Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham: Viktor Gyokeres makes Gunners debut as Spurs secure friendly win | OneFootball

Pape Matar Sarr lobbed David Raya from halfway to score the only goal of the match

Contest: The first north London derby to be played outside the UK came with plenty of needle

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Pape Matar Sarr scored from the halfway line as Tottenham condemned Arsenal to their first defeat of pre-season in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Tottenham were the much better side in the first half and led through Sarr shortly before the break as the Senegalese spotted David Raya off his line, hitting a perfectly weighted lob to net what proved to be the winner. The Gunners pushed hard for an equaliser in the second period but could not find a breakthrough as Spurs defended admirably into the late stages.

Viktor Gyokeres got his first taste of Arsenal football just five days after joining up with his new teammates, but struggled to influence the play in a 13-minute cameo as the Gunners chased an opener. He will have another opportunity to find his first Arsenal goal as Villarreal visit the Emirates next week.

The result marks a disappointing end to Arsenal’s tour of East Asia, where they had impressed in wins over AC Milan and Newcastle. For Spurs, though, it was a hugely encouraging performance after they had taken just one win from three earlier pre-season meetings.

Arsenal had the first chance of the afternoon when William Saliba headed wide from Martin Odegaard’s bouncing volley, but Spurs quickly began to dictate the play.

The Lilywhites hit the post three times before the break. Two of those were direct from corners, and on both occasions, Richarlison failed to turn the loose ball home.

Wilson Odobert also shook the woodwork as he got the better of Ben White and was unlucky not to score with his low curled effort.

The Gunners’ direct play was all too predictable for Spurs, who were dogged in defence throughout the affair, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Micky van de Ven routinely shutting down Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz’s advances.

Spurs would have been disappointed to reach half-time with the match still level, and Sarr took matters into his own hands with injury time fast approaching. David Raya, well outside his area, played Myles Lewis-Skelly into a tight area, and the young defender was promptly dispossessed. Sarr pounced on the loose ball, leaving Raya to watch on helplessly as the ball sailed in to put Tottenham ahead moments before the interval.

Arsenal came into the second half with renewed vigour, but struggled to create clear-cut chances as they were confounded by Spurs’ tireless defending. Gabriel Martinelli was presented the chance to finish off a sharp move but fired over, while Martin Zubimendi later saw a well-hit volley deflected over the bar.

Despite having to make do with little possession in the second half, Spurs still had the best goalscoring opportunity as Van de Ven headed wide from close range with 25 minutes still to play.

For the final 13 minutes, though, all eyes were on Gyokeres, who replaced Kai Havertz for his first taste of Arsenal action.

It was a rather anonymous cameo from the Swede, who, granted, has had less than a week to train with his new side, but the hype around his arrival was evident as his every touch was met with roars of approval from the crowd.

He was upstaged by the brilliant Max Dowman. The 15-year-old phenom was double-marked as soon as he entered the pitch, but was a live wire regardless, keeping Djed Spence on his heels as he breathed new life into Arsenal’s attack, but despite the renewed pressure, they could not claw back into the tie.

Centre-back Cristhian Mosquera also came on in the late stages to make his Arsenal debut, but found himself with little to do.