The Mirror

MANCHESTER CITY 0-2 TOTTENHAM: Thomas Frank's side continued their fine recent form against City courtesy of first half goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha

The joke might have been on Tottenham losing out on Eberechi Eze - but they ended the week having the last laugh with another demolition of Manchester City on their own turf.

Ridiculed in their North London manor as Arsenal hijacked their move for Eze, Tottenham conjured the finest possible response with a superb team display oozing authority and confidence to sink Pep Guardiola’s City once more. First half goals by Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha, on loan from Bayern Munich, left Guardiola with more than a few early season headaches as his City stars were simply downed by a muscular Spurs display.

And as home fans headed for the exits well before the final whistle, Spurs fans cheekily sang “It’s happened again, Manchester City it’s happened again” in reference to their 4-0 Etihad League win last November.

Tottenham have had City’s number for some time - but this was a classy win that showcased Frank’s full range of tactical cleverness.

Not many outwit Guardiola. But Frank got his gameplan spot on squeezing the space and allowing City stars little time to work their usual magic as they slipped to a first defeat in 10 league games.

Frank had stars all over the pitch full of hunger and ambition to accelerate an impressive start to the season. And in central defence Christian Romero and Micky van de Ven were a tower of strength restricting Erling Haaland to a bit-part on a day to forget for Guardiola.

For the first half hour, though, it was City who looked a threat with Omar Marmoush a live-wire causing constant problems for the Spurs defence. After a long kick by Trafford deep into Spurs defensive territory a poor touch by Pedro Porro allowed Marmoush to steal in but his tight angled shot rolled across the face of goal.

Soon after the Egyptian striker saw a fierce shot beaten away by Vicario and with 28 minutes gone the £59 million January signing from Eintracht Frankfurt had his best chance. Haaland picked up the ball just inside the Spurs half and sped through the gears before releasing a superb pass for Marmoush but again Vicario saved with the City bench wondering if the striker could have tried to go round the keeper.

Just before that, City had lost new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri after an early injury attempting to block a shot with Ake replacing the former Wolves star at left back.

Despite early City chances Spurs had looked compact and well organised with Frank encouraging his stars to stick to the plan. To his delight they did more, scoring twice before the half time to give Tottenham fans more belief that they can kick-on significantly with the arrival of Frank.

The first goal came from a lightning Spurs move started by Porro who found Sarr with a high ball from the back. Sarr flicked the ball on for Richarlison to race clear of the City defence before squaring the ball to Johnson charging into the box. Johnson, Tottenham’s Europa League Final hero in Bilbao, met the ball perfectly to thump his shot past Trafford and send the Spurs bench and their travelling fans into raptures.

Initially referee Peter Bankes ruled the goal out with his assistant raising an offside flag against Richarlison. But a VAR review showed the Brazilian striker was onside and Spurs celebrations went into full swing.

For a few minutes City were stunned and when Porro went down under a Tijjanii Reijnders challenge on the edge of the box it left Tottenham screaming for a penalty. But Bankes was unmoved and waved away protests as City desperately tried to steady the ship.

With Guardiola preparing his interval messages, City shot themselves in the foot with Spurs making it 2-0 ,90 seconds into seven minutes of added time. Instead of going long Trafford put his side in trouble with a crazy short ball out to Rijnders. In the mayhem that followed as Spurs sprung a rapid press, Palhinha fired the loose ball into City’s net to leave Guardiola shell-shocked.

Would Tottenham be Spursy and lose the lead second half? The answer was emphatically no and substitutes Odobert and Solanke could have added to City’s misery with more care over late chances.

MANCHESTER CITY 0-2 TOTTENHAM: Spurs celebrated a 2-0 triumph as Joao Palhinha capitalised on a mistake by home debutant James Trafford shortly after Brennan Johnson had opened the scoring

Thomas Frank’s flying start to life as Tottenham boss continued as Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha secured an impressive victory at Manchester City on an afternoon to forget for James Trafford.

Both sides hit the ground running on the opening weekend of the Premier League season as Spurs beat Burnley 3-0 and City won 4-0 at Wolves, with more goals expected on Saturday given these sides’ recent Etihad Stadium meetings.

