The Mirror

A lip reading expert has uncovered what Eberechi Eze said on the bench during Arsenal's 4-1 North London Derby victory over Tottenham, after social media speculation claimed he called Spurs 'trash'

A lip reader has disclosed what Eberechi Eze told Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke during Arsenal's 4-1 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur. It had been suggested that the 27-year-old midfielder, who propelled the Gunners to success in the North London Derby on Sunday evening, had some forthright remarks about Igor Tudor's team.

A portion of the Arsenal support on social media believed that Eze had branded Spurs as 'trash', moments after settling onto the bench. The England international was substituted by Martin Odegaard with roughly a quarter of an hour remaining.

An expert has examined the interaction, which was captured on camera by Sky Sports. An official transcript from lip reading specialist Nicola Hickling at LipReader told Football London: "[Eze] appears to say, 'It's f****d,' whilst rotating his finger in an upward circular motion.

"He then says, 'It's not working,' pulling his shirt up over his head briefly before wiping his face and lowering it again. A voice off-screen (partially not visible) seems to respond.

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"He reacts with: 'I remember... the boss said it's cool, Eze, Er not today.' He raises his hand and says, 'Why should I,' flicking his hand outward in a dismissive or disagreeing gesture.

"The other speaker remains mostly off-camera, so their words are not visible. Whilst biting the edge of his shirt, appearing to process what's being said, he replies, 'Right now, yeah.' Looking away, he adds: 'He trashed 'em... it's trash, it's all trash.'".

The voice heard off-screen during the exchange belonged to Peter Drury, who provided commentary on the match for Sky Sports. Eze broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark, hammering the ball beyond Guglielmo Vicario from close quarters.

Spurs drew level barely a minute afterwards, with Randal Kolo Mauni capitalising on a Declan Rice error. Viktor Gyokeres restored the Gunners' advantage before the ex-Crystal Palace star grabbed his second of the day.

Deep into added time, Arsenal delivered the decisive fourth goal, wrapping up a vital victory in the championship race. The north Londoners successfully re-established their five-point advantage at the summit, shifting the focus back onto Manchester City, who possess a match in hand.

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Following the final whistle, Eze adopted a more measured tone when reflecting on proceedings. After composing himself, the Arsenal midfielder informed club media: "We played with dominance today, with confidence and just the connection that we had on the pitch.

"I think it was a special performance from us and something that we can continue to build on and something to work towards our goals. We know what these types of games are.

"We know the energy that the fans are bringing and how we need to be emotionally ready for the games as well. I think we've done so well with that and we took advantage of that for sure.

"These games are all about momentum and being in the moment. I'm just thankful to God for the opportunities that we took today. We worked so hard, we gave everything and when we perform like this it motivates us."

Tottenham are set to change their approach to player wages come the summer as they seek to ramp up their investment in an effort to improve their Premier League standing

Tottenham owners are ready to do away with the wage structure that is currently in place in north London - which they accept needs changing if they want to climb the table.

Their grand plans are based on them retaining Premier League status, which is widely expected, but their demise down the table has led to talk of the unthinkable happening to a team that have been in the league since its inception in 1992.

The Guardian reports that those within the club accept they have been frugal when it comes to wages, which has seen them miss out on certain players in the market. As a result changes are being prepared following a second successive season of struggle.

Tottenham’s wage bill is lowest of the big six clubs. It was £222m in the most recently published accounts for 2023-24, which is just over half the sum Manchester City pay to their players, with their wage costs hitting £413m. Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Conor Gallagher have upped the wage bill following their recent arrivals.

The arrival of Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, who is being paid weekly wages of £200,000, is seen as a pivotal moment following years of the club attempting to keep wages down.

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Gallagher is now Tottenham's highest-paid player and more big signings are expected should Tottenham remain in the Premier League. This summer will be the first time in two decades that Daniel Levy, who had a reputation for being reluctant to spend big, is not pulling the strings in north London.

It is understood that owners, the Lewis family, accept that league position is being more determined by how much teams pay on wages, rather than the amount they invest in transfer fees. Tottenham’s chief executive Vinai Venkatesham hinted last month that they were preparing to loosen the purse strings.

Former boss Ange Postecoglou, who presided over major signings like Dominic Solanke during his time at the club, recently rejected the idea Tottenham were a 'big club' when you consider how much they're willing to pay players - which has outgunned in the market.

