A late equaliser from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain earned Arsenal a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby of the Premier League season on Saturday.
Having gone ahead through Nacer Chadli in the 56th minute, Tottenham were disappointed not to have recorded only their third Premier League victory at the home of their neighbours.
But though Arsenal were relieved to have avoided that fate, the point came at a cost.
Injuries to Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, both of whom were replaced in the first half, means manager Arsene Wenger may have to rethink his tactics for the visit of Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Wenger raised a few eyebrows before the game by leaving Alexis Sanchez, the big-money close-season signing from Barcelona, on the bench, with Danny Welbeck starting up front.
Tottenham had been keen on signing England striker Welbeck from Manchester United on transfer deadline day, but he became an Arsenal player instead in a £16 million ($26.6 million, 20.2 million euros) deal.
The one surprise in the Tottenham starting line-up was the inclusion of Ryan Mason in midfield.
The 23-year-old was a scoring substitute in Wednesday night’s 3-1 League Cup victory over Nottingham Forest, but this was his first taste of Premier League action.
The first 45 minutes were goalless, but not short of incident, as referee Michael Oliver booked Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere as well as Tottenham’s Erik Lamela in the opening half hour.
Hugo Lloris, the Tottenham goalkeeper, was busy, making saves from Wilshere, Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey, but the man at the other end, Wojchiech Szczesny, was also required to make significant stops. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Its really great but I don't think he will perform as good as he did in Barclays Premier League vs Chelsea game
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