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Football

15th Jan 2023

Aaron Ramsdale kicked by fan as Arsenal and Tottenham clash after London derby

Patrick McCarry

TOTTENHAM 0-2 ARSENAL

Aaron Ramsdale was kicked by a Tottenham fan and Granit Xhaka had to be held back as Arsenal claimed another big win to stretch their Premier League lead.

Bukayo Saka played a big hand in both Arsenal goals as his shot from a tight angle forced a Hugo Lloris own goal and his pass set up Martin Odegaard for a lovely, 30-yard goal.

The result sees Arsenal stretch their lead over reigning champions Manchester City to eight points, with Manchester United a point further back. United travel to the Emirates next weekend for a meeting of the league’s two form sides.

The final whistle saw a fair bit of needle between both sides. First off, Richarlison pushed Ramsdale away after carrying over a grudge from late in the game.

Then, as Ramsdale went to retrieve his towel from behind the goal, a fan climbed over the advertising hoardings and kicked him in the back before being descended upon by stewards. Up in the gantry for Sky Sports, Gary Neville declared:

“Ooh, they’re all on. Idiot! … He’s snapped because a fan has come on and kicked him.”

“This is getting out of hand,” agreed Martin Tyler.

https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1614690833080385536

Aaron Ramsdale escorted away

Granit Xhaka was one of many Arsenal players to rush on the scene and pull Aaron Ramsdale out of the firing line.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta then arrived to escort Ramsdale away but he spun around to chase after Xhaka when he reacted to some comments from the defeated Spurs players. Arteta pulled Xhaka away, too, as the victors jogged towards the tunnel, celebrating another three big points.

On the post-match flashpoint, Aaron Ramsdale told Sky Sports, “The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game. I was giving some back.

“The people I did give it to greeted it in sportsmanlike terms but one fan tried to give me a little punch on the back.

“It is a shame as it is just a game of football, at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away but thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It is a sour taste but I’m sure we will enjoy it when we go back into the dressing room.”

“We deserved the two-goal lead and maybe deserved more,” he added. “We played the way we wanted to play in the first half and got the deserved lead.”

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