Pape Matar Sarr’s outrageous lob from just inside Arsenal’s half gave Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 victory in the first north London derby to take place overseas.
It was a memorable occasion and the fans, who filled the 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district long before kick-off, were treated to a ceremonial dragon dance as pre-match entertainment. This was supposed to be the moment where Arsenal’s new striker Viktor Gyokeres took centre-stage, but Thomas Frank’s side produced a resilient and defensively disciplined performance.
Winning the Herbalgy Cup might not be the biggest achievement, but it will give Spurs confidence that they can close the gap to their arch-rivals. Here, The Athletic breaks down what happened in the first game of their pre-season tour to East Asia.
Sarr shows promising signs
Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya kept trying to catch Spurs off guard by mixing up the length of his passes. In the 45th minute, Raya’s decision to play a quick, short pass to Myles Lewis-Skelly backfired.
It looked like Richarlison might have clipped Lewis-Skelly, but the referee waved play on, allowing Sarr to collect the ball just outside the centre circle and chip Raya. The Senegal international has a habit of scoring long-range goals, but this was his best yet. His celebrations in front of the Arsenal fans made the moment even sweeter.
Sarr put in mixed performances last season, giving the chance for Lucas Bergvall to take his spot in the starting XI. It is easy to forget that Sarr does not turn 23 until September and still has much room for growth. With his ability to drive forward on the ball and score from distance, he offers something that Frank’s other midfielders do not.
“It was an unbelievable goal,” Frank said. “Fantastic and well-taken. All the credit to Pape. He has impressed me — he has been really good in the last four weeks.”
Sarr is showing signs he could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the managerial change.
Why this friendly win could be significant
It is tempting to call this pre-season game irrelevant — but try telling that to the 50,000 raucous fans inside the Kai Tak Stadium. There were a lot of crunching tackles, and Pedro Porro’s touchline clash with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta underlined that there was a genuine edge. The phoney war continued after the game, with Richarlison and Gabriel mocking each other on social media.
Spurs have played fewer games in pre-season than Arsenal and against lower-level opposition. They were missing first-choice striker Dominic Solanke, who has an ankle injury, while Gyokeres made his first appearance for Arsenal after signing from Sporting CP.
Ange Postecoglou never beat Arsenal during his time in charge of Spurs but Frank has managed it at the first attempt. It will be a far more impressive achievement if he pulls it off in a competitive game, but this victory will still give them a psychological boost.
“We have been very clear that this was not a friendly,” Frank told reporters after the game. “It felt like a competitive match. We have been working hard on defensive organisation — so high pressure, middle, low, then that desire to keep a clean sheet. That gives you a bigger opportunity to win matches.
“For the team we are building together, positive results or performances reinforce the messages we try to get into the players.”
Flair and physicality from Kudus
Mohammed Kudus is an entertaining player and it will be thrilling seeing how he develops. The Ghana international was superb against Arsenal and gave Lewis-Skelly a difficult evening.
Everybody knows that Kudus is an exceptional dribbler in one-v-one situations. He can bamboozle defenders with his trickery, but he also has an underlying strength that catches people by surprise. Several times he held the ball up under pressure, drew in a couple of opponents and outmuscled them before passing the ball. Wilson Odobert shares some of those qualities and can learn from his more experienced team-mate. If those two regularly start games together alongside Solanke or Richarlison, opposition defences will be left feeling dizzy.
“Kudus’ one-vs-one skills, his creating opportunities for the team, were top class,” Frank said. “He’s working extremely hard — there was a recovery run from a set piece when he was sprinting all the way back and he won the ball. That’s how he can help the team so much. He will make a lot of the fans excited with his offensive actions and he will also help the team defensively.”
Does this team need Palhinha?
Just before kick-off, The Athletic reported Spurs were in talks with Bayern Munich over signing Joao Palhinha on loan. They need reinforcements in the deeper No 6 midfield position as Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma have never been perfect fits and they both only have a year left on their contracts. Signing Palhinha on a short-term deal is a smart move, giving 19-year-old Archie Gray time to develop as a defensive midfielder.
Spurs already look far more solid than under Postecoglou. Frank is setting them up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, which offers more protection to the defence as it morphs into a 4-4-2 out of possession, with Bergvall pushing up alongside Richarlison.
Arsenal scored three goals against Spurs in the league last season and two of them came from Gabriel headers after a corner. The Brazilian centre-back was unavailable for this game, but Spurs defended set pieces confidently. There was no sense of panic and their new set-piece coach, Andreas Georgson, is making an impact.
(Top photo: Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)