Zoom out and take the bigger picture, and a 1-0 defeat was hardly a disaster for Spurs. Ange Postecoglou's side more than held their own against an Arsenal team who are years ahead of them in their development and, on another day would have come away with a hardearned point or even three. They played some eye-catching football and their work out-of-possession was often excellent.
Take the match in a narrower context, however, and it felt like a huge opportunity missed, and in frustrating and familiar circumstances.
There is never 'a good time' to play a side as robust as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal but Spurs might not get a better chance to beat their fiercest rivals for a long while.
Arsenal were without the suspended Declan Rice and missing six senior players to injury, including captain Martin Odegaard and Rice's new competition in midfield, Mikel Merino. Arteta named five teenagers on the bench and started with a midfield two of Thomas Partey and Jorginho both experienced players but in their 30s, and short of athleticism and dynamism. Spurs were nearly at full strength, with Yves Bissouma the only obvious absence from their best XI.
Denne historien er fra September 17, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 17, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Vamos Rafa! It's time to go for Spain's brave warrior
'Shy and funny' Nadal bows out as sport's ultimate competitor
Does Angeball have a winning future at Spurs?
Head coach divides supporters with his ultra-attacking tactics
The £5bn-a-year tax timebomb that's set to devastate London hospitality
The capital will bear the brunt of Rachel Reeves’s National Insurance raid
Live like a Queen...
...in the house gifted to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII in 1540 and now onsale for 3.75 million
At home with...Matthew Williamson
The designer’s Belsize Park flatis a grand canvas for his ever-changing colour palette
Hidden London
The first time I made my way to Maison Assouline was with a broken foot, in a tragic boot and crutches.
Jameela Jamil on why New York will always have her heart...
..and her stomach. The actor and activist shares her favourite brunch spot, a secret bar and her brownstone fantasies
My life in bespoke suits
Back in the Eighties, suits were so wide that even the shoulder pads had shoulder pads. Suits back then were boxy, square, and designed to make you look like a quarterback, a bouncer or a tank.
Cher's wild world
The singer's memoir is full of jaw-dropping tales
'I was told I could stay in the UKthen kicked out of my asylum accommodation'
As our appeal hits 1m, we turn the spotlight on an official policy that’s making newly recognised refugees homeless