Arsenal U18s held by Tottenham in eight-goal thriller
Arsenal U18s were held to a 4-4 draw by Tottenham Hotspur in the U18 Premier League South fixture played at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday morning.
A poor back pass gave Arsenal the opportunity to take the lead in the first minute of the game but Spurs managed to clear their lines.
Tottenham punished Arsenal for the missed opportunity as they opened the scoring a minute later through striker Ellis Lehane.
The Gunners responded in the ninth minute as in-form midfielder Max Dowman struck the ball into the post from the edge of the box.
A 16th minute strike from centre-back Sam Onyekachukwu completed the turnaround for the Gunners.
Defender Will Sweet almost increased the home side’s lead but Spurs were able to clear his effort off the line.
It did not take long for Arsenal to extend their lead as midfielder Ife Ibrahim did brilliantly to beat his marker before curling the ball home in the 28th minute.
Four minutes before the end of the first half, Spurs pulled one back through midfielder George Feeney before centre-back Jun’ai Byfield levelled the scores a minute later.
However, Arsenal reclaimed their lead on the stroke of half time, courtesy of a brilliant effort from Louis Zecevic-John.
The second half started frenetically as Luca Williams-Barnett was denied by the crossbar from giving Spurs the lead.
Dan Casey’s effort for Arsenal was also prevented from scoring by the woodwork.
Tottenham had two other efforts hit the woodwork before goalkeeper Jack Porter made another brilliant save in the 84th minute to preserve the Gunners’ lead.
Four minutes into stoppage time, Onyekachukwu was given a straight red card, handing Spurs the opportunity to pile more pressure on the Gunners for the equaliser.
The away side eventually restored parity deep into the stoppage time as substitute Jamel Beggs’ shot was deflected into the goal.
The result takes Arsenal above Chelsea in the league standings but they trail league leaders Aston Villa by three points.
The post Arsenal U18s held by Tottenham in eight-goal thriller first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.