A fiery Premier League clash in North London kicked off at dawn on Monday, with the Gunners Arsenal beating arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 away from home, leaving them eight points clear of second place in the league table, and all seven London derbies so far this season have ended in victory. Tottenham's players lost control of their emotions after the loss, and the icon Richard Leeson stirred up trouble at the end of the match. Some Tottenham fans even rushed into the stadium and attacked Arsenal's goalkeeper Lansdal, and the English FA announced that it would join hands with the police to hunt down the thugs.
Arsenal were in the lead in the first half, controlling the pace of the game. In the 14th minute, Bukayosaka crossed the ball from the right side of the field, and Tottenham's goalkeeper Loris made an own goal, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead. Arsenal continued to apply pressure, with Thomas Berdy's long-distance shot hitting the post. In the 36th minute, Martin Odigat released a shot from some 20 yards away from the goal, piercing through Lloris' defense once again, giving Arsenal a 2-0 lead at the end of the half.
In the second half, Tottenham Hotspur counterattacked with all their might, but could only look on in the face of Lansdal's outstanding performance. Lansdal made 7 saves to help Arsenal consolidate their 2-0 win. Towards the end of the match, Richard Leeson was unhappy with Lansdal's celebration in front of the goal and the two clashed. When Lansdal turned around to sort out his kit, a Spurs fan rushed into the field again and kicked Lansdal in the back, but fortunately the security guards stopped it in time to avoid a more serious incident.
Both the English FA and Tottenham Hotspur have issued statements saying that the attack will not be tolerated and that they will work with the police to track down the thugs through CCTV footage. Tottenham Hotspur emphasized that the fan will be punished with a lifetime ban. Arsenal leader Adi Da tried to calm down the incident after the match: I didn't see what happened, I just saw a great game of soccer.
