Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal renewed their long-running rivalry in Hong Kong, and tempers threatened to boil over between Pedro Porro and Mikel Arteta as Spurs secured a win.
Mikel Arteta has plenty of food for thought after Arsenal slipped to a narrow pre-season defeat as his side’s familiar failings in front of goal resurfaced.
A wonder strike from Pape Matar Sarr proved to be the difference between the two sides in a closely-fought encounter in Hong Kong.
The Arsenal boss will never be the most popular man among the Tottenham Hotspur fan base, and he enhanced his pantomime villain status in front of a record crowd in Hong Kong after clashing with Spurs star Pedro Porro.
Pedro Porro and Arsenal boss clash in pre-season North London Derby
With his side chasing the game deep into the second half, Arteta left his technical area to issue some instructions to his players in the 59th minute, shortly before introducing Viktor Gyokeres for his debut.
However, in doing so, he blocked the path of Pedro Porro, who was lining up a throw on the right touchline for Spurs.
Porro did not take too kindly to Arteta’s presence and he aimed a push at the Arsenal manager before gesturing pointedly to the technical area.
Arteta waved an arm back in Porro’s direction in retaliation and shaped to advance towards him, before the referee arrived on the spot to hold him back as the crowd erupted into jeers in the background.
With the new Premier League season now just weeks away, the Gunners’ boss will not have long to wait before he gets a chance to get his revenge on Porro and his Spurs team-mates.
Mikel Arteta ramps up tension with Tottenham ahead of the new season
Although Tottenham’s season eventually ended on a high with their Europa League win, their Premier League campaign was a disappointment, as they limped to a 17th-place finish.
Arteta did not miss the chance to take a sly dig at his arch-rivals at the end of last season, as he pointed to the collapse of their campaign after claiming a Champions League spot.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said: “Well, we are clearly very disappointed because we wanted to be here with the Premier League or the Champions League, and it is not the case.
“But chasing a dream has its ups and downs, but make sure that it doesn’t get blurry, and it does get recognised what we have done because any other team, and I have seen it with one injury, finishing eighth, 16th or 17th. So this team to go through the season and sustain this level is incredible.”
Arteta ended the season by ramping up the tension between the two clubs. After his spat with Porro, that hostility looks set to keep on building.