Spurs scored four without reply at City last season and this time celebrated a 2-0 triumph as on-loan Palhinha capitalised on a mistake by home debutant Trafford shortly after Johnson had opened the scoring.

It was an impressive response to the disappointment of their move for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze being hijacked by Arsenal and allowed the away fans to gleefully chant “we are top of the league”.

Tottenham deserve the plaudits but much of the post-match analysis will surround goalkeeper Trafford, who returned to the Etihad Stadium this summer in a £27million move from Burnley.

Johnson’s opener was hard to prevent but he could have been sent off for a clumsy challenge on Mohammed Kudus before his huge error allowed Palhinha to score in first half stoppage time.

Ederson, back from illness, watched from the bench as speculation about his future and City’s potential move for Paris St Germain star Gianluigi Donnarumma rumbles on.

Saturday’s match started with chances at both ends. Pedro Porro fizzed an effort into the side-netting after seeing a free-kick blocked before he gifted Omar Marmoush a chance.

The forward sent a low shot across the face of goal after collecting Porro’s poor header back, with his early directness and confidence epitomised by a 20-yard effort that called Guglielmo Vicario into action.

Home debutant Rayan Ait-Nouri had to be replaced by Nathan Ake midway through the first half as both sides battled for a breakthrough, which Erling Haaland’s vision nearly brought in the 28th minute.

The City striker followed an impressive drive inside with a smart ball through for Marmoush to get away a first-time shot that Vicario spread himself to stop.

Seven minutes later Spurs found the net. Pape Matar Sarr’s flicked header put through Richarlison, who burst free and sent across a low ball for Johnson to slam home.

Initially ruled out for offside against the Brazil international, the goal was eventually awarded and the VAR’s review sparked wild celebrations in the away end.

City spiralled from that point. Tijjani Reijnders caught Porro just outside the box after Trafford avoided red despite appearing to handle outside the box and clattering Kudus as he cleared.

But the goalkeeper would end the half red-faced after collecting a short goal kick and foolishly passing short in his own box to Nico Gonzalez, who had Sarr on his back.

The ball went loose to Richarlison and Trafford could only push it on for Palhinha to drive home Spurs’ second in stoppage time. Haaland headed over before a break that Spurs returned from on the back foot, with Palhinha punching the air after blocking a shot from Ake.

Micky van de Ven was fortunate to avoid a penalty for catching Oscar Bobb before Frank’s men eventually settled, with Richarlison sending two almost identical looping headers over.

City reupped their efforts as the fixture entered the final 20 minutes, with Van de Ven throwing himself in front of an attempt by substitute Phil Foden.

Bernardo Silva headed onto the roof of the net and play became stretched as Spurs frustrated City. Trafford denied substitutes Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert in stoppage time but the damage was already done.

VAR intervened to give a Brennan Johnson goal in Tottenham's match against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon after it had initially been ruled out for offside.

Johnson struck in the 35th minute with a cool finish after neat work and a low cross from Richarlison. But the Brazilian was flagged offside after his team-mate had beaten James Trafford.

However, semi-automated offside technology is now in use and the decision was overturned following a prompt VAR check, much to the delight of the travelling Tottenham fans.

The decision was confirmed by the Premier League Match Centre account on X, which explained: "VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for Tottenham Hotspur - and established that Richarlison was in an onside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was awarded."

Things got even better for Tottenham just minutes later when Joao Palhinha notched his first goal for the club to double their lead on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs and City were both victorious in their opening games last weekend, with Thomas Frank's side beating Burnley 3-0 and City thrashing Wolves 4-0.

Tottenham have enjoyed a fine record against City in recent seasons and even beat the former Premier League champions 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last term.

Another victory over City would be the perfect response to another setback in the transfer market for Spurs, who were pipped to the signing of Ebere Eze this week. The Crystal Palace playmaker had been in talks over joining Spurs with James Maddison sidelined with an ACL injury. But Eze is poised to join Arsenal after they swooped in with a late offer for the England star.