He said on Stick to Football: "Obviously, they've [Spurs] built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities, but when you look at the expenditure, particularly in the wage structure, they're not a big club. I saw that, because when we were trying to sign players, we weren't in the market for those players."

Mirror Football takes a look at two stories involving and potentially affecting Arsenal

As the dust settles on Arsenal’s spectacular 4-1 victory over Tottenham, several stories involving the Gunners have made headlines. Mikel Arteta’s side claimed their second north London derby win of the season in convincing fashion away from home thanks to braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres.

Sunday's drubbing restored their lead in the Premier League table to five points after a nervy few weeks which saw them drop four points at Brentford and Wolves. Second-placed Manchester City still have a game in hand to play, however, and next face Leeds this Saturday.

Arsenal’s next game is another high-stakes London derby this Sunday against Chelsea at home, who they beat in the Carabao Cup semi-final twice earlier this year. Now, Mirror Football brings you two of the biggest news stories relating to the north Londoners.

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Scholes labels Rice 'emotional'

Paul Scholes has taken issue with Declan Rice’s "overly-emotional" behaviour following his mistake against Spurs. Rice was spotted telling his team-mates to keep their focus after Arsenal first took the lead at Tottenham, only to make a sloppy mistake and give the ball away in a dangerous area two minutes later, gifting the home side an equaliser.

The midfielder held his hands up and apologised before going on to have a solid game. But Scholes thinks the England international still lacks the calm leadership of a Premier League legend like Roy Keane.

The Manchester United icon said on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast: "When Roy [Keane] was getting the team together and leading the team really well, there was a certain calmness about it. When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional.

"He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!’ And then he makes his mistake. When you’re going for a league title, when you’ve got tough games, there has to be a calmness about you. I think potentially [he’s a captain]. It’s just when I look at him now, he’s so emotional."

Scholes added: "I don’t like all that (Rice geeing up the crowd just moments before Kolo Muani’s goal). I don’t like people being so emotional like that. People will call me a miserable b****** and say that you don’t want to take emotion out of the game.

"And of course we don’t, we want emotion but it has to be in the right way. Scoring goals and celebrating, that’s great. But game-management in game situations, there needs to be a calmness."

Man City charges update

A football finance expert claims Manchester City could be deducted between 40 and 60 points if they are found guilty of the most serious charges put against them. City and the Premier League are still waiting for the verdict over 115 alleged financial breaches by the club between 2009 and 2018.

While the hearing into City’s alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules ended in December 2024, following a 12-week tribunal, the independent commission still hasn’t made its decision public. Meanwhile, City have denied any wrongdoing and are understood to be confident of being cleared.

It has already been 14 months since the tribunal, with the commission still deliberating. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says an estimated 500,000 pieces of evidence were presented by the defence and prosecution throughout.

Maguire thinks that a verdict could be announced in the next few months. He also said precedent from Everton and Nottingham Forest being hit with six and four-point deductions respectively for a single offence covering a three-year period could mean City receive a far harsher punishment due to the accusations covering a nine-year period, if found guilty.

He said on The Overlap Fan Debate: "I think you have to add a zero to what we’ve seen from Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would, I think, on merit, be consistent with what we’ve seen from other decisions on logic. If they want to go further then we don’t know the severity."

Whether such an extreme punishment will be dished out remains to be seen. And Arsenal would be wise not to pay too much attention to it, given it is unclear which season a possible deduction would even end up impacting.

Former Everton star John Heitinga only joined Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year but the Dutchman chose to move on very quickly after Thomas Frank was sacked in favour of Igor Tudor

John Heitinga turned down the chance to stay at Tottenham Hotspur in the aftermath of Thomas Frank’s sacking. The former Everton defender only arrived in North London last month as an assistant.

But with Spurs under real threat of relegation to the Championship, club chiefs elected for a dugout. Frank was replaced by Igor Tudor, who was handed the reins until the end of the season.

Surprisingly, Heitinga was also among those to depart but he could actually have ended up staying. His agent Rob Jansen said: “He was allowed to stay. They even asked him to stay.

“All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left. And after three weeks, they told him: ‘Please stay and see out your contract here.’ That's quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.

“But he said: 'Yes, but now Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, is coming with a whole staff for three or four months'. That man is always hired for emergency jobs.

