Bukayo Saka had the perfect response to taunts from the Tottenham crowd on Sunday afternoon, delivering an exquisite cross to help Arsenal open the scoring in the North London Derby. The Gunners went on to claim bragging rights over their fierce rivals with a 3-2 victory.
Mikel Arteta’s side managed to retain their spot at the top of the Premier League with a gritty victory over Spurs, putting the pressure on Manchester City in the final few weeks of the campaign.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg headed into his own net following a corner from Saka. The assister then turned goalscorer just 12 minutes later when tucking a neat finish past Guglielmo Vicario following an electric counter-attack.
Gunners then extended their lead further before half time when Kai Havertz headed home from a corner, with Spurs valiantly fighting back after the restart with goals from Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min.
Saka was among the stars to have the last laugh on the day, having been the subject of antagonising chants from the Spurs crowd over the course of 90 minutes. The 22-year-old did respond to the enraged Tottenham supporters early in the first half after assisting the opener, which only added fuel to the fire in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Whilst Saka was preparing to deliver a corner, chants of ‘you let your country down’ were aimed at the forward, in reference to the spot-kick that he missed during the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout. The winger went on to deliver a teasing cross which was ultimately turned in by Hojbjerg, and the Gunners academy graduate could not resist the urge to respond.
Saka jogged towards his celebrating teammates before turning back towards the Spurs crowd and cupping his right ear, prompting jeers from those who had taunted him beforehand. The incident was shared online and has left Gunners supporters in hysterics, as has Declan Rice’s antics during the game.
In a similar fashion, the England international was heckled as he prepared to deliver a corner, which assisted Havertz’s goal and gave Arsenal a healthy three-goal lead. Whilst celebrating, Rice turned back towards the cluster of Tottenham supporters to celebrate as the Gunners continued to exploit their expertise from set-pieces.