Tottenham have now missed on three of their top summer targets, with Eberechi Eze the latest to opt against joining Spurs - painfully picking a move to Arsenal instead

Tottenham have been left in transfer chaos after missing out on a THIRD big target this summer. They could now turn to Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche after the latest snub from Eberechi Eze who is set to join bitter rivals Arsenal.

And Tottenham's crisis is made even worse amid fears that Dejan Kulusevski could be out until the end of the year with his knee injury. There is still no definite return date but his delayed absence only increases the need for urgent reinforcements.

That comes on top of James Maddison's long-term knee ligament injury which prompted the move for Crystal Palace star Eze.

But they are set to miss out on Eze which comes on top of Morgan Gibbs-White snubbing a move to stay at Nottingham Forest while Bryan Mbeumo decided to move to Manchester United rather than Spurs.

They have struggled to build on last season’s success of winning the Europa League and also qualifying for the Champions League.

They are now scrambling around for signings with £40m-rated Akliouche on their list of targets with Bayer Leverkusen also interested while Monaco want to keep him for at least another season.

Tottenham like Como playmaker Nico Paz and he is another option if they cannot persuade Akliouche to move.

Tottenham also like England star Morgan Rogers but there is scepticism other whether that deal could actually be done because there will be strong resistance from Aston Villa.

Manchester City do not want to sell Brazil winger Savinho while Spurs are also keen on Southampton's Tyler Dibling.

RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons has his heart set on Chelsea and it means the Eze blow is a huge setback for Tottenham because they are left scrambling with just ten days left.

There is a feeling at Tottenham that Arsenal were always hovering in the background and, despite agreeing personal terms and also Crystal Palace’s terms, they had to wait until after the Europa Conference League tie on Thursday night.

That gave Arsenal a window of opportunity which they took on a player who Mikel Arteta has been courting all summer and the interest was established before Kai Havertz’s injury even if that only heightened the need.

Arsenal are hoping Havertz’s knee is not too serious but he will face a lay-off and Eze’s impending arrival softens the blow and has been a hugely popular move for the fans.

Tottenham are left licking their wounds and having to look elsewhere. But they feel that they tried everything to get a deal done and even if they had paid the release clause earlier in the window then Arsenal might have gazumped them.

Tottenham have reportedly identified Nico Paz, once dubbed "the future of Real Madrid" by former boss Carlo Ancelotti, as an alternative to Eberechi Eze after he snubbed them for Arsenal

Tottenham look to have lost out in the race to sign Crystal Palace sensation Eberechi Eze after rivals Arsenal swooped in with a transfer coup. But Spurs' next target, Como's Nico Paz, was once hailed as "the future of Real Madrid."

Despite Spurs chief Daniel Levy hammering out a £60million proposal for Eze, their north London rivals turned up on Wednesday evening with a £68m package. Thanks to executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis' relationship with Palace's Steve Parish, the Gunners managed to outmanoeuvre their rivals, and Eze has opted for a move to the Emirates.

He hopes to play one final time for Palace in their Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad on Thursday evening, but may be held back due to injury risk. Tottenham must now shift their focus elsewhere, and former Real Madrid star Paz is reportedly on their radar and highly regarded.

Having all but missed out on long-term target Eze, Thomas Frank's Spurs have turned their attention to other attacking midfield targets. They are keen to bolster this area due to injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and the departure of Son Heung-min.

The Daily Mail suggests that alongside Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche, Como ace Paz is on the club's shortlist. Paz, born in Tenerife, started his career in local academies before moving to Real Madrid's famed La Fabrica in 2016.

He started out as a defender but gradually moved further forward into more attacking positions. Following his B-team debut in 2022, Paz was given his first senior opportunity for Los Blancos in the Champions League clash with Braga 12 months later. His maiden league outing followed shortly afterwards.

Alas, facing intense competition for forward positions, he pursued a transfer in August 2024 and joined newly-promoted Serie A outfit Como for a reported £5.1million. He made his debut for the club the following day with immediate impact.

Real retain an approximate £10.5m buy-back clause for the youngster, and continue to hold some of his economic rights. The club's former boss Carlo Ancelotti suggested this provision might be triggered down the line while praising the star, which could complicate any potential deal for Spurs.

