Arsenal ended their pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong with a defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby played abroad.
Pape Matar Sarr scored the game’s only goal just before half-time from inside the centre circle, capitalising after Myles Lewis-Skelly had been caught in possession. Thomas Frank’s side hit the post twice before this, whereas Arsenal did not truly test Guglielmo Vicario in Spurs’ goal.
Arsenal could at least give debuts to Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera. Their next match will be back in north London, as they welcome Villarreal to the Emirates Stadium on August 6.
Art de Roché breaks down the main talking points from Arsenal’s third game of pre-season.
How did the debutants get on?
It probably says everything about the game that the most exciting moment for Arsenal fans wasn’t a goal, a shot at goal or even a clever piece of skill. In the 77th minute, Gyokeres and Mosquera were brought on for their first appearances as Arsenal players.
The game was already set into a pattern of attack versus defence as Spurs protected their one-goal lead, but Gyokeres fed off crumbs up front. He showed good awareness in one action to hold up the ball and lay it off to Martin Zubimendi on the edge of the box, but even that shot was closed down by a disciplined Tottenham defence.
With just under a week until Arsenal’s next friendly, that should give him time to earn more minutes in his second appearance.
As for Mosquera, one of the attributes that attracted Arsenal was his versatility. Over the past two seasons, he has played on both sides of centre-back, showing he could cover William Saliba or Gabriel. With Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori injured, it was Jakub Kiwior who needed a rest towards the end of the Spurs game.
Saliba then moved across to the left rather than Mosquera filling in there, which made sense. Of that pairing, Saliba is more experienced and would need to guide his understudy, which happened when Spurs tried to counter late on.
Saliba has also played on that side for France and Saint-Etienne, so it is not an uncomfortable role for him. For Arteta, that may be important at the start of the season with the current injuries on the left side of defence.
Defensive set-piece issues?
Attention will focus on Sarr’s goal, as well as Lewis-Skelly getting caught on the ball in the build-up — though there were questions over whether there had been a foul by Richarlison. Lewis-Skelly was quickly surrounded by white shirts, while David Raya could have been more aware of his surroundings before putting his team-mate in danger with his pass.
Spurs gave Arsenal warning signs before that, though. They hit the post directly from the corner and Richarlison somehow missed from a yard or two out. On both occasions, Lewis-Skelly and Saliba were defending the back post but were too slow to track the flight of the ball.
Defensive set-piece issues are not new for these players. Arsenal conceded a flurry of goals from these situations at the backend of last season, which saw their tally reach 14 for the whole 2024-25 campaign — the joint-fifth highest in the Premier League alongside Ipswich Town.
That needs addressing quickly, but it does seem like set-piece coach Nicolas Jover is continuing to innovate from attacking set pieces. Arsenal scored 17 set-piece goals last season, the joint-most alongside Crystal Palace, and trialled a new routine early on against Spurs.
A new set-piece routine from Arsenal. Five players lined up along the edge of the penalty area #AFC pic.twitter.com/BphonNipFb
— Alex Howell (@iamAlexHowell) July 31, 2025
These did not result in any clear-cut chances, but over time, they could give teams a different problem to solve this season.
How did Arsenal perform when going direct?
Raya and Saliba played at least five long passes in behind the Spurs back line within the opening 20 minutes in Hong Kong.
Their targets were varied. Saka staying high and wide made him an obvious option, while Gabriel Martinelli’s runs were helped by Kai Havertz dropping back. That willingness to go long also allowed Declan Rice to stretch his legs, as Havertz flicked on a ball from Raya, which resulted in the England international winning Arsenal a corner.
This continued a theme from the wins over Milan and Newcastle United of Arsenal trying to speed up their play, but the execution was just off. Half of these moments were flagged for offside, which could just mean more practice is needed. That kind of approach would likely benefit Gyokeres the most, so it cannot be abandoned just yet.
Being dealt that hammer blow by Sarr just before half-time did not help matters. Spurs were happy to retreat into their own box, which took all the speed out of Arsenal’s play. Once again, Arteta’s side were camped outside an opposition penalty area, trying in vain to break them down. That has been a tiresome trend of Arsenal matches in recent years, so seeing how Arteta responds to those situations will be interesting going forward.
Zubimendi will help in these situations, while 15-year-old Max Dowman put in another energetic cameo on the right.
On the left, neither Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard (who came off injured) posed a major threat to Pedro Porro. Reiss Nelson offered something different on that side, but with Arsenal in talks with Fulham over a potential move, that still feels like an area that needs addressing.
(Top photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
