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Ange Postecoglou said his Tottenham side was ‘nowhere near good enough’ in their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday night.

Spurs took the lead in the first half through a deflected Son Heung-min strike, but that came against the run of play and the Gunners were ahead before the interval.

Dominic Solanke was unfortunate to score an own goal on 40 minutes, with a Gabriel header from a corner flicking off the striker and into the net.

Four minutes later Leandro Trossard put Arsenal ahead and that’s where they remained until the final whistle.

Postecoglou rolled the dice as early as half-time, putting on James Maddison and Brennan Johnson for Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma to unleash an all-out-attack formation.

Tottenham improved in that set-up, but still couldn’t produce much cutting edge and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was rarely troubled.

After an 11th defeat of the Premier League season, the Spurs boss was fuming with the ‘unacceptable’ performance of his side.

‘Nowhere near good enough, especially in the first half,’ the Australian told TNT Sports. ‘We were too passive. We allowed Arsenal to dictate the game. We hung in there but that’s all we were doing. Second half was a little better not nowhere near good enough. Unacceptable.

‘Ultimately I guess the responsibility lies with me and how we prepare the players. Their mindset going out there certainly wasn’t our intent when we started the game. Like I said the second half was a little bit better, but certainly the first half nowhere near the standard we want to set.

‘I’m interested in how we play our football and we were not anywhere near the levels today.’

With Tottenham left 13th in the Premier League table after the latest defeat, Postecoglou was asked for his plans ahead of a trip to Everton on Sunday.

‘No choice. Go back to work and prepare for a tough game,’ he said. ‘Of course they [defeats] hurt me. Not acceptable. Too many losses this year. Too many games we’ve let get away from us. It needs to stop.

‘No other way of looking at it. If you give up now, there’s no point, but it needs to stop. Right now we have a big game against Everton this weekend. That’s our focus, we’ll look what happens beyond then after that.’

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was in wildly contrasting mood, thrilled by the performance of his players in a win which puts them within four points of league-leaders Liverpool.

‘Outstanding today. From the first minute we were really at it, really intense. We played with a real purpose to hurt them. We created an unbelievable atmosphere,’ he said.

‘We know how important the game is. It’s a gift we can make the supporters very happy.

‘The attitude we played with, not feeling sorry for ourselves, was phenomenal.’

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Arsenal host Tottenham on Wednesday night in a Premier League north London derby, with pressure on both sides to get a result.

The Gunners are coming off a disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United, losing the Red Devils on penalties in the third round.

Their challenge for the Premier League title is still alive and they can go within four points of leaders Liverpool with a victory over Spurs, but cannot afford too many more slip-ups.

Mikel Arteta’s men have won just 11 of their 20 Premier League games so far and they need to improve on that win percentage if they are to remain in the title race.

Tottenham are a long way from challenging for the title, coming into this game in 13th and with three defeats and a draw in their last four Premier League outings.

Ange Postecoglou’s team are performing well in cup competitions, which may well be keeping the Australian in a job, as their league campaign has been very disappointing.

The manager will point to the amount of injuries his squad has suffered, which has certainly been a big issue, particularly with both centre-backs and the first choice goalkeeper out.

What time is Arsenal vs Tottenham?

The match kicks off at 8pm on Wednesday 15 January at the Emirates.

Arsenal vs Tottenham TV channel and live stream

The game is being shown live on TNT Sports 1 and streamed on Discovery+.

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Gabriel Jesus has joined Arsenal’s injured list and will miss the rest of the season due to the ACL issue he suffered against Manchester United.

Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain out, although Riccardo Calafiori could be involved again.

Tottenham’s problems remain numerous, with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert all still out. Timo Werner has also joined the long list of players out.

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Tottenham are sporting an unfamiliar look in tonight’s north London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are wearing their change strip at the home of their fiercest rivals for the first time since 2012.

On that occasion, with Andre Villas Boas’ side decked out in a half black and half grey and half black kit, Spurs were hammered 5-2 by an Arsenal team which contained the likes of Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal, meanwhile, wore their black away kit for the reverse fixture earlier this season when Gabriel Magalhaes’ header proved the difference between the two teams.

It was the first time the Gunners had warn anything other than a red and white kit at Spurs since the 1985/86 season.

