Arsenal star has gone viral for his actions moments before opening goal v Spurs
The North London Derby delivered again as Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in an enthralling encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Gunners stormed out to a comfortable 3-0 lead in the first half before Spurs made things tense in the second 45 by bagging a couple of goals themselves.
The derby is one of the most entertaining in the United Kingdom, and it didn’t disappoint this time around. With the Gunners in the middle of a Premier League title race alongside Manchester City and to a lesser extent Liverpool following their recent issues, and Spurs chasing a place in the Champions League, there were massive stakes on the line for both teams heading into the game. That showed early as neither wasted any time really taking the game to their opponents.
It was Mikel Arteta’s men who took the lead, though, when a corner was turned into his own net by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the 15th minute. From there, Arsenal took control and goals from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz gave them a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
A howler from David Raya saw Cristian Romero claw one back for Spurs in the second half before they were awarded a penalty in the final five minutes and Son Heung-min converted from the spot to keep things interesting. The Gunners held onto the lead, though, and escaped the match with all three points. The game was filled with drama, but aside from the goals, there were several interesting moments throughout that you might have missed, so we thought we’d highlight them for you.
Ben White Being a Nuisance
The Gunner played mind games with Vicario before the first goal
Every great team needs that one player who has no trouble winding their opposition off. The guy who can get under their skin. It’s the sort of player you love in your team and love to hate when he’s in the opponents’ line-up. That man for Arsenal is Ben White, and the Englishman was spotted up to his tricks shortly before their opening goal.
Just before Saka whipped a corner into the Spurs area, White was seen winding Guglielmo Vicario up, touching his glove and getting on his nerves. The mind games seemed to work perfectly too, as seconds later, the ball was in the back of the net, courtesy of Hojbjerg’s own goal, and Arsenal were in front.
Saka and Havertz Playing the Villains
The Arsenal pair gauded Spurs fans after their goals
No matter what you do, your rival’s fans are always going to hate you. Saka and Havertz decided to have fun with this and after they both got on the scoresheet against Tottenham, they gauded the Spurs fans with their celebrations. First, the Englishman was seen cupping his ears in the direction of the home supporters, essentially welcoming their abuse.
🔴⚪️✨ Bukayo Saka has 33 G/A contributions this season for Arsenal in all competitions. 19 goals, 14 assists. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/OQj98aCJ4H — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 28, 2024
Saka wasn’t the only one, though, and former Chelsea man Havertz followed suit when he got in on the action and scored Arsenal’s third of the afternoon. The German’s taunt was quite the opposite of his teammate’s, though. Havertz instead put his finger to his lip and shushed the Spurs fans. Just a pair of wind-up merchants.