Arteta explains his 'strange' line-up choices, Postecoglou not sure about the handball

The North London Derby lived up to expectations - great football, four goals, controversial situations, good moves and a draw that none of the rivals can be satisfied with.

Arsenal dominated the first half hour against Tottenham, leading twice but Heung-min Son twice brought Spurs back into the match. In the end, Tottenham might have been closer to victory.

Arsenal's strategist Mikel Arteta made a few surprises in selecting the starting line-up, which did not turn out to be the best choices. For starters, David Raya was between the posts from the get-go for the third time in a row instead of Aaron Ramsdale.

Although the Spaniard saved what could have been a tap-in from Brennan Johnson, Tottenham's first goal was preceded by his weaker assessment of the cross and not the most fortunate boxing out of the ball. Arteta claims he preferred the countryman over Ramsdale because of his better footwork.

"It's about the way we want to play football in certain situations. I made some choices and left some players on the bench," he said after the match.

He also surprised the public by moving Nketiah into the striker position and switching Gabriel Jesus over to the left wing amid injuries to Martinelli and Trossard.

"Gabriel is a very adaptable player who enjoys changing positions. He brings us some new things in the game when he plays on the wing".

Declan Rice was replaced by Jorginho at half-time, who turned out to be the culprit as Son scored the second goal after his mistake.

"Mistakes are part of football and happen to everyone. I love Jorginho and we all love him. Every player is allowed to make mistakes. Rice felt back pain during the first half and told us he was not feeling well. We had to replace him at halftime. I hope he won't be away for much longer".

Arteta does not hide that he is disappointed with the result.

"Of course we are disappointed that we didn't win all three points. Especially since we led twice, we even had a good chance to make it 2-0. We lacked something in the final third of the pitch".

When asked if Tottenham have grown to challenge for the title, he replied:

"They got a really good coach. You can see it in the spirit of the team and the energy of the players. But only six rounds have passed, it's still too early to talk about the title...".

Ange Postecoglou was more satisfied with the result, but not with some other things.

"I am absolutely satisfied with the game. They are a top team and this is a difficult away game. We conceded an unfortunate own goal, then a VAR penalty, so a lot of things didn't go in our favor. But that's why we showed character and self-belief, which is what I'm most proud of. We keep repeating ourselves. It's not a question of whether I'm happy with the result, it's the game that matters to me. I don't feel like we got through at all. I think that we were side by side with a top rival and that we managed to impose our style", said Postecoglou.

But he is not very happy with the work done by the referees.

“It seems like sometimes it hits your hand and it’s a penalty and other times it’s not. It is what it is mate, you hope these things even themselves out. Any clarity would be great. I have no idea what a handball is now.”

"Maybe we should start making defenders without arms... I don't know how it is possible to block some shots without the body remaining in that prior position. I was hoping that these things would be clarified, I talked to the referees in the past but still nothing changes".

He especially praised captain Son.

"He was outstanding. As a leader and as a player. Now he is a "no.9" and works hard. He's so team-oriented it's just unbelievable. His first thought is what is best for the team. Maddison was outstanding with two assists but Sonny was there to finish them off. I am happy for him because he really invested a lot in what we are doing".

For every Saka, there's one Son: thrilling North London derby ends in a stalemate