It is Spurs who have been forced into a change this evening, however, on account on the unusual amount of white in Arsenal’s current home shirt.

‘Both teams will be wearing their away strips in the fixtures this campaign, after [referees’ body] PGMOL and Premier League ruled that our 2024-25 home kit features too much white, thus clashing with Tottenham’s traditional colours,’ Arsenal said in a statement back in September.

Arsenal will be hoping for a return to winning ways, meanwhile, after their cup defeats against Newcastle and Manchester United in the last week.

Victory against Ange Postecoglou’s men would see Mikel Arteta’s men close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table to four points, albeit having played a game more, after the Reds were held by Nottingham Forest last night.

‘It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game,’ said Arteta in his pre-match press conference.

‘This is something that is in our hands, for example. Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective.

‘That’s something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let’s do it.

‘It’s not rosy in the garden, because [if] I won two days ago in a way that I didn’t merit or because we won two games in a row, the next day, the garden is rosy again.

‘These things are about what’s in the garden the next day. It’s our job, what’s in the garden the next day is the most important thing.’

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One of the few players to make the switch between fierce north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham has said the treatment he received was ‘horrendous’.

After spending over a decade at Spurs, ex-England defender Sol Campbell made the difficult decision to leave for Arsenal in the early 2000s.

Campbell was loved by Tottenham fans having come through the academy to make more than 300 first-team appearances and lift the League Cup in 1999.

But Campbell felt he needed to leave Spurs in order for his career to go to another level and joined Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001, linking up with legendary Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Tottenham fans never forgave Campbell for what they saw as a betrayal, especially as he had publicly insisted he was staying in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.

Campbell says the treatment he received after leaving Spurs was ‘more than toxic’ but he does not regret his controversial decision, having gone on to enjoy a hugely successful spell at Arsenal.

During his five years with the Gunners, Campbell lifted two Premier League titles and two FA Cups and was a key part of Wenger’s Invicibles team.

Campbell also featured in a Champions League final for Arsenal, scoring an opener against Barcelona at the Stade de France before the Spanish giants came back to win 2-1.

Justifying his decision to switch between the north London rivals, Campbell told the Daily Mirror: ‘It was a move by a young man who wanted to win.

‘I wanted to win football games, I wanted to win championships, I wanted to see how far I could push my country, to see if I could win something for my country.

‘Everywhere I’ve played I’ve tried my best, wanted to win and I knew my time was running out and I had to think about what was the best possible chance of winning and joining a team which I can enhance.

‘Sometimes if you’re in a team which only has four or five players then it’s hard work if you want to win anything. You need nine, 10, maybe 11 and then two or three on the bench who can make a difference.

‘I’d never had that before and I wanted to be in the best environment. Arsenal’s training ground was second to none and Highbury was beautiful, historic ground, the pitch was always amazing.

‘The players were magnificent. They were incredible. Incredible quality, human beings and great players. I wanted to be in that environment.

‘Then you had Arsene Wenger with his new ideas on and off the pitch and his record.’

While he has no regrets over his move across north London, Campbell says he was on the receiving end of ‘horrendous’ treatment from Spurs fans for many years.

‘It was more than toxic,’ said Campbell, who won 73 caps for England. ‘If people went back and saw it again then they would say: “This is horrendous.”

‘It was movie-like and I had to grow. I had to be calm and play football. I had to be incredibly strong, I don’t think anyone now realises what it was like.

‘I think it would be impossible for any player now. The ones out there now know what they said. Everyone had their way but no-one has apologised.

‘Obviously Luis Figo from Barcelona to Real Madrid and that’s a long way. Loads of players did it in Italy.

‘London is a big city, I’m a Londoner and you come across people who want to say something, especially at that time. I get it every now and again.

‘It’s definitely time to move on. I’ve moved on. But it does make me think. Other players have done moves like this. So, what is it?

‘Is it a racial thing? They’re not singing songs about them. What is going on? If you’re 20 or 25 years old, you weren’t even born. It makes no sense.’

North London is braced for another derby on Wednesday night as Tottenham travel to the Emirates Stadium in a bid to earn bragging rights and pile the pressure on faltering Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have slipped seven points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United at the weekend.

But they are ten places and some 16 points above a Tottenham team enduring a poor run under struggling manager Ange Postecoglou.

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Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani has turned down interest from Manchester United and Tottenham and will join Juventus on loan, according to reports in France.