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“That almost never works. Why they did that is a mystery to me. And then another coach will come in. So, you can leave twice. That new coach will also come in with 45 people. He said: ‘This is pointless, Rob. I have to leave now’.”

Hansen has also suggested that Spurs had a plan for Heitinga to eventually claim the hot seat but given his relatively recent arrival, it was decided that he wouldn’t be appointed just yet.

He added: “But there was a chance he would take over; we had that in mind. Only: the club didn't. After three weeks, they decided it was too soon.

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“So, then you have an interim manager. What does the management do, or in this case, the owners, the Lewis family?

“They opt for some kind of security. They hire someone with a track record, someone known as a crisis manager at struggling clubs for a few months. That saves their image. Unless they dare to continue with Heitinga and a new staff, but they won't.”

Tudor’s appointment at Spurs did not have the desired impact for the North London Derby, having lost 4-1 on his debut. That defeat has left the club sitting 16th in the Premier League table and just four points clear of the drop zone.

The Tottenham star left the Arsenal fans seething at his actions after Spurs equalised in Sunday's north London derby

Archie Gray's actions following Tottenham's equalising goal against Arsenal were caught on camera from an irate away end. The 19-year-old was at the far post as Randal Kolo Muani slotted home the equaliser in the 34th minute of Sunday's north London derby.

This goal came a mere 120 seconds after Eberechi Eze had broken the deadlock. In a video shared on social media by TikToker afcdylan, the Spurs star can be seen kicking the ball towards the away fans, seemingly striking one as he made his way back to the centre circle.

Fans hurled insults at the youngster, expressing their fury at both the goal and the Spurs player's response. However, Gray's elation was shortlived as Arsenal regained the lead shortly after the second half kicked off.

Viktor Gyokeres put the Gunners ahead 2-1 in the 47th minute with a stunning shot from the edge of the box, sharing his trademark mask celebration to the home crowd. Eze netted his second of the match on the hour mark following some superb play from Bukayo Saka, sending a rebound into the net to extend the lead to 3-1.

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Gyokeres added the finishing touch in injury time, brushing past Gray in the box to secure all three points for his team. The latter's conduct wasn't the only flashpoint in the match.

David Raya clawed a Dominic Solanke effort away from the goal line when it was 3-1, but the most fiercely debated incident occurred immediately after Gyokeres' goal put Arsenal in front.

Muani appeared to have levelled proceedings again at 2-2, but referee Peter Bankes awarded a foul against Gabriel. VAR chose not to overturn this call, leaving numerous Tottenham supporters fuming.

One said: "How's that a foul on Gabriel? If at all, he should be carded for diving. Proper clown!" Another said: "In what world is this a foul?" Whilst a third added: "Such a soft foul. Just touched and Gabriel jumped like he was being tortured."

The north London derby win has extended Arsenal's advantage at the Premier League summit to five points, after Manchester City had narrowed the gap to two with a 2-1 victory over Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta was delighted with how his side responded to City piling the pressure on. Speaking post-match, the Arsenal manager said: "It feels like we showed what we are made of.

"But then you have to show it again and again and again because if you have to just analyse how you feel after every game, it's a massive rollercoaster and it's not sustainable.

"I cannot be prouder and happier for what I've seen out there, but especially the way we lived the last 72 hours because I think this game in particular needed some context.

"After what happened against Wolves and the manner that we lost two points in the last kick of the game, it was tough. But that's the beauty of this game. There is no explanation watching the game back how the hell we draw that game. From any angle, you watch it back and say, 'It's impossible,' and you have to watch it again and say it's not going to happen.

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"But it happened, and then you have to lift yourself up because you're feeling angry, upset, [and] ashamed at some point. And we are all different nationalities, we all have different feelings, and then you have to bring everybody together.

"And it's been a joy to spend that time together with them, to align everybody and to say, 'OK, what is going to be happening in the next chapter?'"

Arsenal are riding high following their 4-1 north London derby win over Tottenham but not everyone was positive after the game

Arsenal will still be in high spirits thanks to their 4-1 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side overcame a period of disappointing form with a dominant performance away from home in the north London derby.

Despite an error from Declan Rice which gifted Spurs an instant equaliser seconds after Eberechi Eze’s opener, Eze’s second goal and Viktor Gyokeres’ brace sealed a memorable victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The victory restored Arsenal’s five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table, though Manchester City still have a game in hand away at Leeds to play.

