heung-min to equalise with a deft finish.
Arsenal restored their lead after 54 minutes when Romero was penalised for handball following the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee, Saka scoring from the spot.
Spurs, illustrating their new positive approach under manager Ange Postecoglou in his first north London derby, were back on terms almost instantly when Jorginho, as a half-time substitute for the injured Declan Rice, lost possession to Maddison, who played in Son for another cool finish.
The headline news before kick-off was Mikel Arteta’s decision to stay with Raya in goal, a move that surely ends the debate about who is Arsenal’s number one keeper, the Spaniard getting the nod ahead of England’s Ramsdale.
It was a mixed afternoon for Raya, who made two important interventions but was also culpable for Spurs’ first equaliser when he should have held a cross, allowing Spurs to maintain pressure and score. – BBC Sport