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MOTD: Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

By on September 27, 2014

Arsene Wenger undoubtedly came away frustrated. He pinpointed it onto and to of things afterwards. The referee not doing anything about Tottenham Hotspur stalling the match; the injuries of Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta which will keep them both out for Arsenal’s midweek games; but namely, the fact that Tottenham Hotspur deliberately “parked the bus” and adapted to Arsenal’s possession-based play by playing at style which could be called “ugly”. Yet Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino did not do wrong by altering his tactics specifically for Arsenal. Wenger may play an appealing brand of football, but himself does not adapt to his opponents. Tottenham frustrated Arsenal – and it worked.

Arsenal were completely dominant, true. They had seventy-one percent of possession, and even during the ten minute period in which Tottenham scored saw upwards of eighty percent of the ball. Tottenham patiently waited, before pouncing on just one mental lapse from Arsenal. Erik Lamela slipped Nacer Chadli in behind the Arsenal defense on the break, and the latter tucked a composed finish beneath Wojciech Szczesny. Yes, Arsebal were dominant, and yes, they had many chances – but Tottenham weren’t “lucky” as some might say. They set up that way – to play on the counter – the entire game and it worked.

However, Arsenal did allow a goal. Tottenham simply couldn’t defend any more – mentally exhausted as much as physically drained – and Arsenal ended up penning them back in their own half. Just moments after Chadli scored fifty-six minutes in Hugo Lloris did brilliantly to turn Per Mertesacker’s header away, and Calum Chambers then came close with a twenty yard shot hit narrowly over. Seventy-six minutes in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finally found the back of the Tottenham net – countless chances had come before it – after ping-pong in the box, and while Arsenal might have “deserved” it, if that is what Wenger means, but Lloris and Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen in front of him and had put in a brilliant performance to keep Arsenal out. They worked just as hard as The Gunners did, if that is at all a factor in “deserving” to win, and got a draw out of it.
Man of the Match: Hugo Lloris

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.