Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2: Sanchez salvages derby point for 10-man Gunners
Alexis Sanchez scored his first Premier League goal in almost five months as 10-man Arsenal fought back late on to draw 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon and deny their North London rivals top spot in the table.
It was a very open start at White Hart Lane, with Spurs doing most of the early pressing as Harry Kane tested stand-in Arsenal keeper David Ospina with a couple of speculative efforts.
Arsenal struggled to deal with the home side’s high-octane intensity, with the likes of Sanchez and Mesut Ozil doing very little in the opening period.
The closest Spurs came to breaking the deadlock was in the 26th minute when Erik Lamela did well to divert Kyle Walker‘s fierce low cross on goal, but Ospina was equal to it, instinctively diving to his right and pushing the ball away from danger.
Three yellow cards in as many minutes followed as tackles continued to fly in before Arsenal snuck in front six minutes before half time.
Danny Welbeck got away down the left and found Hector Bellerin on the far side, with the Spanish full-back putting the ball back into the middle and Aaron Ramsey managing to flick the ball home audaciously.
The goal gave Arsenal a lift, but they could not extend their lead as Spurs made it through to half time just a goal behind.
The Gunners then started the second period fairly comfortably, but the match then swung in Spurs’ favour when Francis Coquelin was shown a red card by Michael Oliver for a second bookable offence.
Ospina denied Kane an equaliser soon after by saving the ball just before it crossed the line, but moments later the home side were level when Toby Alderweireld slammed home from a tight angle after the ball had broken his way at a corner.
It was two in two minutes for Spurs as White Hart Lane erupted thanks to a special goal from Kane.
Dele Alli did well to keep the ball in play and backheel it to his England teammate, who surged in from the left wing before curling a dipping shot in off the far post.
It was Kane’s fourth goal in three Premier League games against Arsenal and 14th in 18 London derbies.
Kane dragged a half-chance wide as Spurs looked to go two clear, but it was Arsenal who scored the game’s fourth goal in driving rain at White Hart Lane. Bellerin was again the provider, threading the ball through for Sanchez who found the bottom corner to end his 12-game wait for a top-flight goal.
Moments before Sanchez’s leveller, Eric Dier had been booked for Spurs and he was lucky to escape a second yellow that would have made it 10 against 10 when he appeared to clearly tug back Olivier Giroud.
Both sides went close to a winner in the closing stages, with Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Paulista almost slicing the ball into his own net at one end before Ramsey was denied by a last-gasp Kevin Wimmer block down the other.
The draw means that league leaders Leicester City will go five clear of Spurs and eight above Arsenal if they beat Watford in this evening’s 5.30pm kickoff.
