Tottenham won the first north London derby staged outside the UK on Thursday, beating Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya 1-0 thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s strong performance from the halfway line.
Raya was again at fault in the 45th minute when Sarr robbed Myles Lewis-Skelly just inside the Arsenal half after previously being caught twice in no-man’s land when inswinging corners hit the post.
The Spurs midfielder looked up, saw Raya stranded far outside of his penalty area, and flew off in a bizarre manner from 50 yards out.
“It was fantastic, fantastic.” Thomas Frank, the new manager of Tottenham, praised the goal as well taken.
“And Papa, thank you.” He impressed me, and I must admit, he has done a lot of good in the last four weeks.
No love lost on the pitch between the bitter rivals, which was nominally a pre-season “friendly”.
In a fiercely contested fight in front of a 49, 975 sellout crowd under the roof in the air-conditioned Kai Tak Stadium, tacks flew in and tempers sped.
At least until the pair again face off in the Premier League on November 22 at the Emirates Stadium, where Sarr’s screamer earned him the title.
Frank responded, “This was not a friendly situation. It resembled a fierce competition. I believe that if you played it, it would be very competitive and if you saw it, it would be competitive.
Tottenham hit the woodwork three times in a frantic opening period, and Arsenal deserved to take the lead at the break. Arsenal started stronger, but Tottenham did so in a hurry.
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Quality and energy
At the start of the second half, Arsenal were under siege for the Tottenham goal, but Frank was well-equipped for his defense and the Gunners struggled to break through.
On 58 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli did have a chance to open a shot but it went wastefully over from 14 yards.
Martin Zubimendi, a new signing at Arsenal, almost scored with his first touch when his shot was deflected over the bar.
Tottenham introduced Son Heung-min in the 75th minute, which caused a lot of cheer.
With 13 minutes left, Viktor Gyokeres, who made his Arsenal debut, also came off the bench to receive an even bigger ovation.
The Swedish striker, who wears the number 14 shirt that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is famous for, signed for $67 million six days ago and has only trained with his new teammates.
As Arsenal pressed for a late equaliser, he only managed two touches as he made some darting runs.
The late-season signing of defender Cristhian Mosquera was applauded by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for what he saw from his two most recent additions.
Arteta addressed reporters, “Really happy, obviously, to have them here.” They will “adhere a lot of energy and quality.”
Arsenal travels home after three Asian tour starts while Tottenham now takes them to Newcastle United on Sunday.
“Everything I’ve seen over the past ten days gives me a lot of encouragement,” Arteta continued, “even though I lost.”
In many ways, “We are ahead of what I was anticipating.”
Source: Channels TV
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