The 26-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs across Europe this month having failed to secure a regular role under Luis Enrique at PSG.

Kolo Muani, who was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for €75 million (£64.2m) plus €15m (£12.2m) in add-ons in 2023, has started just two games in Ligue 1 this season.

Manchester United and Tottenham have both expressed an interest in signing the France international in the January transfer window.

However, RMC Sport reports on Tuesday evening that Kolo Muani has agreed to make the move to Juventus after the Italian club reached an agreement with PSG earlier in the day.

Juve have agreed a loan deal for Kolo Muani that will be in place for the remainder of the season, while the Serie A side have no option to buy the PSG forward in the summer.

Kolo Muani is now scheduled to undergo a medical with Juventus on Wednesday.

The decision will serve as a blow for Manchester United as they are exploring potential replacements for Marcus Rashford, who has made it clear that he wants to leave Old Trafford for a ‘new challenge’.

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Tottenham have also been in the market to reinforce Ange Postecoglou’s attacking options and Kolo Muani was identified as a target.

Speaking in November, Kolo Muani said he was intent on staying to fight for his place at PSG.

Asked if he had considered leaving the French club, Kolo Muani said: ‘No, I never tried to think about that

‘I have to continue to work, show what I can do and give my all. I must not give up. If you give up, it’s over, you sink.’

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Football fans have praised the ‘outrageous’ mocking of Tottenham by Arsenal legend Sol Campbell in new advert for the Google Pixel phone.

The viral clip, which has everyone talking, sees Campbell poke fun at his infamous switch from Spurs to join north London rivals Arsenal in 2001.

It was a transfer which sent shockwaves across the world of football – and ultimately paid off for the former defender – who went on to clinch two Premier League titles and two FA Cups after swapping Spurs for Arsenal.

‘It’s that time of the year again, the time of year when people start to wonder if the grass might be greener,’ Campbell says in the advert while wearing a white jumper, before pulling it off to unveil a red sweater.

‘Whether they should switch sides and change allegiances,’ Campbell continues as he walks into his trophy room. ‘Take it from me, big moves pay off. Sure, people will have opinions, but who cares what people think?’

Campbell is then seen turning a vase of white lilies away from the camera in a a reference to one of Spurs’ nicknames.

‘Of course you can stay with them for another year, but is anything really going to change?’ Campbell adds. ‘It doesn’t look like it to me.

‘So if you’re thinking about a transfer this January, I say go for it. It’s not like you’re doing anything outrageous, you’re just switching to something much, much better.’

The advert is designed to convince people to ‘transfer’ over to Google smartphones – from the likes of Apple and Samsung – similar to how Campbell swapped Spurs for Arsenal all those years ago.

Football fans are loving the clip on social media, with one supporter, @HLTCO, a popular Crystal Palace podcaster, posting on X: ‘Outrageous s***housery from Sol Campbell.’

Arsenal fan @EmanDaGoon added: ‘Oh this is going to p*** that lot off so much, I’m here for it. Yes, Sol!’

‘This is absolutely hilarious,’ @KonceptKitz said. ‘Fair play to Google, this is getting serious traction.’

On Reddit, meanwhile, @C1138P pointed out a reference at the very beginning of the clip, posting: ‘Bruh him literally beating/tenderizing chicken (cockerel) at the beginning [skull emoji].’

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Paul Merson has revealed his prediction for the upcoming north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.

Spurs make the short trip to Arsenal on Wednesday night hoping to pile the pressure on Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal have endured a difficult start to 2025, dropping more points in the title race away at Brighton last weekend before losing 2-0 to Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Just five days later the Gunners were beaten on penalties by Manchester United to crash out of the FA Cup, suddenly Arsenal’s hopes for the season hanging by a thread.

The north London side are six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool ahead of the north London derby and know they cannot afford many more slip-ups if they are to lift the trophy for the first time since 2004.

Arsenal sit ten places and 17 points above north London rivals Tottenham, who have endured a dismal period under Ange Postecoglou to slip into the bottom-half of the Premier League.

Spurs have gone a month without a league win and were taken to extra-time by non-league side Tamworth in the FA Cup over the weekend.

Given Tottenham’s inconsistent form, Merson ‘cannot see’ Spurs winning at Arsenal and has predicted a fairly comfortable home win for the title-chasing Gunners.

