Tottenham went a-cantering into the final foursome of the League/EFL/Carabao Cup by seeing off Arsenal with an impressive team performance at The Emirates on Wednesday night.
Both managers named strong starting line-ups for the occasion, with big names peppering the XIs on either side of the divide.
That said, one name – arguably Arsenal’s biggest – was conspicuous by his absence, once again…
Mesut Ozil, our top earning and arguably most talented player has started 11 of our 26 games in all competitions this season and just one away game since 15 September.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) 19 December 2018
With just 20 minutes played, Heung-Min Son scored his first ever North London derby goal to nudge the away side in front.
Dele Alli then doubled Spurs’ advantage in the 59th minute by applying an aesthetically pleasing finish to Harry Kane’s excellent link-up play.
Running beyond Kane, Alli latched onto Kane’s lofted through-ball and proceeded to pitch a faultless shot over Petr Cech…
Alli was then hit by a plastic water bottle hurled by an Arsenal fan, though after just about keeping his cool, the Spurs forward responded by reminding the home support exactly what the score was…
Arsenal supporters have the cheek to criticise Spurs fans and then go and do something like this.
A bottle hitting Dele Alli, simply disgusting!#THFC #COYSpic.twitter.com/YpOZ9xF6QN
— Last Word On Spurs🎙 (@LastWordOnSpurs) 19 December 2018
Arsenal have already confirmed that they are examining CCTV to find the person responsible for throwing the bottle.
When pressed about the incident in the immediate aftermath of the match, Alli refused to grumble, instead insisting that it made his goal and the overall win “that bit sweeter”.
As such, the League Cup semi-finals this year will be contested by Spurs, Chelsea, Man City and… Burton Albion.