Arsenal won the war of North London by beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Sunday (January 15), and Twitter was sent into a frenzy. Hugo Lloris’ woeful mistake and Martin Odegaard’s fantastic strike secured the Gunners all three points.
Mikel Arteta’s men pushed for an early opener, and that goal arrived in the 14th minute after an embarrassing piece of goalkeeping from Tottenham shot-stopper Lloris. Bukayo Saka tricked his way into Spurs’ box on the right flank before sending a deflected cross-shot on goal. Lloris tried palming the ball away but it instead nestled in the back of the net.
Spurs were woeful at the back, with Gabriel Martinelli and Saka causing them all sorts of problems. Odegaard tried an effort from long range in the 22nd minute, but Lloris made a good stop to his credit.
Thomas Partey then smashed a fantastic volley against Lloris’ woodwork in the 24th minute as Arsenal piled on the pressure. Arteta’s side were proving why they are the league leaders.
Odegaard grabbed Arsenal’s second in the 35th minute with a brilliant strike from outside the box that Lloris could do nothing about. The Gunners captain was lively throughout and deserved his eighth goal of the season.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane was ominous throughout the first half but came alive in the 40+2nd minute. He sent a header rattling off of the Gunners’ post. The English forward had another attempt on goal in the 50th minute as Spurs seeked a goal. Gunners goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale denied him.
The shot-stopper was impressive once again a minute later to deny Ryan Sessegnon after good work between the left-back and Kane. It was a much more feisty affair in the second half, with challenges flying in. Spurs defender Christian Romero was lucky to escape being sent off.
Eddie Nketiah had the perfect opportunity to put the game to bed in the 69th minute but failed to convert when through on goal as Lloris made a save from the young forward.
However, it needn’t matter as the Gunners saw out a vital win that took them to 47 points and eight points above second-placed Manchester City. Meanwhile, Spurs remain fifth, five points away from Manchester United in fourth.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to another impressive victory for Arsenal and a woeful defeat for Tottenham:
Manchester United legend Gary Neville slams Tottenham’s Lloris for his error in the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal
Neville was doing commentary for Sky Sports on the game between Tottenham and Arsenal and was in utter disbelief at Lloris’ mistake. The former Manchester United captain said:
“He started shakily with his feet, Lloris, and he’s followed it on now with his hands. Some may say there’s a deflection there that potentially causes him more of a problem, but he has to deal with that. It’s not good enough…I’m not sure who he [Lloris] is complaining to.”
Lloris’ campaign has been plagued with questionable performances. He has made 23 appearances across competitions, keeping seven clean sheets. It may not be too long before Spurs are considering the French keeper’s future, whose contract expires next year.
According to Sky Sports, Conte’s side are interested in signing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as the Frenchman’s replacement.
