Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s missed penalty in the final minute of the game cost Arsenal two points as they played out a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal took an early lead through Aaron Ramsey, but a well-taken spot kick from Harry Kane in the 74th minute levelled the scores before Spurs’ ‘keeper Hugo Lloris pulled off an excellent save to deny Aubameyang from scoring the winner in the final minute.
Here are three talking points from the Gunners’ disappointing draw with Spurs.
#3 Unai Emery should have gambled on Carl Jenkinson
With first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin out injured and veteran defender Stephan Lichtsteiner failing to keep up with the pace of the Premier League, Arsenal coach Unai Emery had the option to deploy Carl Jenkinson as the right-back.
But instead, the Spaniard opted for Shkodran Mustafi, who has been one of Arsenal’s most criticised players in recent years. The German’s awful display on the right-hand side not only allowed Danny Rose to get forward on multiple occasions, but his push on Harry Kane led to Spurs’ equaliser in the second half.
Jenkinson, therefore, could have been a better option considering his good performances in recent weeks.
#2 Arsenal could struggle without Aaron Ramsey next season
Arsenal looked quite promising in the first half, largely thanks to Aaron Ramsey’s clever movement and intricate passing that goes hand in hand with Arsenal’s high-octane attacking approach under Emery.
And the Welshman showed excellent composure to dribble past Hugo Lloris to score the opener, though he was helped by a poor attempt to win the ball from Davinson Sanchez.
However, the Gunners soon lacked dynamism in the attack when Ramsey was taken off during the final stage of the game as his substitute Mesut Ozil hardly managed to make an impact on proceedings.
This raises doubts as to whether or not the Gunners will able to replace the 28-year-old midfielder, who will leave for Juventus after the end of the season. And with Ozil also struggling under Emery, Arsenal certainly need to wise up in identifying their desired replacement for the Welshman in the summer.
#1 VAR can’t come soon enough
The lack of VAR in the Premier League was once again detrimental for both sides. Arsenal were terribly unlucky as Harry Kane was clearly offside during Christian Eriksen’s set-piece, which eventually led to the penalty.
Aubameyang took a tumble late in the game to win a penalty, and that too looked soft. Then, on replays, Jan Vertonghen, who made a block to deny the Gabonese from the rebound, was yards inside the box while Aubameyang took the penalty.
In short, a series of refereeing mistakes.
There already have been many instances in the league this season, where the lack of technology has led to controversial decisions that have affected the results.
However, VAR is set to be introduced in England at the start of next season, which will be a very much welcomed by a host of managers across the Premier League, especially Emery, who, shortly after the game spoke about how hard it is for the referees to get everything right.
“One month ago I said to everybody VAR is coming forward — it is difficult for referees.
“You can analyse with TV and it is easy but referees can’t use that now. Maybe today’s match is different with that but I understand it is difficult.” – Emery told BT Sport.