Speaking to Rai Radio 1 last December, Ancelotti was questioned about Paz and couldn't contain his admiration, declaring: "Paz is a player we follow a lot. He is really good.

"He's a great talent. This year of training away from Real is doing him a lot of good. We believe he is a player who can be the future of Real Madrid."

Paz earned the Serie A Young Player of the Year award in Italy last season. The 20-year-old then won his first Argentina cap against Bolivia in October 2024 and, after setting up the legendary Lionel Messi, received acclaim once more.

"Nico Paz has an incredible mindset, and that's why he's where he is," Messi declared following the 6-0 triumph. "Nico has a lot of quality and understands the game perfectly.

"He has an incredible mindset, and he's with Cesc Fabregas (manager of Como) as coach, who is my friend and will help him grow a lot."

Eberechi Eze has been swooped away from joining Tottenham by north London rivals Arsenal, and it's not the first time the Gunners have hijacked one of the Lilywhites' transfers

Eberechi Eze is not the first player to snub Tottenham for Arsenal, as Takehiro Tomiyasu nearly signed for Spurs before a last-minute U-turn. The Japanese full-back was welcomed as part of a major overhaul of Mikel Arteta's Gunners squad in 2021, arriving the same summer as Ben White and Martin Odegaard.

And while Arsenal paid £19.8million for the former Bologna stalwart, Tomiyasu could have made his way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the day instead of the Emirates. Recounting a whirlwind deadline day move with DAZN Japan, Tomiyasu said: "I thought I wasn’t able to join Arsenal.

"I thought I was going to Spurs. On deadline day, I rejected them. Arsenal asked me to join them and I did immediately."

The 26-year-old has turned out 84 times for the Gunners since making the move from Serie A, but has fallen out of favour to the likes of White and Jurrien Timber. However, that hasn't prevented his team-mates from showering him with praise over the years for his performances and work ethic.

White said of the star in 2021: "Obviously, you’ve all seen how he’s performed when he’s playing for Arsenal. He’s such a nice guy. He fitted straight in when he came. All the boys love him and he’s doing the business on the pitch as well. He’s doing really well."

History looks set to repeat itself, given that Arsenal have seemingly won the race to secure the signature of Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze. Spurs felt that they had an agreement in place with the Eagles for the versatile attacking midfielder after chasing his services all summer.

But it now appears as though their north London rivals have once more beaten them to the punch. The Gunners will pay a guaranteed £60m for Eze to seal the deal, as well as £7.5m in performance-related add-ons.

He will arrive at the club on Friday to complete a medical, despite being expected to feature in Palace's Europa League clash with Fredrikstad at Selhurst Park on Thursday evening. Eze is keen to play despite his imminent transfer but Palace could still pull him from the match.

The move will not only come as a huge blow to Spurs, who are looking to revamp their squad ahead of deadline day under Thomas Frank, but also to Palace and Oliver Glasner.

The 27-year-old, who has been capped 11 times for England, has been a shining light at Selhurst Park since securing a £19.5m move from Queens Park Rangers in 2020. Not only has he scored 40 goals and provided 28 assists in 169 outings for his club, but he was also instrumental in Palace's 1-0 FA Cup win over Manchester City in May, scoring the game-winning goal.

He also featured in the Eagles' Community Shield victory over Liverpool earlier this month and has started the fresh Premier League campaign in good form, despite having an impressive free-kick goal against Chelsea controversially ruled out due to encroachment on Marc Guehi's part.

Eze isn't the only star who could part ways with the south London side this summer, with Guehi also linked with a move to Liverpool ahead of September 1. The 25-year-old is into the last year of his contract with Palace, and is seen as a good fit as Arne Slot looks to wrap up his own impressive transfer window in style.

It all depends on whether the Reds are willing to meet Guehi's £45m valuation at present, especially considering it is thought that the Premier League winners could still be in the running for a late move for Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.

