Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski has issued a warning to his teammates after Spurs lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the North London Derby. Hugo Lloris was at fault for the first goal as he bundled the ball into his own net before Martin Odegaard doubled the lead from range.
Kulusevski was a welcome boost for Antonio Conte who also saw the return of Richarlison for the first time since the Premier League resumed after the World Cup. The latter was involved in an incident with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale following the full-time whistle, but what followed has no place in football.
A spectator amongst the home crowd managed to make their way towards the pitch before kicking Ramsdale, sparking a melee at the end of a fiery affair at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs released a statement condemning the act from the individual, with the FA, Premier League and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) following suit.
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Tottenham are now five points adrift of the top four and face a difficult trip to the Etihad Stadium next to face Manchester City on Thursday. Kulusevski admitted that their north London rivals were on a different level to Spurs on Sunday, but insisted they must move on quickly if they are to regain their form.
The Swedish winger said: “It was a bad result, bad first half, but we have to move on. We cannot go home and be sad.
"We have another game soon and we just have to recover good. I’m looking forward to Manchester City.
"We have good memories from playing there. It’s going to be a very difficult game but we have to do everything right.
“Like I said, you cannot be sad. You have to move on. Never too high, never too low. We have to prepare, we have to show our character and we’re going to be ready."
Conte's side have had a habit of coming back from losing positions this season after enduring slow starts in matches, but Kulusevski is keen to put that right heading into the second half of the season. The Swede added: “It’s very hard for everybody, but if we don’t start the games better, we’re not going to win, so we have to stop doing that.
"I have no idea, honestly. What I see is that when we score first, we win the games and when we don’t, it’s much less per cent (of wins). We’re trying.
"Nobody wants to concede first but everyone is trying. To find a solution is a little bit harder.
"We started good and then they scored a lucky goal and after that we didn’t play good enough. We couldn’t touch them.
"They’re a really good team, they’re not first in the league because of luck, so it was hard for us to keep the ball, to press them. But then second half was much better. We couldn’t score, that’s the bad thing, but we created a lot of chances.”
The Lilywhites will need a big reaction if they are to repeat their success against City from last term, but in doing so they may help Arsenal's chances of winning a first league title since 2004.
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