A brace from Son Heung-min helped Tottenham came from behind twice to earn a point at Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday.
Cristian Romero diverted Bukayo Saka’s curler beyond Guglielmo Vicario to give the Gunners a 26th-minute lead before Son quietened the Emirates Stadium with an equaliser just before half-time.
Romero was penalised by VAR for handball after the break, allowing Saka to get on the scoresheet, but the Gunners’ over-exuberant celebrations cost them when Son raced in from a Jorginho mistake to draw Spurs level before the hour mark.
How the game unfolded
Another start was handed to David Raya in Arsenal‘s goal, leaving Aaron Ramsdale on the bench again, while Brennan Johnson made the XI for Spurs with Manor Solomon on the bench alongside Sheffield United match-winner Richarlison.
Vicario needed to make two saves as Arsenal pressured Tottenham into mistakes during the opening 20 minutes. A first-time strike from Gabriel Jesus brought a flying save from the Italian, who then beat away Eddie Nketiah’s drive after Destiny Udogie carelessly gave away possession.
Spurs struggled to move up the pitch as Arsenal pressed well, though the opening goal of the contest came with a slice of luck.
The dangerous Saka, who gave Udogie a really stern examination on the wing, shot towards goal after cutting in. Romero swung his leg but didn’t connect cleanly as the ball ricocheted off the defender and past a stranded Vicario.
Jesus was guilty of passing up a gilt-edged chance to put the Gunners 2-0 up. James Maddison dallied in possession in his own box and the Brazilian nicked the ball but could only blaze it well over the bar from point-blank range.
That miss cost Arsenal in the first half as Tottenham finished stronger. Raya showed incredible footwork to get across goal and keep out Johnson’s finish from Son’s pass across the box, but the Spanish goalie was caught out as Ange Postecoglou’s side snuffed out an equaliser.
Raya flapped at a Sarr cross before saving Johnson’ follow up, but Maddison then turned past Saka on the wing before Son caressed a finish into the reverse corner from a tight angle.
Declan Rice came off at half-time alongside Fabio Vieira in a double midfield switch as Kai Havertz and Jorginho entered the fray before a VAR check took Romero’s day from bad to worse.
The defender’s outstretched arm was enough for referee Rob Jones to point to the spot, allowing Saka to clip his strike down the middle of the goal.
However, just 98 seconds elapsed between Arsenal retaking the lead and Spurs drawing level once again. Maddison nicked the ball off the careless Jorginho and laid in Son, who rolled his strike into the far corner.
A beautifully-weighted pass from Dejan Kulusevski sent Son in again but the South Korean could only strike the side-netting looking for the near post.
Despite substitutes being thrown on in hope of a winner, no fifth goal came and instead the two sides’ unbeaten starts to the league season were maintained as full-time rang out for a 2-2 draw.
GK: David Raya – 6/10 – Awesome footwork helped deny Johnson but could have helped Arsenal avoid the first equaliser.
RB: Ben White – 5/10 – Didn’t look to get round the outside that often and had a few unconvincing moments on the ball.
CB: William Saliba – 7/10 – Had some gorgeous moments in possession. Caught out and left stranded when Jorginho lost the ball for Son’s second.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – 6/10 – Not always dominant in the air but was pretty much fine otherwise.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10 – Kulusevski drifted away from Zinchenko intermittently but the Ukrainian was sharp and precise in the build-up.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6/10 – Not at his most influential, though some good pressing helped Arsenal win the ball back.
CM: Declan Rice – 6/10 – Recovered the ball well and wasn’t wasteful in possession. Half-time substitution came as a massive shock.
CM: Fabio Vieira – 5/10 – Was dispossessed a few times and never quite got up to the pace of the game.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – Got the better of his interactions with Udogie before his deflected strike went in. Bagged the penalty but his influence drifted in the second half with less service.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 5/10 – Had one shot on target but struggled to force himself into the game.
LW: Gabriel Jesus – 6/10 – Had to put Arsenal 2-0 up when he shot over. Did all the defensive work expected of him.
Substitutes
Jorginho (46′ for Rice) – 3/10 – Dispossessed far too easily by Maddison after Arsenal went ahead.
Kai Havertz (46′ for Vieira) – 5/10
Reiss Nelson (77′ for Jesus) – 6/10
Emile Smith Rowe (90′ for Saka) – N/A
Subs not used: Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares, Jakub Kiwior, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdale
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 6/10 – Faced with more of a difficult Spurs side to break down, Arsenal got their breaks from a deflection and penalty and didn’t get behind the visitors as much as they would have liked.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10 – Couple of sharp stops were required in the first half to keep the game scoreless. A sound first north London derby.
RB: Pedro Porro – 5/10 – Not the flashiest contribution in the final third and was caught high up.
CB: Cristian Romero – 3/10 – Couldn’t get his positioning right when Saka’s strike deflected off him and was perhaps unfortunate to be penalised for handball at close range.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 7/10 – Had better luck than Romero and kept Arsenal away from Spurs’ box well.
LB: Destiny Udogie – 6/10 – Got booked early after a few fouls and nearly gave Arsenal a second with a poor back pass. Recovered well enough.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 5/10 – Had a couple of wild shots and just lacked composure in possession.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 7/10 – Got more of a footing in the second half and started to become more influential, easing opponents off the ball and moving forward with confidence.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10 – Didn’t get many chances to shoot but his weight of pass was spot on at times.
AM: James Maddison – 7/10 – Almost gifted Jesus Arsenal’s second but showed his quality with two assists for Son.
LW: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – Searing pace was an evident threat on occasion. Arguably should have scored when Raya sprang to save his central effort.
ST: Son Heung-min – 9/10 – Struggled to hold the ball up at times and was caught offside but finished brilliantly from Maddison’s pull-back.
Substitutes
Manor Solomon (63′ for Johnson) – 5/10
Richarlison (77′ for Son) – 6/10
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (77′ for Maddison) – 5/10
Subs not used: Alejo Veliz, Oliver Skipp, Ben Davies, Emerson Royal, Eric Dier, Fraser Forster
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 7/10 – Spurs were much more composed in the second half and controlled the game well in spots. Will be pleased his side showed character to get a point.
Player of the match – Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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