Tottenham and Arsenal equalled Premier League history in the first half of the north London derby.
At halftime, the score remained 0-0 despite Arsenal having numerous chances. Gabriel Martinelli missed a crucial opportunity to put Arsenal ahead, with Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario performing exceptionally well.
Ange Postecoglou’s team also had their chances, with Brennan Johnson missing an attempt and maintaining control over possession.
The game nearly erupted into chaos shortly before the break due to a foul by Jurrien Timber on Pedro Porro. Timber seemed to connect with Porro’s ankle while attempting to shield the ball, although he was facing away from Porro.
Referee Jarred Gillett issued a yellow card to Timber, and Vicario was also booked for grabbing Timber’s shirt in the aftermath. This incident almost led to a mass confrontation as players from both teams crowded around.
The first half, which saw a total of seven yellow cards, matched the Premier League record for the most yellow cards in a first half, according to OptaJoe.
Five of the yellow cards were given to Spurs players: Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven, and Dejan Kulusevski all received cautions. Arsenal’s William Saliba also got booked, joining Timber in the referee’s notebook for delaying the restart.
Despite the numerous cautions, both Ange Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta opted not to make any substitutions at halftime. Arsenal midfielder Jorginho became the eighth player to be booked when he was cautioned for holding in the 49th minute.
Arsenal took the lead in the 68th minute when centre-back Gabriel Magalhães scored with a header from a corner, beating Spurs goalkeeper Vicario.
This goal set Arsenal on their way to winning their ninth Premier League away game out of ten in 2024. Arteta’s side secured a 1-0 victory, moving up to second place in the Premier League table.
