Match Review: Arsenal 0 – 1 Spurs (Friendly)

Spurs get the better of Arsenal in Hong Kong, with Thomas Frank’s side lifting silverware as well following this triumph over their North London rivals.

On Thursday, Thomas Frank’s Spurs continued their preparations for the upcoming and much anticipated 2025/26 Premier League season with a friendly game against North London rivals Arsenal at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong as part of the Lilywhites’ Asian Tour. This was also to be the first ever North London Derby game to be played overseas.

Tottenham were coming into this game off the back of their previous friendly against League One side Luton Town, where they were unfortunate only to draw 0 – 0. In this game against the Gunners, they were looking for a statement victory while also claiming some local bragging rights, even if it was a friendly rather than a league or cup match.

In the end, it was to be a 1 – 0 win for Spurs against Arsenal in what was a vital win as they continue to prepare for the new season. This victory also landed the Lilywhites some silverware, with them getting their hands on the Herbalgy Trophy as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival.

Even though it was a friendly game, it created some fresh momentum going into the last games of their pre-season campaign, and it also increased positivity ahead of their opening Premier League game against newly promoted Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 16th August 2025 (3pm Kick-Off).

Here, we are going to take a look back at the action as the Lilywhites got the better of their fierce local rivals in spectacular fashion to record this statement triumph in the heart of Hong Kong.

Match Highlights:

Why not re-live Spurs’ 1 – 0 North London Derby triumph against Arsenal in Hong Kong in this friendly by taking a look at the full match highlights below:

Match Review:

It was a tight and tense game between these two rivals, and Spurs’ first significant chance of the game came the way of their Spanish right back, Pedro Porro, very early on in the contest. He almost found the back of the net in extraordinary fashion, with him coming close to finding the back of the net from this set-piece; however, it was eventually cleared by the Arsenal defence (10’).

Then came the next significant opportunity to come the way of Thomas Frank’s side, which arrived with almost half an hour gone. Spurs forward Wilson Odobert found himself just inside the penalty area, where he was able to curl the ball past an Arsenal defender, only for his precise strike on goal to hit the far post and bounce away. It was unlucky for the former Burnley man (27’).

Just moments after that, new signing Mohammed Kudus had an effort on goal, only for it to be blocked well by the Arsenal defence (28’).

It took until just before the whistle went to signal the half time break when the deadlock between these two North London rivals was finally broken in what also turned out to be the only shot on target from either side in this game.

It was a spectacular strike from Lilywhites midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who took a shot at goal from the halfway line that flew over the heads of the Arsenal defenders and Gunners Goalkeeper David Raya and into the back of the net to give his side the lead in sensational fashion (45’).

The chance had been created after Myles Lewis-Skelly had lost possession after receiving the ball from Raya. The half time break then came with Spurs in the lead and with all the momentum going into the second half of this game.

With barely more than twenty minutes to go in normal time, Spurs had the opportunity to double their advantage to 2 – 0 through their Dutch defender Micky van de Ven who met a cross from French forward Mathys Tel, who has recently joined the club permanently from German Giants Bayern Munich, having been on loan at the North London Club from the Bavarians last season. Van de Ven’s header flew just wide of the post, and it remained a narrow 1 – 0 advantage for Tottenham Hotspur (66’).

Arsenal did go quite close to scoring an equalising goal when 15 year old Max Dowman had a shot on goal that was only prevented from troubled Spurs Stopper Guglielmo Vicario by a block from Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence with just over ten minutes of the game remaining (79’).

The game came to a close a short time after that in what was a 1 – 0 triumph for Thomas Frank’s Spurs, in what was an important victory for the Lilywhites in this historic North London Derby in the heart of Hong Kong.

Thomas Frank’s Post Match Thoughts:

Following this derby triumph in Hong Kong, Spurs Head Coach Thomas Frank had the following to say after what was a great performance from his team (via Spurs’ official website): “A 1-0 score against Arsenal is an absolutely beautiful score!

“Yes, it is a friendly, but it’s also a very competitive match. I said before the game that games against Arsenal are never ‘friendly’. It means everything.

“I have to give respect to both teams for their competitiveness in the game. It was very competitive. I was extremely happy with our first half, that first half was completely even. In many ways I loved the way the team performed, and throughout the game the defensive structure was top.

“In the second half, I thought we defended a little too much, but there were some tired bodies on the pitch and sometimes the nature of the game when you are 1-0 up, the other team is pushing a bit more.

“Some of the defensive principles, and high pressure, especially in the first half, were really good, the mid-block, where everyone defends together and the lower, and the emergency defending, especially at the end, was top class.

“The desire was good. We talk about that clean sheet mentality. It’s a big thing we need to add to the team. Of course, we need to play forward, play brave, aggressive, offensive, but we need the other bit if we want to win enough football matches.”

Next Up For Spurs:

The next game for Spurs will see them continue their pre-season preparations ahead of the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season with another friendly against another fellow English Club in the form of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.

Spurs will be facing the Magpies in South Korea at the 66,704 capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday 3rd August 2025, with the game kicking off at 12pm (UK Time).

Excitement and anticipation are both building rapidly ahead of the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season, which is about to get underway, and all eyes will be on Thomas Frank’s first full season in charge of the North London Club.

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