Arsenal and Tottenham almost always put on a show and Sunday was no exception. The rivals were thrilling from the opening minute and didn't let up until the final whistle.
What did we learn from the 1-1 draw?
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The tactical battle was a draw
Mauricio Pochettino surprised most everyone by going with a three-man backline. For the first half-hour, Arsenal had no idea how to handle it and Tottenham were probably upset not to have scored when they were very clearly on the front foot. But the Gunners sorted out what their rivals were doing and bossed the middle part of the match, scoring their goal and nearly adding more, before the match evened out in the end.
If anything, you might say Pochettino won it because going level without a few top players and switching systems on the fly was extremely impressive.
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Either team could have won
Each team finished with a goal, but could have had more. Both hit the bar, while both goalkeepers were called upon and both had chances go just wide. The match may have finished 1-1, but it could have been three or four goals apiece.
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Harry Kane continues to kill Arsenal
Kane hadn't played in seven weeks and had only been training with the team for a week after an ankle injury, but he slotted right into the starting lineup. It was clear he wasn't near his best fitness or form, but he still managed a goal to make it five goals in four Premier League matches against Arsenal.
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Mark Clattenburg did well
As is the case every time these two teams play, it was heated. There were hard tackles and plenty of shoving matches off the ball. In this case, there was also a penalty to be given. In short, Clattenburg was called upon to make tough choices time and time again, and in the end it's hard to say he got any really wrong. All in all, he was very good in a match that was not easy to call.
Arsenal's front four is menacing
Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil obviously lead the Arsenal attack, but they get help from Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott. Whenever the Gunners would get those four into any bit of space, they caused Spurs loads of problems. The problem is their midfield struggled to give them enough of those opportunities, but that front four is really coming into its own and if the Gunners can ever regularly get them the ball quickly, any opposing defense will be in trouble.
The offside rule is still very vague
Two Arsenal players were very clearly offside on the Gunners' lone goal of the day, but does that mean the goal should have been ruled out? It's tough to say because trying to determine whether they affected the play when Kevin Wimmer headed the ball into his own goal is trying to make sense of a vague rule. Wimmer only had to head the ball because of the offside players and he surely knew there were Arsenal players lurking behind him, but neither off the offside players made an attempt at the ball. Is that offside? Until FIFA clarifies the rule, this (and many other plays) will be left up to interpretation and they'll all be interpreted different.
Spurs will be much happier with the result
Kane may have scored a goal, but he was clearly rusty. Toby Alderweireld missed out yet again and Dele Alli was unavailable with a knee injury, too. Despite that, and being away to Arsenal, Spurs walked away with a point and not an undeserved one either. This was all set up for an Arsenal win, but Pochettino managed to stay undefeated in the league against the Gunners.
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