North London’s Premier League representatives had contrasting afternoons on matchday ten of the season.
Tottenham lost to Chelsea to extend their winless run at home, while Arsenal made it five consecutive Premier League wins and clean sheets.
When the full-time whistle blew at Turf Moor, the away end erupted as the Arsenal squad celebrated a hard-fought win, scenes that the Gunners’ rivals could’ve only dreamt of.
There was a lot of discourse about what happened at full-time when Spurs lost to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as one of Thomas Frank’s requests was ignored by two of his players.
Contrasting scenes between Arsenal and Tottenham at full-time on matchday ten
On X, Tottenham fan Chris Cowlin shared a video of Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven ignoring Frank’s plea for the duo to thank the fans despite the defeat.
The two defenders were seen to refuse Frank’s demand, heading straight down the tunnel, clearly unhappy with the result.
Being Tottenham’s biggest rivals, Arsenal fans would’ve loved what they saw unfold in N17, even more so when reflecting on what happened at Turf Moor.
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That’s because at full-time, Mikel Merino unknowingly headed towards the tunnel without thanking the away support.
Instantly, Mikel Arteta, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes whistled to the Spaniard, changing his direction to see him join the squad in heading over to the away end.
Merino was one of the last players to say goodbye to the travelling fans, applauding their support for a lengthy amount of time after his accidental mishap.
The differences between what happened at Turf Moor and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were there for all to see, with the Gunners making their rivals look even worse without a ball in play.
Thomas Frank’s record against Mikel Arteta as the North London Derby looms
It’s not only his own players who would’ve caused Frank to feel unnerved on week ten of the season.
Arteta might’ve frightened Frank with his injury update ahead of the upcoming North London Derby, which will be played after the international break on matchday 12.
Tensions are rising at Spurs, which could heighten if the Lilywhites lose at the Emirates.
Aside from Arsenal’s form and Tottenham’s lacklustre performances, Frank will feel the nerves ahead of the derby, as his record against Arteta is far from ideal.
While at Brentford, Frank faced Arteta nine times, achieving a win rate of 11% and falling to an aggregate score of 7-14 in Arsenal’s favour.
The Gunners will naturally feel more confident heading into the derby, but when it comes to a clash as emotionally fuelled as Arsenal vs Tottenham, anything can happen.