Tottenham lose out in the North London Derby

It was a disappointing day for Spurs fans as North London rivals, Arsenal secured a convincing victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka netted for the home side. It was the ever-faithful and talented Heung-Min Son who provided the only Tottenham goal of the game.

The curse of Emirates lives for another season

Last month, after Nuno Espirito Santo won manager of the month, it seemed impossible that Spurs would go on to lose three successive games in a row, whilst Arsenal, who were bottom at one point, would win three in a row.

We are all aware of the curse of the Emirates for Tottenham Hotspur. They have not been able to clinch a league win there since 2010. Arsenal started the livelier team and scored three goals in the space of 23 minutes in the first half. For lack of a better word, Spurs looked limp.

The first two goals came from simple yet effective runs down the wings from Smith Rowe and Saka, followed by cutbacks into the box that Dier and Sanchez simply had no grasp of. The third was a close-range effort from Bukayo Saka after Kane failed to challenge him in the box. What was the 221-goal striker doing defending the edge of the area when his team was already 2-0 down you may ask? We’re not sure either, but it is indicative of his start to the 2021/2022 Premier League season.

A better second half for Spurs

Tottenham did look better in the second half and managed to batten down the hatches preventing any further Arsenal attacks from succeeding. The introductions of Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal and Bryan Gil made a difference to Tottenham’s attitude. We saw some more attacking prowess develop in the second half.

Harry Kane had two decent chances to clinch his first Premier League goal of the year. A decent header from a corner which landed just inches wide; and a hopeful chip over the Arsenal keeper, also narrowly wide.

Son scored a consolation goal in the 79th minute of play, ushering his team to remain focused in an attempt to muster an unlikely comeback. Lucas Moura then forced a truly excellent fingertip save from Aaron Ramsdale in injury time quashing any hopes of a draw.

Football is so often a game of confidence. The fact of the matter is, Arsenal came into the game having won two with two clean sheets. Spurs started the match on the back of two 3-0 losses. Whilst Tottenham showed some gumption and skill in the second half, the Lilywhites just started the game far too slow. This is the first time since 2003 that Spurs have conceded 3+ goals in as many games in a row. The players need to dig deep and turn the tide in their next Premier League fixture against Aston Villa.

The manager’s thoughts

Nuno also admitted after the game that the tactics were not right, to begin with. He alluded to the fact that some players were not executing the plan the right way…

“I’m going to be honest. When you have a game plan you have to make the right decisions in terms of who you want on the pitch to develop that game plan. I won’t name individuals who didn’t play the game plan right but the game plan was not right according to the players who were on the pitch.

“We were not aggressive enough to control Arsenal in midfield. We suffered when we wanted to go in front and we allowed Arsenal to come to us. Bad decisions.”

The Tottenham starting lineup

GK

Lloris

DEF

Tanganga
Sanchez
Dier
Reguilon

MDF

Hojbjerg
Ndombele
Moura
Alli
Son

FWD

Kane

What’s next for Tottenham Hotspur?

It is up to the mighty Lilywhites to turn the tide and get back to winning ways. They will have an excellent chance to do that this Thursday as they welcome NS Mura to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Europea Conference League. 8pm kick-off time under the lights, and guess what… you can watch that game with all the luxuries hospitality tickets have to offer for just £49.

It’s another home game on Sunday at 2pm as Spurs welcome Aston Villa to North London. A tough game, Villa on the back of a win against Manchester United. Watch Tottenham live as they look to end their winning draught.