The Gunners will now enjoy a rare period of respite to recover, with their next Premier League fixture being another London derby against Chelsea this Sunday. Now, Mirror Football brings you the latest stories surrounding the league leaders.

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Rooney’s brutal Eze assessment

Wayne Rooney has taken issue with praise over Eze’s mentality this season. The attacking midfielder made a dream £67.5million move to his boyhood club in the summer from Crystal Palace, snubbing Spurs in the process.

Yet, five of his six Premier League goals this season have come in the two fixtures against Tottenham, with the England international going long spells without registering a goal or an assist. His most recent display earned him praise from Kelly Somers, the host of The Wayne Rooney Show podcast, who waxed lyrical about Eze’s ‘mentality’ and ‘character’.

But Rooney was not convinced by that assessment, saying: "I disagree a bit because I don’t think he’s been good enough this season. The two Tottenham games have shined a big light on him but in other games I’ve watched him and not thought he’s been good enough.

"I think a lot of that is probably through not playing consistently, I get that, but when you talk about mentality and character, if I was him I would be trying to make it very difficult for the manager to leave me out, both with your performances and in training. Clearly he’s not doing enough to warrant a place in the team consistently.

"I get that Martin Odegaard is the captain but you’ve got to make it almost impossible for Mikel Arteta to leave you out. After the first Tottenham game I don’t think he did enough to stay in the team so you just hope now for him he plays better consistently to stay in the game. I think he needs to perform a little bit better than he has so far this season."

Rooney added: "I think Eze is better in the penalty box but Odegaard is better when he’s a bit deeper. He’s very clever and picks up some great positions, his movement is very good, you just want to see a bit more from him in the final third. If you could combine the two of them you’d have a great player!"

Arteta 'upset' Eze

Arteta has opened up about Eze’s somewhat underwhelming start to life at Arsenal. Following his hat-trick against Spurs in November, the former Crystal Palace talisman struggled to stamp down his authority and convince his manager that he deserved to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Eze was handed a rare start in the disappointing 1-1 draw with Brentford earlier this month before being taken off at half time. The 27-year-old was then left out of the starting eleven by Arteta against Wolves, who admitted the player was upset at the decision, though he now knows how to utilise Eze’s strengths going forward.

The Spaniard said: "He scored five goals in the last two games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.

"He was upset, even with me, because I didn't play him the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made. And I start to understand how we're going to get the best out of him now.

"You just have to look at his face and the way he was in the dressing room with a big smile, and his eyes are just expressing everything that you need to. He came here for a reason and we need those moments from these players. I think he and the front players today, they've done what we expect from them."

Igor Tudor certainly knows the size of the task in front of him now.

It was a brutal introduction to English football as they were battered 4-1 by Arsenal in the North London derby and the few remaining Tottenham fans in the stadium booed the players off at the final whistle.

The familiar question no longer feels such a given. Are Spurs are too good to go down? Well, are they? On the evidence of Sunday, Tottenham are in a full-scale relegation scrap and are facing the fight of their lives to stay up.

Relegation would be unthinkable. It is why they sacked Thomas Frank and rolled the dice with Tudor in a desperate attempt to bring in some new manager bounce.

Tudor, whose last job was at Juventus, introduced his own style into the Spurs line-up as it was high press, energy, five at the back and warriors in midfield. It simply did not work. They were exposed by Arsenal. That is on Tudor. Yes, they do have got a catalogue of injuries for a start but their form is so alarming.

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They are the only team in the entire league without a win in 2026. They have not won in the Premier League since a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace on December 28. They have not won in nine Premier League games, they have drawn at Burnley in that time and lost at home to West Ham who are perhaps the biggest threat to their survival.

West Ham were unlucky not to beat Bournemouth on Saturday or hold on to win against Manchester United. If they had, Spurs would be right in it.

Even so, they are fifth from bottom, just four points above the drop zone and now face a trip to Fulham in their next game then it’s Palace at home followed by Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.

The plain truth is that Tottenham are in serious trouble. That quickly became obvious to Tudor who looked a worried man on the touchline.

One of his coaching staff sat in the press box and was getting increasingly agitated at the way Arsenal ripped Spurs apart in the first half, particularly down the home side’s left.