There is precedent for Arsenal pipping north London rivals Tottenham to a transfer target's signature at the 11th hour as they look to pull off a £68million coup for Eberechi Eze

Arsenal’s brutal hijacking of Eberechi Eze’s Tottenham move is not the first time the Gunners have signed a player just as they were about to join their bitter rivals. Mikel Arteta's side are set to sign the 27-year-old from Crystal Palace after it emerged they had agreed terms with both club and player on Wednesday night.

The breakthrough came as a surprise, given that north London neighbours Spurs had been on the brink of signing Eze. But those close to the England midfielder knew that his heart was truly set on Arsenal.

Eze supported the Gunners as a boy and was released from their academy aged 13, which left him ‘bawling’. Arsenal will now look to complete his £68million transfer in the coming days, having initially held reservations over the deal due to the rise of academy starlet Ethan Nwaneri.

But Kai Havertz’s recent injury eventually swayed them into pursuing potentially their seventh signing of the summer.

Eze’s dramatic U-turn, swapping N17 for N5, is of course not a first. Many will recall Sol Campbell’s shock move as a free agent in 2001. But another Gunners legend, Emmanuel Petit, snubbed Spurs for Arsenal in a way more akin to Eze’s transfer saga.

Spurs famously paid the Frenchman’s taxi fare on his way to sign for Arsenal. And reflecting on the late change of heart back in 2018, Petit told Mirror Football: “Tottenham put the contract on the table for me, I needed a couple of days to think about it but they didn’t expect what happened after that."

The midfielder visited London in 1997 to speak to Spurs chairman Sir Alan Sugar about a potential move from Monaco. Arsenal found out about the meeting and quickly sent word to the midfielder to not sign anything until he had heard Arsene Wenger’s pitch about the new project he was building.

Petit, who had played under Wenger at Monaco, asked Sugar for time to mull things over back at his own hotel, with Spurs paying the taxi to drive him there. But the Frenchman diverted the cab to Wenger’s house, where he also met vice-chairman David Dein.

Keen to compete for titles instead of fighting to stave off relegation, the future World Cup winner signed a £2.5m deal with the Gunners. Petit later recalled on talkSPORT: “I had meetings on the same day with Tottenham and Arsenal and had a meeting with Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I didn’t know about the rivalry between the two clubs.

"When I left the Spurs stadium, they booked me a cab and the cab driver asked me for directions, so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn’t realise that the cab was pre-paid by Spurs, so they knew where I was going!

"I’d told Spurs that I needed time to think about it but knew that I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain. I told everyone that I’d make my mind up and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a couple of days I signed for Arsenal and it went into newspapers and all of a sudden the story came. I realised the pressure of the rivalry then.”

Petit added in 2018: "It’s part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story – and [more than] 20 years later he’s still telling it!”

He did not look back on his decision, forming a formidable midfield axis with France team-mate Patrick Vieira, which resulted in the pony-tail haired star winning a league and cup double in his first season.

After the success of the 1997/98 campaign, Petit spent two less successful years in north London before joining Barcelona and later Chelsea.

Eze will hope his bold decision will reap similar benefits as he looks to add the missing creative spark to Arteta’s side, with the Gunners hoping to get over the line this term after three successive years of finishing second.

Eberechi Eze will almost certainly become an Arsenal player despite looking set to sign for Tottenham, though footage of him expressing his love for the Gunners proves his dream destination was never in doubt

Eberechi Eze looks set to sign for Arsenal after they swooped in to steal him from under rivals Tottenham's noses. And old footage of the Crystal Palace star declaring his love for the Gunners proves the move was destined.

Mikel Arteta's side launched a quick and successful move for Eze on Wednesday evening, agreeing a deal in principle worth around £68million. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had already negotiated a £60m package for the England international before Gunners executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis' relationship with Palace chief Steve Parish saw them leapfrog their rivals and seal a £60m plus £7.5m in add-ons deal.

The 27-year-old wishes to play one last time for the Eagles when they face Fredrikstad in a Conference League play-off on Thursday night. However, boss Oliver Glasner may be forced to exclude him to avoid risking injury. Nevertheless, Eze seems fated to become an Arsenal player, and if old footage of the forward is anything to go by, this move has been written in the stars for some time.

