Arsene Wenger bemoans unlucky penalty decision after Tottenham deny Arsenal the chance to go top
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger bemoaned refereeing decisions after his side missed the opportunity to go top of the Premier League with a draw in the North London derby.
A Harry Kane penalty earned Tottenham a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium after the Gunners took the lead through a Kevin Wimmer own goal.
Yet Wenger felt the visitors were lucky both to be awarded a penalty and not to see Vincent Wanyama sent off after the Spurs midfielder twice knocked Theo Walcott to the floor with his arm.
‘He [Wanyama] was lucky to stay on the pitch,” said the Frenchman.
“There were a few fouls, the elbow on Walcott for example. We were unlucky with the penalty decision. There was no danger to score and there was no deliberate foul.”
Kane’s equaliser means that Tottenham are still unbeaten in the league this season, marking their best start to a domestic campaign since they were last champions in 1961.
They are also without a win in four league games but manager Mauricio Pochettino said his side had shown resilience in avoiding defeat through a difficult month with key players missing.
“All teams have good and bad moments in the season,” he said. “If you have a bad moment like we did last month but are still unbeaten, I can only smile.
“When you compete in the Champions League and Premier League, for me the two toughest leagues in the world, you need the whole squad fit.”
Pochettino had Kane fit for the first time since September and the England striker almost put his side ahead after 20 minutes when he found space between the hosts' centre-backs and glanced a Christian Eriksen cross narrowly wide.
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil scuffed a shot wide from the edge of the box on the half hour mark after being teed up by Alexis Sanchez before Alex Iwobi left another chance created by the Chilean unconverted a minute later with a shot straight at Hugo Lloris.
Theo Walcott, released in the box by a Granit Xhaka through-ball, came closer on 38 minutes with a thundering shot against Lloris’s near post.
Arsenal found themselves ahead three minutes before half-time when Spurs centre-back Wimmer diverted Ozil’s in-swinging free-kick into the bottom left corner of his own goal.
Spurs struck back five minutes after the interval. Mousa Dembele’s mazy run was brought to an abrupt end in the box by Laurent Koscielny and Kane coolly dispatched down the middle to level the score.
With seven minutes left Eriksen almost snatched three points with a wicked free-kick from the left that evaded a crowded penalty area but hit the far post.