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It was probably a good idea that they found a different seat for him in the second half. Mind you, there is always an army of analysts in any press box these days.

They know they have got problems because they are the team without hope, without form and momentum and a crippling absentee list.

Tottenham last went down in 1977 and, despite finishing fourth from bottom last year under Ange Postecoglou, they were never going to go down. They finished 13 points above the drop zone.

That is the key difference this year. It’s tight. West Ham are picking up points. Wolves are doomed and it looks bleak for Burnley. But West Ham are picking up points. Nottingham Forest played well but lost to Liverpool and Vitor Pereira will give them a lift.

This is a full-blown crisis. The last team who were cast as being too good to go down? I think it was West Ham in 2003. They finished with 42 points - the highest in a 20 team Premier League season - and still went down.

That team had David James, Paolo di Canio, Glen Johnson, Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole, Freddie Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Don Hutchinson. And a few more besides.

To good to go down? Up against that team, are Spurs really any better. It is hard to argue that Tottenham really are in serious trouble.

And the specie of relegation for a club in a £1billion stadium would be catastrophic let alone the humiliation for the fans.

Arsenal secured a 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening in a fiery derby, in which, Declan Rice was subject to disgusting abuse targeted at his partner, Lauren Fryer

A Tottenham Hotspur supporter attempted to taunt Declan Rice during Sunday's North London derby by showing a photograph of the player's partner whilst appearing to hurl abuse toward him. Tempers flared at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening, as Arsenal emerged 4-1 victors over their fierce rivals.

Whilst jeers and catcalls are commonplace in the charged atmosphere of a derby fixture, one Spurs supporter appeared to cross the line when he held up a photograph of Lauren Fryer towards Rice on his mobile.

In a Shutterstock photograph circulated on various social media platforms - which has subsequently been requested for removal [by the player/club] - an individual in the home section of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is visible leaning over the advertising boards with an image of Rice's partner displayed on his phone screen.

Rice, who was nearby, had his back turned away from the supporters as he made his way back towards the pitch. It follows Fryer taking steps to wipe her Instagram account in 2024 after enduring a wave of vile online trolling regarding her looks.

The appalling harassment of Fryer started in December 2023, when an anonymous social media profile told Rice that he "could do better," whilst others also persistently aimed digs at Fryer over her appearance. Consequently, Fryer took the decision to remove all of the photographs from her account.

With 105,000 followers on the platform, Fryer's account still contains no posts, whilst she is also absent from Rice's Instagram. In response to the online abuse in April 2024, Rice shared a heartfelt statement in support of his partner, saying: "She is the love of my life and I don't need an upgrade."

Fryer has also previously been defended by Dani Dyer, partner of West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, who said last year: "It was so hard for her, the trolling, as she doesn't put herself out there. I think it's harder when you are not in [the celebrity world] and you are being personally attacked. I found that hard. She is a really good mum, who keeps to herself. No one deserves to be criticised like that.

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"It was so cruel...We didn't speak about it a lot. What we did talk about is how she is so nice and so great and looks absolutely gorgeous. Plus, she's Dec's childhood sweetheart and you can see how much he adores her."

Rice and Fryer originally crossed paths at school before entering a relationship at the age of 17, and have remained inseparable ever since. The WAG, who originates from Chessington, has stood by Rice throughout his entire career - from his debut at West Ham right through to his outstanding recent displays with Arsenal.

They welcomed a son named Jude together in August 2022, and have maintained their family life predominantly away from the spotlight. Despite vile attempts to ridicule him, Rice proved crucial to a Gunners outfit who secured a 4-1 victory over their fierce rivals in Spurs on Sunday, completing the full 90 minutes in the heart of midfield.

Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock for Arsenal 32 minutes into proceedings, before Randal Kolo Muani restored parity immediately. Viktor Gyokeres then handed his team the advantage once more moments into the second period, before Kolo Muani believed he had rescued a point again.

However, the Frenchman's second effort was eventually disallowed due to a push on Gabriel in the build-up, maintaining the scoreline at 2-1 in Arsenal's favour. Eze grabbed his brace 64 minutes into the encounter, before Gyokeres sealed the contest emphatically in the game's closing stages to claim all three points in a commanding triumph.

Following the result, Arsenal extended their advantage over Manchester City at the Premier League summit to five points heading into their remaining 10 fixtures of the campaign. Next up for Mikel Arteta's outfit is a clash with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, March 1.

