At The Emirates Stadium, The North London Derby was set to happen in a front of 59,973 people. It would be a 6 goal thriller, with Arsenal winning at home.
Ten minutes after kickoff, a free kick for Arsenal led to a handball by Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the penalty box , for an immediate penalty. Surprisingly, the referee did not give the central defender a red card; he only gave him a yellow card. Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from the spot, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris going the wrong way, giving the gunners the lead.
Arsenal created another scoring chance but Aubameyang could not score Arsenal’s second as he slipped and fell in the crowd of defenders. He did not appeal for a penalty though; a rare sight that many football fans don’t see. Tottenham’s Korean striker Son Heung-Min created another chance for his team, but it was saved by Arsenal goakeeper Bernd Leno. Spurs created another chance, but Erikson’s shot missed the goal. Finally, at the 30th minute, Spurs managed to equalize. A free-kick taken by Eriksen allowed elegant central defensive midfielder Eric Dier to head the ball in. 1-1.
Just three minutes after Dier’s goal, Son Heung-Min was in the penalty box but he ‘fell’. The penalty, however was awarded. An Arsenal defender was chasing him and his leg came into contact with Son’s. Son then fell. The awarded penalty was controversial but the referee was firm with his decison when Arsenal players appealed. Prolific English striker Harry Kane scored from the spot, managing to beat Leno. 2-1 Tottenham. Arsenal centre back. Shkodran Mustafi headed the ball towards goal, only for it to be saved by Lloris. Aubameyang created the last scoring chance before half-time. However, not only was the ball saved, but Aubameyang was also caught offside. Half-time, 2-1 Spurs.
After half-time, a free-kick taken by Spurs striker Harry Kane was well saved by Leno. Another free-kick by Eriksen was saved by Leno again. After the half-time substitutions, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan substituted for Aaron Ramsey, and Alex Iwobi substituted for Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal were looking in better form. At the 56th minute Ramsey passed the ball to Aubameyang, who, unexpectedly shot the ball right outside the box and scored, leaving Lloris stunned. 2-2, and Aubameyang’s second goal.
After a while, Arsenal’s corner kick allowed Mustafi to take a shot, but the shot was blocked by a more alert Lloris.The ball fell to defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira, but his shot missed the goal wide. Héctor Bellerín’s pass was intercepted by Son, but his shot was saved by Leno. At the 74th minute, half-time substitute Alexandre Lacazette was between two defenders in an empty area, and as more Spurs players came to defend, Lacazette took an amazing shot at the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, to net Arsenal’s third. The Emirates goes crazy. 3-2 Arsenal.
Three minutes after Arsenal’s third goal, Spurs were threatened again . Poor denfending would cost them a two goal defecit. Lucas Torreira managed to slip the ball past the Spurs defenders and scored for Arsenal. 4-2 Arsenal. After Arsenal’s fourth goal, both teams played defensively, so there were no scoring chances crated for the rest of the match. At the 85th minute, Verthongan fouled Lacazette, which would give him a second yellow, or a red card. It did not change the match though; the score was still the same after the 85th minute.
One of the most thrilling North London Derbies, from a one goal defcit to a two goal lead for Arsenal. After the match, Dier was mocked by Aaron Ramsey, after Dier taunted Ramsey during the match to ‘sit down’ during the first half of the match. Son Heung Min was also criticized for ‘diving’ at the 34th minute. What an eventful North London Derby, don’t you think?

