Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale said he was attacked by a fan just after his side had earned a 2-0 victory in a fiery North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Monday morning.
A goal to captain Martin Ødegaard and an own goal to Spurs shot-stopper Hugo Lloris lifted Arsenal eight points clear at the top of the ladder ahead of second-placed Manchester City, but it was Gunners goalkeeper Ramsdale who was the star of the show.
Tottenham had the edge over Arsenal for most of the contest, including registering more total shots (17 to 14) and more shots on target (7 to 5), but a Player Of The Match performance from the 24-year-old Arsenal keeper meant Spurs ultimately came away with nothing.
Spurs' frustrations boiled over several times throughout the match, with Brazilian forward Richarlison scuffling with Ramsdale after the final whistle, before a Tottenham supporter seemed to climb over the pitch-side advertising boards and kick Ramsdale in the back.
"The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game," Ramsdale told Sky Sports. "I was giving some back. The people I did give it to greeted it in sportsmanlike terms 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 Metropolitan Police said that enquiries were ongoing and no arrest had been made.
Meanwhile, the English Football Association say it "strongly condemns" the incident of "wholly unacceptable behaviour", while the Professional Footballers' Association says that these instances were happening too often.
"Players have a right to be safe in their place of work," the PFA said in a statement. "When a player is attacked, we expect the laws in place to protect players to be properly enforced.
"As the players' union, we treat this as a priority issue. We will continue working with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work."
Spurs pledged to take action in a statement released shortly after the match.
"The club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium," Tottenham said.
Spurs coach Antonio Conte said he did not see the Ramsdale incident.
"In every moment, you have to show respect," he added. "If we want respect, we have to show respect. If it happened then for sure I didn't like it."
Arsenal put on a masterclass to overwhelm shell-shocked Tottenham and extend the gap at the top of the Premier League to eight points over champions Manchester City in second, a result Ramsdale played a major role in.
"The manager also mentioned that, in the last few North London derbies, we haven't kept a clean sheet, so that spurred me on a bit," Ramsdale added.
"We deserved the two-goal lead and maybe deserved more."
Reuters/ABC