Back when Eze was a budding prospect for Queens Park Rangers, he was interviewed and asked about who his favourite team was. Given that the then-20-year-old had originally been part of the Gunners' Hale End academy before being released at 13, his answer was clear.

"Arsenal. I've just supported them from young," replied Eze to Alessandro Morolli-Schiavone, with four words further summing up his feelings. "They're my favourite team."

He added: "The way they play. I played with them when I was younger as well. When I was younger, I used to love Thierry Henry, and that's sort of why I decided to sign for them. Just growing up playing for them, I've grown a love for them."

Eze was also asked if he would depart QPR should Arsenal come in for him, though he gave a diplomatic answer, retorting: "I don't know about all of that. I'm a QPR player now and I'm happy to be playing for QPR."

The Gunners were further Eze's pick for winning the Premier League that year, the 2018/19 season, as when asked who were his champions elect, he stated: "Arsenal. I believe, somehow." The north London side finished fifth.

Despite being left crying for a week after being let go by Arsenal when he was a 13-year-old academy starlet, Eze's love for the Gunners is evident. Personal terms weren't a problem when Arsenal reignited negotiations for the 27-year-old, whose signing would help ease the blow of losing Kai Havertz to injury.

Eze's football career began at Arsenal, though he was also part of Fulham, Reading and Millwall's academies before his move to QPR in 2016. It was there that he broke into the first team, earning a £17m move to Palace in 2020.

Since then, he has scored 39 goals in 167 games for the Eagles, 14 of which came last term. One of those strikes won the FA Cup for Palace when they bested Manchester City 1-0 in May. Before the final, Eze was asked about his jaw-dropping technical ability and gave a response that will excite Arsenal fans.

"It's easy to lose sight of, especially (with) the type of player I am, why I'm doing what I'm doing," Eze told BBC Sport before the FA Cup final, discussing his skill. "Why do I run with the ball? Why do I try things? Why am I creative? Why do I do things that maybe players wouldn't think to do?

"The reason is for the people who are watching. It's what you're doing to people in the stands and how you can get people off their feet; that's what football's about. It feels like football is starting to shift a bit, and there's maybe not as much of that, but as long as I play, that's all I want to do."

Eberechi Eze meltdown on live radio forces talkSPORT to go off-air after Jamie O'Hara F-bomb

Eberechi Eze's impending move to Arsenal has sent former Tottenham Hotspur star Jamie O'Hara into a spin after the Gunners swooped in ahead of their rivals to secure the signing of the England international

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara has launched an astonishing rant live on talkSPORT over Spurs losing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal. His tirade even resulted in the broadcaster sensationally shutting off the live stream after the 38-year-old dropped the F-bomb.

Like many Tottenham fans, O'Hara is in disbelief that Spurs, who seemed set to land the Crystal Palace winger, now look to have lost out to their bitter rivals. Arsenal waited until the 11th hour to gazump Spurs by meeting Palace's £68million release clause for the winger, with Eze also agreeing personal terms with the Gunners.

Taking to talkSPORT to voice his shock, O'Hara concluded his fiery sermon exclaiming that he was "F*****g..." - with the latter part of his sentence unknown as the plug was pulled on the broadcast for a few brief seconds.

The drama unfolded as co-host – and former Chelsea player – Jason Cundy claimed Spurs have ideas above their station and think they're a bigger club than they are. Cundy goaded O'Hara with a baby doll, complete with crying sound effects, as the former Wolves midfielder then let rip.

"I'm disappointed in Tottenham, I'm disappointed. we should have had this deal done weeks ago, we should have had it over the line and got it done," O'Hara said.

"As soon as we started the season, we should have had Eze in the team, and do you know what, it serves us right. It serves Daniel Levy right, it serves Spurs right, it's the same old Tottenham, it happens every single season, we're penny-pinchers!

"It happened again, and we're going to miss out on a top-quality player who's proven in the Premier League. Just pay the money and get the player over the line! We got rid of [Heung-min] Son, [James] Maddison has done his ACL, we needed Eze, we needed him.

