BY AYODELE ODUMADE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM

THE ARSENAL manager Unai Emery was pleased with his side’s performance in a feisty North London Derby with Tottenham at Wembley, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Just on the quarter of an hour mark Alexander Lacazette released Aaron Ramsey on the half way line. Ramsey raced away and sat the keeper down before slotting the ball home to give the Gunners the lead.

Harry Kane was offside from a free kick but was fouled by Nacho Monreal and the referee awarded a penalty, which he slotted home as he sent Bernd Leno the wrong way.  Emery was asked if he thought everything went against them today and he said: “Mistakes can come because it is very difficult for referees to watch an action like that. VAR is coming and it is positive for football.”

He went on further: “I am proud of the players and of our work. Their attention to the match was good. In 90 minutes they were strong. We could have won the match.”

 TV replays showed that Jan Vertonghen encroached in the penalty area before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s missed penalty which would have earned Arsenal three deserved points. Emery was asked if he would have preferred the use of VAR to solve the issue. He said: “Two months ago I said VAR is coming to help the referees. Today the referee had a big personality but it is not enough to make the best decision in a difficult action for them and for us. We fear for a match like today. After 90 minutes they created chances to score and we also did so. I think we played today with a big collective. We adapted our performance.”

Arsenal’s defender Sokratis was named as they man of the match after a stellar performance in the heart of the defence. The manager said: “His progress is very important. He played well and he is improving.”

Emery refused to blame Aubameyang for the penalty miss which could have won the game for Arsenal. He said: “He did not make any mistake.  One action is not scoring. I want us to continue to find attacking moments.  We created chances today but it was not enough. “

Alexander Lacazette appeared very unhappy when he was substituted for Aubameyang and the manager was asked how he intended to keep both strikers happy and he said: “They need to accept the decision. I am looking for the best solution for the team. I am not happy with both of them when their performances are not good. I am very consistent in our work to take the best decision for them to give the best performance for us. It was not possible to play both of them today.”

Meanwhile the Spurs manager Mauricio Pochetinno gave his reaction to the draw with their arch rivals. He said: “I think if you assess the game you will see that we were the better team. But it is the way it finished from losing to not winning the game showed it was a good game. It was not a good start for us as we conceded in 15 minutes. I was happy because we showed a good personality after that. I think after two defeats it was important for us to show a reaction.”

Pochetinno was asked if he had any doubt about Hugo Lloris who saved the penalty but had a bad game against Chelsea in midweek and he said: “The whole team had a bad game against Chelsea.”