The North London Derby had everyone's attention Saturday. Amongst the Premier League matches, the battle between Arsenal and Tottenham was the one to watch. Both teams are battling in the standings while coming off disappointing losses. The match was certainly not a letdown with a 2-2 draw as the Gunners remain in the fight for the Premier League title.
Arsenal was coming off three straight losses, and there was no denying that they could not afford to fall to the Spurs in this match. The Gunners are sitting in third place in the Premier League standings, while Tottenham holds on to No. 2, making the drama of this match even more exciting. Tottenham got two quick goals off at the start of the second half, while Alexis Sanchez hit a shot in the 76th minute to secure the draw. Despite all of the injuries to the Gunners, manager Arsene Wenger praised Arsenal for their fight.
"We have shown great spirit all game, I'm proud of the spirit the players have shown and the response even with 2-1 down, we went down to 10 men," Wenger said. "We managed to come back with at least a point. We have big regret, it looked like we were completely in control. Then we went down to 10 men. That's the regret of the day. Overall, it's difficult to take. Personally, I never questioned the character of this team, when you don't win the games and you lose you have to accept that."
Wenger noted that the team was under a great deal of pressure entering the match. After a loss to Barcelona in Champions League play and two Premier League losses, the Gunners were at risk of falling out of the title race completely, putting Wenger's job on the line. However, Arsenal responded when they needed to, and now they need to keep it up with just a handful of matches left.
"The pressure of our supporters is relentless and I have to deal with that. We have to on a run now," Wenger said.
For Tottenham, the Spurs can still get the Premier League title if it can go on a run. Losing to Arsenal means that the team failed to clinch first place, but with several games left, there is a chance. Tottenham knows how to turn things around from loses. The team was defeated in their opening Premier League match and then went on a 14-match unbeaten streak. There is no doubting that Tottenham is still in the running despite losing to Arsenal.
"We feel disappointed, because we feel like we've lost two points," manager Maurico Pochettino said. "In the first half we conceded a goal when we fully deserved to score ourselves, because we managed the game from the beginning. But sometimes it is difficult."