"It's an absolute joke that we're going to lose him to Arsenal of all teams, who are going to waltz in and pay and get it over the line in a couple of hours, it's a joke."

Cundy then went on to ask O'Hara whether he'd rather join Tottenham or Arsenal if he were the Crystal Palace star. O'Hara added: "I get it, Arsenal are a better team than us, they're in a better position, I wouldn't say they're bigger.

"They're doing well and that's why Tottenham needed to get the deal done, so you can't get hijacked. This is what happens, the bigger clubs come in and get the players, you don't get the deal done, this is what's going to happen."

O'Hara then pointed his anger directly at Levy once again, claiming he has failed to capitalise in the transfer window in the face of Son joining Los Angeles FC and after Maddison's serious injury. He added: "Levy is a penny-pincher. Maddison did his ACL a month ago, he could have got the deal done.

"Maddison is out for the season, he's done, Son's gone, he knew Son was going, he knew that a month ago. He knew those players were done and he still hasn't got it over the line, he still hasn't got it over the line knowing this was coming."

Then prompting the short shut-down, O'Hara said: "How have you not got this done? Honestly, it's a joke and I'm f*****g..."

Luckily, the broadcaster managed to catch O'Hara's slip on the YouTube live-stream as well as across the airwaves. The live-stream was also adjusted so viewers could only see a holding card announcing that the duo would be back soon.

As coverage eventually returned, O'Hara had his head in his hands while Cundy said: "Oh my word. He had to dump himself, he swore, he dropped an F-bomb." An embarrassed-looking O'Hara then calmed himself, before adding: "I don't think I've ever done that before."

Eze is now set to undergo a medical at Arsenal after playing one final time for Palace in their Conference League play-off match against Fredrikstad on Thursday evening at Selhurst Park. However, Palace could still omit him from the tie to avoid risk of injury before the medical.

Eberechi Eze is on the way to Arsenal after a stunning hijack from the Gunners and attention is now already turning to when he could pull on his new shirt for the first time

Eberechi Eze could make his Arsenal debut this weekend - but only if the Gunners meet a strict deadline. The Crystal Palace winger is set to put pen to paper on a stunning move to the Emirates Stadium over the coming days.

His move to Arsenal comes after the North London side moved ahead of their bitter rivals Tottenham, who had looked set to sign Eze. But the England man preferred a move to Arsenal, while the Gunners’ bid of £60m and £7.5m in add-ons gazumped the £50m plus £10m in add-ons agreement that Spurs and Palace had previously shaken hands on.

Eze has also agreed personal terms with Arsenal ahead of his switch. Attention will now turn to getting the formalities of the deal completed.

Eze will undergo a medical with his potential new employers on Friday after he has appeared for Palace in their Europa League playoff clash with Fredrikstad at Selhurst Park. As it stands, he is still set to play in that game - albeit that stance could well change.

Should Eze’s medical go as expected then Arsenal will be keen for him to take to the pitch for the first time. His debut could potentially come this Saturday evening as Mikel Arteta’s side welcome newly-promoted Leeds to the Emirates.

That can only happen should Eze be registered by the 12pm cut-off point on Friday, which could potentially be too soon. Should Arsenal fail to meet that deadline, Eze’s next chance of a debut would come next weekend as the North London side take on reigning Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield on August 31.

Meanwhile, Spurs remain on the lookout for an alternative to Eze having seen Arsenal steal a march on the Palace star. They were all set to seal a deal for the Eagles man but have been powerless to prevent the Gunners’ approach.

They have also been linked with Manchester City wideman Savinho this summer. Eze’s move represents another big frustration for Daniel Levy and Thomas Frank following Morgan Gibbs-White’s u-turn.

What have you made to Arsenal's summer business? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Palace are also active in the market as they attempt to find a replacement for their star man. Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss has been strongly linked but the Moroccan midfielder is expected to cost in excess of £30m.

Club Brugge star Christos Tzolis is also an option following a 20-goal season for the Belgian side but a deal for the Greek is complicated given he only signed a new deal in the summer. The summer transfer window remains open for just another week-and-a-half.