Aaron Ramsdale was kicked by a Tottenham fan in a disgraceful flashpoint after Arsenal’s 2-0 away win in the north London derby, the goalkeeper describing it as a “sour” end to a memorable afternoon.
Arsenal moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League on the back of their latest assured performance but the post-match incident cast a long shadow. The Metropolitan police said it had “received a report of an assault” and inquiries were ongoing, and Spurs vowed to ban the fan responsible.
Ramsdale had celebrated in front of the South Stand, sticking out his tongue and pointing at then kissing the badge on his shirt. He attracted the ire of the Spurs substitute Richarlison, with whom he clashed. Then, with players from both teams converging and Ramsdale heading off to retrieve his drinks bottle, a Spurs supporter jumped on to the hoarding behind the goal and aimed the kick.
“The Spurs fans were giving me some [stick] throughout the second half,” Ramsdale said. “I gave them some back and the few people I did do it to was probably well-greeted, sportsmanship-like. And then a fan jumped over and gave me a little punch [sic] in the back.
“That’s what happened and it’s a shame as it’s just a game of football at the end of the day. Thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It’s a sour taste but I’m sure we’ll enjoy it when we’re back in the dressing room.”
Arsenal have 47 points from 18 Premier League games – the most they have taken at this stage of a season – and it was their first league double over Spurs since 2013-14.
A delighted Mikel Arteta did not want to talk about the Ramsdale incident, preferring to focus on the game. “I don’t want that taking 0.0001% of the enjoyment and satisfaction that we have at this moment,” the Arsenal manager said. “We will deal with that tomorrow.
“This win has a big emotional attachment because there is a big history between the two clubs and it means so much for our people to win this game. We’re in a great position. Let’s enjoy the moment and keep focusing. The enjoyment is going to come if we keep focusing on what we have to do.”
Arteta was asked whether he thought Arsenal would need more than 90 points to win the title. “Yes, I do, 100%,” he replied. “That’s happened in the last few seasons so it will demand almost perfection [to win].”
The Spurs manager, Antonio Conte, and the defender Eric Dier condemned the fan, with the latter calling his actions “unacceptable”, and the Football Association said it would “work together with the police, the relevant authorities and the clubs to ensure the appropriate action is taken”.
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Spurs said: “We are appalled by the behaviour of a supporter that attempted to attack Aaron Ramsdale at the end of today’s match. Violence in any form has no place in football. The club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
The Professional Footballers’ Association said such incidents were happening “far too often” and added: “We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”
In transfer news, Arteta reflected on missing out on the Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk, who has signed instead for Chelsea in a deal worth an initial €70m (£62m), potentially rising to €100m. “We have excellent players and we want to improve our squad in this transfer window,” Arteta said. “But we will do the deals we can do and the ones we feel are right for the club.”