Football

Aaron Ramsdale tells his side of the story after ‘unacceptable’ North London Derby incident

Aaron Ramsdale tells his side of the story after ‘unacceptable’ North London Derby incident

Aaron Ramsdale has shared his views on the unsavoury scenes that followed Sunday’s North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Arsenal goalkeeper was the target of a kick from one of the Tottenham Hotspur supporters after the match, which the Gunners won 2-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Ramsdale left with ‘sour taste’ after win

A Hugo Lloris own goal and a fine Martin Odegaard strike ensured Mikel Arteta’s men made the short trip home with all three points.

But one of the major talking points of the evening was the actions of one supporter, who has left Arsenal’s goalkeeper with a “sour taste” after the important victory, as per LiveScore.

“The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game,” Ramsdale said after the match. “I was giving some back. The people I did give it to greeted it sportsmanlike but one fan tried to give me a little punch on the back.

“It is a shame as it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away but thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It is a sour taste but I’m sure we will enjoy it when we go back into the dressing room.”

Spurs duo condemn ‘unacceptable’ incident

Ramsdale’s opponent Eric Dier and Spurs manager Antonio Conte were both asked about the incident after the game. Both explained that while they did not see what happened, there is no place in football for such actions.

“I didn’t see it but obviously it is unacceptable and it shouldn’t have happened,” said Dier. “There’s nothing more I can say.”

Conte commented: “I didn’t see it. I only see a big confusion and you are telling me now what happened. If it happened, it is not good. We always have to show respect for an opponent and the players. I don’t like it.”

Ramsdale

Ramsdale driven by lack of clean sheets

The victory – Arsenal’s first at Tottenham since 2014 – means the Gunners are now eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

Arteta’s men have lost just one league game all season, winning 15 of their 18 matches, and drawing two others.

The Gunners now face fourth-placed Manchester United next weekend, before a trip to their Manchester rivals in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Ramsdale made seven saves throughout the match on Sunday, with the Arsenal goalkeeper now with nine Premier League clean sheets this season, second only to Newcastle’s Nick Pope (11).

The Arsenal number one says he was inspired by his manager before the derby game, while also noting that his side could have won the game by a bigger margin.

“We deserved the two-goal lead and maybe deserved more,” added Ramsdale. “We played the way we wanted to play in the first half and got the deserved lead.

“That’s what I’m there to do. The manager also mentioned that in the last few North London Derbies we haven’t kept a clean sheet, so that spurred me on a bit.”


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