He told Sportskeeda: ‘I expect Arsenal to beat Tottenham, but they desperately need a new centre-forward.

‘Spurs are too up and down and I just don’t see how they can win here. A trophy would keep Ange Postecoglou in the job.

‘If they finish eighth in the Premier League and win the Carabao Cup, where they have a 1-0 advantage ahead of the semi-final second leg at Anfield, that’s still good in my opinion.

‘Some top teams could finish in the top four this season and not have a trophy, And this is Spurs by the way, they have never won anything!

‘If Arsenal win and Forest manage to get a draw or win against Liverpool, suddenly the gap at the top doesn’t look that big.

‘Liverpool’s game in hand is also a different thing now because it’s David Moyes in charge of Everton. If Liverpool end up drawing that game, Arsenal are in with a huge chance.

‘Everything has to start with a win here against Spurs, though.’

Ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton has also backed Arsenal to beat Tottenham and earn north London bragging rights yet again.

‘Arsenal have had a bad week and right now it looks like Tottenham have a better chance of winning a trophy this season than they do,’ he told BBC Sport.

‘People are quite rightly pointing out that the Gunners are missing chances and, with Bukayo Saka out injured, they are just lacking that spark in attack.

‘Having said all that, maybe they will find it again here, because I think the way Spurs play will suit Arsenal.

‘By that, I mean Mikel Arteta’s side can soak up pressure and counter-attack, and even without Saka or a recognised centre-forward, I think they will get chances in this game.

‘It is whether they take them this time. I am backing them to stick a couple away.

‘Of course this derby is really important to Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham in their situation, but the expansive way they play means it is tall order to expect an unfamiliar defence and new goalkeeper to step up again.

‘I do see Spurs scoring, but they give up a lot of chances. Arsenal have to win this game to hang on in the title race, and I think they will.’

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Ange Postecoglou praised the unbelievable performance of Djed Spence and Tottenham’s other young players after their 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool.

Having been thumped 6-3 in the Premier League when the two sides met just before Christmas, Tottenham produced a far more mature display to take a one-goal lead into next month’s second leg at Anfield.

In a tight affair in north London, Spurs saw Dominic Solanke’s finish ruled out for offside before the striker turned provider, assisting Lucas Bergvall to smash home the game’s controversial winning goal in the 86th minute.

Tottenham remain ravaged by injuries and had midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur stretchered off in the ealy stages of this encounter, leaving Postecoglou keen to shine a light on the efforts of his younger players after their hard-fought win.

‘I don’t think people really understand the level of performance we’re seeing from these young guys and what they are giving us right now,’ he said in his post-match press conference.

‘We got an 18-year-old playing centre-back which isn’t even his position, a goalkeeper on debut and Djed who is playing left-back unbelievably well.’

On Bergvall, the Australian added: ‘Lucas is growing all the time. He’s got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself. He’s got the quality but he works awfully hard for the team.

‘Name me another Premier League team that’s starting two 18-year-olds consistently with one playing out of position,’ Postecoglou continued

‘I’m so happy they (Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall) are at our football club and in two or three years time, I just pray to God that I’m the beneficiary of their talent because if someone else is getting it I won’t be happy.’

At full-time Liverpool were keen to make their feelings known to the referee after he did not show Bergvall a second yellow card for a tackle on Kostas Tsimikas moments prior to his winner.

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Postecoglou, however, was adamant that the right decision had been made given his previous conversations with referees.

‘The rule is – and we’ve been told for quite a while now – that if advantage gets played, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle the yellow card does not [get shown],’ he told Sky Sports.

‘We’ve been screaming for it for the last two months. It’s happened to us consistently, have a look at our games.

‘We’ve asked the officials and they’ve said if you play advantage, as long as it’s not a cynical tackle, then the yellow card doesn’t get paid. To me that was pretty clear.’

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Virgil van Dijk says he told referee Stuart Attwell he had made a ‘mistake’ not sending off Tottenham match-winner Lucas Bergvall before the youngster’s late strike against Liverpool.

Bergvall scored the only goal of the game in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, giving hosts Spurs a 1-0 advantage ahead of the sides’ meeting at Anfield in a month’s time.

The 86th-minute effort was Bergvall’s first ever goal for the club and the joy was written all over the 18-year-old’s face as he wheeled away to celebrate with Tottenham’s jubilant fans.

But visitors Liverpool – the defending champions – felt the teenager should have been given his marching orders for a second bookable offence just a minute earlier in the play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Bergvall had been shown a yellow card for a clumsy sliding challenge on Luis Diaz in the 68th minute and Liverpool’s away support were up in arms after the Swede went unpunished for a later foul on Kostas Tsimikas – which appeared far worse than his first.

‘Listen, I think it was quite obvious that it was going to be a second yellow,’ Liverpool captain Van Dijk told Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle.

‘I think that was pretty clear and it was a coincidence that a minute later he scores the winner.

‘But it is what it is. He made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that.

‘He thinks maybe he didn’t but it was quite obvious.

‘Everyone on the sideline knew exactly that it was supposed to be a yellow.’

While Van Dijk was adamant Bergvall should have been sent off, he was reluctant to use it as an excuse for the result.

‘The fact is that he should have been off,’ the Dutchman added.

‘I think there is a linesman there, there is a fourth official there, there is VAR, there is a referee and he doesn’t get a second yellow.

‘I’m not saying that this is the reason we lost, of course, tonight, but it was a big moment in the game.’

The Netherlands defender remains confident Liverpool can turn their fortunes around in the second leg and secure progression into final for a second year on the spin.

‘Obviously we were playing against an intense team with good attacking players that can make it difficult and keep running,’ he went on.

‘I think we created good moments, good opportunities at times, not really clear-cut chances in my opinion, but still enough that we could have scored.

‘Unfortunately, we didn’t. It’s a cliche but it’s half-time now and I’m looking forward to the game back at Anfield.’

Tottenham suffered a crushing 6-3 defeat at the hands of Liverpool just a fortnight ago and Van Dijk admitted Ange Postecoglou’s men ‘defended much better’ than they had in their Premier League meeting.

‘I think we could have done better but that’s part of football,’ he continued.

‘We tried to play our best game ever, every one of us, and at times we played through them nicely, created some one-vs-ones and some dangerous moments.

‘But they were able to defend much better than they did when we played them a couple of weeks ago.

‘We move on, take it on the chin and, like I said, it’s half-time. We have another 90 minutes to go and I’m really looking forward to that.’

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Tottenham have confirmed Rodrigo Bentancur is conscious and talking again following a nasty fall in the side’s 1-0 win over Liverpool.

Lucas Bergvall struck late on to give Tottenham the upper hand ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg in a month’s time, but Bentancur’s injury took much of the shine off the hosts’ victory.

Bentancur went to ground awkwardly while stretching to get his head on a Spurs corner in only the sixth minute of play, with the scoreline goalless at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

There was immediate concern shown by both sets of players, who beckoned for medical staff to come onto the field to attend to the 27-year-old midfielder.

After receiving treatment for nearly ten minutes on the turf, the Uruguay international was carried from the pitch on a stretcher, with Brennan Johnson coming on his place in north London.

Shortly after the first half came to a close, a brief statement on Tottenham’s official X page reassured fans that Bentancur’s condition was not serious and he would receive further treatment in hospital.

‘We can confirm Rodrigo is conscious, talking and will go to hospital for further checks,’ it read.

Liverpool were quick to offer their best wishes, replying: ‘We’re all thinking of you, Rodrigo. Speedy recovery.’

Speaking at full-time, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Bentancur had suffered a head injury following his fall.

‘I don’t have all the information. My understanding is he is conscious and he was conscious when he got to the dressing room. We took him to hospital to get him checked over,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘It was worrying and always a concern but from what I know hopefully he will be OK.’

Bentancur was making his 20th appearance of the season in all competitions for Tottenham this evening.

The former Juventus and Boca Juniors man found the net in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Wolves but missed the club’s recent defeat to Newcastle through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the league campaign.

A serious ACL injury meant Bentancur was sidelined for around eight months in 2023 and fitness problems have plagued much of his stay in north London.

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In November, Bentancur came under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when he was slapped with a seven-match ban – and a £100,000 fine – for a racist comment he had directed at Tottenham captain Son Heung-min.

The midfielder admitted the remark was ‘a very bad joke’ and issued an apology to Son, which the South Korea forward accepted.

‘He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised,’ the Spurs skipper said in response.

‘Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.’

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