Matchday Live: Arsenal v Tottenham
By Ryan Wrenn
Final Thoughts
Tottenham started this second half as they spent much of the first — in control of the match.
After five minutes of forward momentum, it was the star of the first half who got Tottenham back into the game. Dembélé earned a penalty in Arsenal’s area, and it was predictably converted by Kane to level the score.
Tottenham found some renewed fervor from Kane’s goal and continued to do well in Arsenal’s half. With Rose and Walker acting as wing-backs, the pressure was near constant. Something was still lacking from the final ball however. Tottenham would come close a couple of times, but lacked the ability to see past Petr Cech.
On the other end of the pitch, Spurs’ three man centre-back formation held strong against Arsenal’s attack. All of Dier, Wimmer and Vertonghen put on a master class in dealing with Arsenal’s quick, coordinated offense.
Though the match would end in a draw, it very well could have broken in Tottenham’s favor. Son almost beat Cech to a 50/50 ball, and Janssen — substituted on for Kane — whiffed at a great chance late in the half.
Next: Tottenham: Pochettino Talks Spurs Form, Alli and November Fixtures
There’s more analysis and reaction to come from this North London Derby stalemate. It’s safe to say though that Spurs performed much better than many gave them credit for ahead of the match. They remain in fifth place on 21 points for the time being, with two weeks of international duty to rest and recuperate before another derby against West Ham.