"No personality and character" - Arsenal legend slams Tottenham players after North London derby defeat
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit slammed Tottenham Hotspur players for their performance in the North London derby against the Gunners on Saturday (October 1).
Thomas Partey put Arsenal in front with a beautifully placed shot from outside the box, assisted by Bukayo Saka.
However, Tottenham quickly equalized when Gabriel Magalhaes made a clumsy challenge on Richarlison and conceded a penalty to the Lilywhites. Harry Kane slotted it down the middle from the spot.
Arsenal secured bragging rights in North London with a comfortable 3-1 win over Tottenham.
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Gabriel Jesus managed to find the back of the net in the 49th minute after a scramble in the box, putting the Gunners in front again. Once Emerson Royal was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Gabriel Martinelli, the derby seemed bleak for Tottenham.
Finally, Granit Xhaka closed the scoring with a goal in the 67th minute, resulting in a 3-1 victory for Arsenal.
Petit praised his former outfit's performance against the Lilywhites. He said (via HITC):
“I think the best team deserve to win. We showed composure during the whole game. As I said at half-time, I wanted the Gunners to be more clinical and then they scored a second very easily at the start of the second half."
The Frenchman then expressed his disappointment with Tottenham's performance in the derby. He added:
"Then, the sending-off helped Arsenal to finish the game. But I am quite disappointed with the performance of Spurs. I think they were too shy. No personality and character. And I am very happy with the Gunners, they deserve it."
On Emerson's red card, Petit concluded:
“It is a hard one, but it’s so far away from the goal. There’s no need to do that.”
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte hits out at Arsenal following North London derby
While the Italian boss watched helplessly as his side endured a 3-1 defeat to the Gunners, he couldn't help but take a jibe at his London rivals after the game.
Conte reminded the Gunners of their failure to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League after finishing fifth in the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, behind Tottenham.
Antonio Conte aims jibe at Arsenal by reminding fans that Tottenham beat them to top four last season
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Referring to his side's performance in the derby, Conte told TalkSPORT:
"We tried to do our best and we try to improve and to go game by game and see what happens at the end of the season. For sure, we have to try to improve but I repeat my opinion that Tottenham are just getting started to try and be competitive."
He added:
"We must continue to work and improve step by step with humility and not with assumption. There’s only one word for us and that is to work. We need to move on and to play a game in the Champions League."
Conte then hit out at Arsenal, saying:
“Don’t forget that last season we were behind Arsenal with two games to go, they were four points ahead of us and now we are playing Champions League and they are playing UEFA [Europa League] and so we need a big push to go forward in this competition.”