SM
Man City vs. Wolves: 24 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Bukayo Saka matches Ian Wright feats in pulsating North London derby

:Headline: Bukayo Saka matches Ian Wright feats in pulsating North London derby:
Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka matches a pair of achievements last managed by Ian Wright in the Gunners' 3-2 North London derby triumph over Tottenham Hotspur.
Sports Mole

Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka matched a pair of feats last managed by former Gunners top scorer Ian Wright in Sunday's thrilling 3-2 win over North London derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Mikel Arteta's men travelled to hostile territory knowing that victory would see them build up a four-point lead over Manchester City before their title rivals took to the field against Nottingham Forest a couple of hours later.

The Gunners had eased to a 2-0 success on Tottenham's turf last year, but they were held to a 2-2 draw on home soil in September and had never previously won back-to-back away North London derbies in the Premier League era.

An emphatic triumph appeared to be on the cards after a gripping first half, though, as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own goal, Saka's finish and Kai Havertz's header saw the visitors head into the break three goals to the good.

Arteta's side had survived several scares in the first half, though, and their magnificent run of six straight clean sheets on the road came to an end when David Raya played a mishit pass straight to Cristian Romero, who accepted that gift with a calm finish into the bottom corner.

Saka equals 30-year-old Arsenal North London derby record

Declan Rice's foul on Ben Davies then allowed Son Heung-min to cut the deficit down to one in the dying embers, but Tottenham would fall short of completing a tremendous turnaround as Arsenal extended their lead at the top.

Saka's composed finish into the bottom corner marked his 15th goal of a productive Premier League season, and in doing so, the 22-year-old emulated two of Wright's achievements during his compatriot's Arsenal heyday.

Saka is now the first English Gunners player to hit 15 goals in one Premier League season since Wright struck 23 in the 1996-97 campaign, in addition to becoming the first Arsenal Englishman to score in both North London derbies in one season since 1993-94.

It had been 30 years since Wright managed the latter feat for Arsenal, and speaking to Sky Sports News after the game, Saka admitted that Arsenal could have blown their 3-0 lead completely last year.

"That last 20 minutes wasn't nice but it was worth it. We know it's a big derby and they don't want to lose three-nil at home. Once they got one, the crowd was up, they were up," Saka said.

"The momentum shifted their way but I'm proud of all the boys. We fought to the end and got the three points. We just needed to be calm. Everything was quite frantic but we showed our level heads at the end and got the win.

"It was a very nice moment at the end with the fans. We know what it means to them and what it means to us, so we are delighted. It means everything. We've got three games to go and we are going to give it everything and see where it leaves us.

"Now it's shower, get on the bus, put the [Man City] game on and hope for the best! City are an amazing team but they're not perfect. No-one is perfect. They can drop points. We just need to do our job and see where it leaves us.

"Maybe last season that game could have ended in a draw but we showed that we have the experience now. We can come here and get three points, even when the stakes are high and it's a massive game."

Despite possessing a four-point lead over Man City, the crown remains out of Arsenal's hands, as they have played two more games than the reigning Premier League champions.

The Gunners now prepare to host Bournemouth next Saturday lunchtime, before closing their campaign away to Manchester United on May 12 and at home to Everton on May 19.

body check tags ::

amp_article__542425 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-04-28 19:52:40:
html db last update - 2024-04-28 15:30:21 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Bukayo Saka

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Share this article now:
AL
Read Next:
Combined XI: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Bukayo Saka Ian Wright Mikel Arteta Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg Kai Havertz David Raya Cristian Romero Declan Rice Son Heung-min Ben Davies Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Combined XI: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal
Arsenal sweep past Bournemouth to boost title hopes
Friday's Transfer Talk Update: Wan-Bissaka, Olise, Onana
Aston Villa to rival Newcastle for Kieran Tierney?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

This weekend's permutations: Who can be crowned champions, win promotion or suffer relegation?

1

TW

Preview: Arsenal vs. Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PA

Preview: Heracles vs. RKC Waalwijk - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

3

PH

Preview: Man City vs. Wolves - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PM

Team News: Chelsea vs. West Ham injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

5

TN

All-time PL combined XI: Tottenham vs. Liverpool

6

AP

Man Utd star 'pictured wearing protective medical cast'

7

MU

Why to expect a high-scoring Chelsea win against West Ham

8

WT

Barcelona 'make Arsenal midfielder top summer transfer target'

9

B'

Southgate 'not considering naming Man Utd forward in England's Euro 2024 squad'

10

S'


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .