Thomas Frank has guided his Tottenham Hotspur side to a victory in the first-ever north London derby to take place outside of the UK, leaving Hong Kong with a 1-0 victory against Arsenal.
As the first-ever North London derby to take place on foreign soil ensued, the opening 10 minutes presented the fans in Hong Kong with a back-and-forth contest. For Arsenal, chances for Kai Havertz and William Saliba saw the Gunners go close. However, it was Tottenham who had the best opportunity, as Pedro Porro whipped in a corner that came straight off the post, albeit because Micky van de Ven was fouling David Raya, meaning the Spaniard couldn't clear his lines.
An evenly contested fixture continued during the first half, with Arsenal caught offside more often than not as they attempted to probe the Spurs' backline with balls over the top.
Regardless, Thomas Frank's team continued to threaten. Once through Wilson Odobert, whose soft, well-placed effort into the bottom right-hand corner was stopped by the post, and not long after, another corner would hit the woodwork, with Richarlison unable to clear up on the goal line.
With the opening 45 coming to a close, a moment of magic lit up the Kai Tak Sports Park. With Myles Lewis-Skelly on the ball, Frank's side swarmed the youngster, allowing Pape Sarr to claim the ball and lob an unexpected Raya from around 40 yards, and although Arsenal emerged on top after conceding, it wasn't enough to stop Tottenham from leading going into the second half.
Much like the first half was, a very quiet and uneventful second half followed, with little to nothing occurring. Arsenal continued to grow into the game, imposing their physicality on Spurs, but to no avail. However, a real highlight occurred for Mikel Arteta's side in the 77th minute when Viktor Gyokeres came on to make his Arsenal debut, a small win on a frustrating night.
The game continued to frustrate Arsenal, who probed and probed, but a mix of an astute defensive Spurs performance and a lacklustre Gunners attack meant the game ended 1-0 to Thomas Frank's side, a victory in his first north London derby.
Match Highlights
Arsenal Player Ratings
Formation: 4-4-3
GK: David Raya - 5.5
Unable to keep composure for Tottenham's corners and caught off his line for Spurs' opening goal. The Spaniards' long balls were also ineffective.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - 6.5
Caught on the ball for Tottenham's first goal, although it could have been a foul. Recovered well, though.
CB: William Saliba - 6.0
A rare forgettable performance from Arsenal's Rolls-Royce.
CB: Jakub Kiwior - 6.5
He made crucial challenges throughout the game, especially in moments where his focus may have dropped following lots of possession for his side.
RB: Ben White - 6.5
Grew into the game after Wilson Odobert made life difficult in the first half.
DM: Christian Norgaard - 6.0
An unimposing performance by the Dane, who had just 21 touches despite operating in the middle of the park.
DM: Declan Rice - 6.0
Tried to impose his qualities on the game, but was ineffective in doing so.
AM: Martin Odegaard - 7.0
Seems to have recovered from prior seasons' injuries with a much more attacking presence, constantly probing and trying to make things happen.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 6.0
Continuing to struggle and unable to light up the left-hand side of the pitch like Arsenal need. However, he came close in the second-half to equalling the scoring.
ST: Kai Havertz - 6.5
Persistent heavy touches and unable to capitalise on the small openings he created, but won his duels well.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 6.5
Unable to impose himself on the game, with his set-pieces leaving much to be desired.
SUB: Martin Zubimendi - 6.5
Nearly made an instant impact with a lovely volley. Proved why he should've started with his cameo.
SUB: Leandro Trossard - N/A
Managed just 18 minutes, but was forced off with an injury.
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6.0
Tried to make things happen in the 13 minutes he had on the pitch.
SUB: Viktor Gyokeres - 5.5
Vital minutes into the legs of Arsenal's star man, but an uneventful cameo.
SUB: Max Dowman - 6.5
Continued his run of electric substitute performances. An electric presence who is always looking to do something.
SUB: Cristhian Mosquera - 6.0
Came on and filled in Saliba's space on the right of the defence and didn't look out of place.
SUB: Mikel Merino - 5.5
Continuing to prove his worth is seen better up the field in attacking positions, as opposed to his natural position in midfield.
SUB: Reiss Nelson - N/A
Included due to Trossard's injury, but not enough time to impose himself.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Formation: 4-2-3-1GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6.5
A simple shift for the Italian, who didn't have much to do.
LB: Djed Spence - 7.0
A solid showing for the full-back, who attacked and defended with confidence.
CB: Cristian Romero - 7.0
Kept a clean sheet, with an assured performance. Kept Saka, Havertz and Martinelli quiet.
CB: Micky van de Ven - 7.0
Much like Romero, van de Ven was faultless, with a close effort in the second-half nearly capping off a good performance.
RB: Pedro Porro - 7.0
Attacked well and defended better, made life hard for Martinelli.
DM: Pape Sarr - 7.5 - Player of the Match
Produced a stunning goal, in a game that needed a moment. Otherwise, a very solid shift from the midfielder.
DM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 7.0
Got an early yellow card, but didn't let that slow him down. He was seen all over the pitch, helping Spurs whenever he was needed.
AM: Lucas Bergvall - 6.5
Defended better than he attacked, with impressive success in his duels and tackles.
LW: Mohammad Kudus - 6.0
Did well when he was on the ball, but was limited to just one touch in Arsenal's box.
ST: Richarlison - 6.0
Unable to score from the goal line, in an otherwise quiet performance for the Brazilian.
RW: Wilson Odobert - 7.0
Gave Ben White a rough time in the first half, and came close when he hit the post.
SUB: Brennan Johnson - 6.0
A very quiet performance for one of Spurs' most prolific attackers.
SUB: Kevin Danso - 6.0
Helped maintain his sides clean sheet.
SUB: Mathys Tel - 6.0
Limited to just eight touches, but came on when Tottenham's attacking game was limited.
SUB: Heung-Min Son - 6.0
Had a chance to cross into the box and allow Spurs to double their advantage, but his accuracy was off. A promising run though, proving his legs can still cope with the intensity.
SUB: Yves Bissouma - 6.0
Came on to help his side to victory, and did just that.
SUB: Ben Davies - N/A
Got the clean sheet in Thomas Frank's first north London derby.
SUB: Archie Gray - N/A
Nothing of note to mention in Gray's five-minute showing.
SUB: James Maddison - N/A
Some good minutes into the legs of the Englishman.