With City possessing a crucial game in hand over Arsenal, the league leaders will not be granted any margin for mistakes as they aim to secure their first championship in over two decades come May.

Igor Tudor had a nightmare start to his spell with Tottenham Hotspur with a 4-1 defeat to fierce rivals Arsenal and Spurs are now very nervously looking over their shoulder

Igor Tudor is still refusing to think about relegation despite quickly realising his Tottenham Hotspur team is 'full of problems'. The North London side sit 16th and just four points clear of the relegation zone following Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

That heavy loss extended Spurs’ wait for a league win to nine matches - their last coming in December against Crystal Palace. But Spurs’ interim boss is not yet considering the prospect of the club falling into the Championship.

Speaking after his side’s defeat, the Croatian said: "Difficult start against a team who is now in this moment. A different level of physical state of mind, so congratulations to them.

"They [Arsenal] were much better and they deserve this win. I got the spirit which we wanted to do things, but it was not enough. It is nice to understand where we are in this moment.

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"It showed me on Tuesday that we need to work hard and work hard and seriously. Now in this moment, the team is full of problems. The only key is to work on the training day by day and be humble. We need to be more aggressive - we need to be more compact. These are the keys.

"You understand the gap with the mental sharpness of one team and other teams. This is a thing we need to change. I saw players available to do this, but we need more time to do this. Thinking about relegation doesn't bring you anything to anybody."

Despite Tudor not considering the threat of relegation yet, there are plenty of pundits that are. Asked if Spurs were in a fight to avoid the drop, former Tottenham star Jermain Defoe said: “Of course [they are in a relegation fight]. The games are running out and that’s the reality.

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“No, I don’t think they’ll go down,” he replied when asked if Spurs could end up in the Championship. “They play against Fulham and Crystal Palace, they’re capable of winning those two games.

“Hopefully they’ll get the injured players back. I’ve said before about the injuries… the list is unbelievable and it was the same last season.

“So many key players are missing but there’s some long-term ones as well. That’s the worry but I don’t think they’ll go down.”

Meanwhile, fellow former Spurs star Jamie Redknapp has real concerns that relegation could indeed be the result for the North London side. He said: “They [Arsenal] were so much better than Tottenham, it was like two different leagues.

“If Tottenham aren't careful, they might be in a different league. They cannot keep performing like this. They've not had a win in 2026.”

Tottenham get immediate verdict on Randal Kolo Muani call vs Arsenal as Gary Neville agrees

Referee Peter Bankes decided to disallow Randal Kolo Muani's equalising goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal in the North London Derby because of a foul on Gabriel Magalhaes

Gary Neville and Clinton Morrison agreed that Randal Kolo Muani fouled Gabriel Magalhaes before Tottenham Hotspur had their equaliser against Arsenal chalked off. Gabriel theatrically threw himself to the turf after sensing minimal contact on his back from the Spurs striker.

Kolo Muani then brought down the Conor Gallagher delivery before drilling the ball past David Raya, but referee Peter Bankes sounded his whistle to award Arsenal a free-kick. Tottenham skipper Micky van de Ven immediately approached the official to protest Spurs' case.

His new manager, Igor Tudor, also signalled with both hands from the touchline that Gabriel had dived. However, that was not the consensus on commentary.

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Sky Sports' co-commentator Neville said: "That was a foul. He was too obvious, Kolo Muani.

"Kolo Muani gives Gabriel a nudge; it was clear from here. It's soft from Gabriel, we've seen it before, but it's two hands on the back."

Former Premier League striker Morrison echoed the same view on BBC Radio 5 Live, commenting: "That is a push from Randal Kolo Muani. It is a foul, and it is the right decision."

Tudor also refrained from criticising the decision during his post-match press conference. He said: "Oh, you know about this, touching the players in the box.

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"It's always about referees here, you know. They have their favourites who, you know, they make decisions based on, you know, how they feel, how they see.

"So it's nothing. Sometimes they let things go. Sometimes, no, this is just how it is."

The head coach singled out Kolo Muani for recognition after netting his first Premier League goal. Tudor said: "He had a good game today.

"We wanted to inject some fresh energy with Dom [Solanke] and Richie [Richarlison]. He wasn't subbed off due to his performance.

"He played very well. It's a promising start, and I'm pleased for him."