Tottenham Fan Kicks Arsenal’s Goalkeeper After North London Derby

It’s not a North London Derby if tempers don’t flare.

But Sunday’s fixture between English Premier League leaders Arsenal and rival Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw a rather unusual situation occur.

After the referee blew the full-time whistle to solidify the Gunners’ 2-0 win, Spurs forward Richarlison went over to Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as the England native walked over to his net to retrieve his water bottle.

But Richarlison charged into an unsuspecting Ramsdale with his shoulder, shoved him with his right hand, returned to chest bump him while wagging his finger then smacked him on the side of the head before stewards intervened.

Then, as Ramsdale picked up his bottle behind the net, a Tottenham fan stood on top of the billboard and landed a kick on the goalie’s back before a steward pushed him back.

Ramsdale, who had seven saves on the night and was awarded the Man of the Match by Sky Sports, explained what happened in an interview afterwards: “The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game. I was giving some back. The people I did give it to greeted it sportsmanlike, but one fan tried to give me a little punch on the back.

“It is a shame as it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away, but thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It is a sour taste, but I’m sure we will enjoy it when we go back into the dressing room.”

The Professional Footballers’ Association released a statement in the aftermath:

“Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are happening far too often. Players have a right to be safe in their place of work. When a player is attacked we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect them to be properly enforced.

“As the players’ union we treat this as a priority issue. We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”

A Hugo Lloris own goal in the 14th minute after a Bukayo Saka shot and a long-distance strike from Martin Odegaard in the 36th minute gave Arsenal all three points as they established themselves eight points clear of second-place Manchester City.