North London Derby: Sarr the hero as Tottenham down Arsenal on Gyokeres’ debut

Pape Matar Sarr scored from the halfway line as Tottenham condemned Arsenal to their first defeat of pre-season in Hong Kong, yesterday, reports standard.co.uk.
Tottenham were the much better side in the first half and led through Sarr shortly before the break as the Senegalese spotted David Raya off his line, hitting a perfectly weighted lob to net what proved to be the winner. The Gunners pushed hard for an equaliser in the second period but could not find a breakthrough as Spurs defended admirably into the late stages.
Viktor Gyokeres got his first taste of Arsenal football just five days after joining up with his new teammates, but struggled to influence the play in a 13-minute cameo as the Gunners chased an opener. He will have another opportunity to find his first Arsenal goal as Villarreal visit the Emirates next week.
The result marked a disappointing end to Arsenal’s tour of East Asia, where they had impressed in wins over AC Milan and Newcastle. For Spurs, though, it was a hugely encouraging performance after they had taken just one win from three earlier pre-season meetings.
Arsenal had the first chance of the afternoon when William Saliba headed wide from Martin Odegaard’s bouncing volley, but Spurs quickly began to dictate the play.
The Lilywhites hit the post three times before the break. Two of those were direct from corners, and on both occasions, Richarlison failed to turn the loose ball home.
Wilson Odobert also shook the woodwork as he got the better of Ben White and was unlucky not to score with his low curled effort.
The Gunners’ direct play was all too predictable for Spurs, who were dogged in defence throughout the affair, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Micky van de Ven routinely shutting down Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz’s advances.
Spurs would have been disappointed to reach half-time with the match still level, and Sarr took matters into his own hands with injury time fast approaching. David Raya, well outside his area, played Myles Lewis-Skelly into a tight area, and the young defender was promptly dispossessed. Sarr pounced on the loose ball, leaving Raya to watch on helplessly as the ball sailed in to put Tottenham ahead moments before the interval.