EPL 2016-17: Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur - Five Talking Points

Tottenham Hotspur had Harry Kane to thank as they managed to earn a point against North London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates. The Gunners looked the better of the two teams over the 90 minutes but only had a point to show for it at the end.

After a nervy start, Arsenal got into their rhythm started to open up the Spurs defence quite frequently. The goal finally came right before half time through an own goal by Kevin Wimmer after a great delivery from Ozil.

But Arsenal’s chief tormentor, Harry Kane came to the rescue once again after Koscielny tripped Dembele in the box. The Englishman stepped up and scored the penalty as the spoils were shared.

Here are 5 talking points from the game:

1) The North London derby is still fierce and furious.

In the last few years, both Arsenal and Spurs have had an increase in the number of foreign players. The Premier League in general, has seen an influx of players from other countries and currently has the highest percentage of foreign talent when compared to the Top 5 leagues.

Some believe the traditional rivalry is no more the same with the fierceness of the game having dissipated. But today there was so much evidence that the hot blood and intensity of the rivalry is still there.

There were one or two little feuds in the pitch with Theo and Vertongen locking horns towards the end of the game. There were several challenges flying in as well and players were not afraid to hit the deck and try to make the most out of a foul or a similar situation.

Even the intensity of the game was very high, with no player getting too much time on the ball. This was a derby that was full off zest and energy in the first half but it did die down in the second half because of Spurs’ defensive display.