By Jimmy
Premier League teams Arsenal and Tottenham had to settle for an equal share of points after a thrilling match.
The 194th North London derby, which took place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 24, 2023, ended with a four-all scoreline.
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A proper derby
Arsenal and Tottenham went into the match with the former having won their previous encounter, and the Gunners wasted no time as they came out guns blazing. And their tenacity paid off when, in the 26th minute, Bukayo Saka’s curling shot deflected off Tottenham’s Cristian Romero’s knee for an own goal.
However, Tottenham refused to stay down, and following a series of counterattacks, their captain Son Heung-min converted a low cross from former Leicester man James Maddison to draw level.
As it turned out, it was Romero’s unlucky day; he conceded a penalty after his flailing arm caught the ball in the six-yard box. Saka stepped forward to put the spot kick away. Then, fifty-nine seconds later, an error from Jorginho saw Maddison get the ball to assist Son for his second goal of the afternoon.
The game settled from here, as Arsenal’s possession-based play stonewalled Tottenham’s direct style of play. Son came close to getting a hat trick but was denied by the side netting, and soon went off for Richarlison. Tottenham got another penalty scare when the ball came off Destiny Udogie’s arm, but the VAR waved it away.
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The match ended with Tottenham dropping from second to fourth with fourteen points, the same as Arsenal. However, they lead their rivals with a goal difference of +8 to Arsenal’s +5.
Salah, Mitoma shine for Liverpool and Brighton, Chelsea woes continue
Liverpool and Brighton had identical 3 – 1 scorelines as they overcame West Ham and Bournemouth respectively while Chelsea lost to Aston Villa by a goal.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for the Reds by converting from the spot, but Jarrod Bowen canceled it out twenty-six minutes later with a flying header. However, goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota put the game to bed.
Bournemouth had an early start after Dominic Solanke capitalised on a defensive error to put the Cherries forward, but an own goal from Milos Kerkez put the scoreline level. However, it was the second-half substitute Karou Mitoma who was the star of the match, as the Japanese scored fifteen seconds off the bench and then scored a header in the seventy-seventh minute.
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Chelsea, however, continued a poor run of form, with a red card to Malo Gusto and a goal from Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins handing the Blues their third defeat of the season. Chelsea have only won one match this season and are currently sitting at fourteenth on the table.
