WENGER FURY AS SPURS AVOID SENDING-OFF

ARSENE WENGER claimed Victor Wanyama should have been sent off in a tight and tetchy North London derby. Wanyama angered Arsenal with a series of forceful challenges in the first-half, including two in quick succession on Theo Walcott where he used his forearm. The second of his clashes with Walcott, moments before the interval, sparked pushing and shoving between the rival players. ‘He was very lucky to stay on the pitch,’ said Wenger. ‘There were a few fouls, the elbow on Walcott for example. We have to cope with that.’ Wanyama was not even booked by referee Mark Clattenburg. Wenger was also unhappy with the official for awarding Tottenham the penalty that allowed Harry Kane to equalise after a foul by Laurent Koscielny on Mousa Dembele. ‘The penalty was harsh,’ said Wenger. ‘From where I sit, it looked harsh. It didn’t look a deliberate foul or that he may have scored. Even speaking to some referees, you can give it or not give it. ‘The referee makes the decisions. Still, nobody stopped us from scoring a second goal.’ Arsenal led at half-time after an own goal by Kevin Wimmer but Spurs were level seven minutes after the break as Kane converted from the penalty spot. Going into the international break, Liverpool and Chelsea — teams with no European commitments — top the Premier League. ‘It is easier to prepare for games because you don’t have the intensity of the Champions League games,’ said Wenger. ‘There’s a little physical advantage, especially after European weeks, but we have to deal with that. It is not an excuse, even if they’re in front. It is a small difference after 11 games.’ Spurs are without a win in seven games, a run stretching back to October 2, when they beat Manchester City. They have scored only three since in the league and are five points adrift of Liverpool. But Mauricio Pochettino was satisfied. His team avoided defeat, Kane was back, and so was the spark and their usual strength at the back. However, Spurs are still unbeaten after 11 league games, their best start since 1960, when they were unbeaten in 16 and went on to win the Double. Kane was returning after ten games out but Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Toby Alderweireld were all absent, Moussa Sissoko was banned and Kyle Walker limped off. ‘All teams have good and bad moments,’ said Pochettino. ‘If you have bad moments, as we’ve had this month, and you are still unbeaten. I can smile. ‘We have suffered issues, so we can’t rotate in the way we want. I am very happy. This was a strong performance. The feeling we have is fantastic.’ The Spurs boss deployed a back three but insisted he had not been seduced by tactical fashions or Chelsea’s recent success with a similar back-line. ‘Just because Chelsea won 5-0 it doesn’t mean they discovered the system,’ said Pochettino. ‘Last season at Watford we played on December 28 with three centre-backs. It is just important to be flexible. We always need to adapt.’