Mauricio Pochettino hails Tottenham 'fantastic' performance to earn a point at Arsenal

Maurico Pochettino has hailed Tottenham Hotspur's "fantastic" performance to secure a deserved 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Sunday (6 November). Spurs went behind through Kevin Wimmer's own goal just before half-time but Harry Kane equalised from the penalty to keep his side unbeaten in the Premier League after 11 games.

Tottenham enjoyed a strong start to the game after Pochettino surprised Arsene Wenger with a 3-5-2 formation. However, the Gunners responded well and took the lead in the 42 minute of the game as Wimmer headed Mesut Ozil's free-kick into his own net. But Spurs were the better side once again in the second half and Harry Kane converted a penalty to equalise the game after Mousa Dembélé was fouled by Laurent Koscielny.

"I was very quiet at half-time and the message was 'come on, keep going', we had to carry on because that was the way for us to change the game," Pochettino said to Spurs TV after the game. "It was a strong performance, I'm very pleased, happy for the players because we worked a lot. I thought we were fantastic. We finished strong and it was good after a month that was difficult, some small issues happened, but happy now to have two weeks to try to recover all the players so we can compete better."

Yet, Spurs arrived to the Arsenal home following a disappointing defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Pochettino was critical with his players after that game, but praised how they responded with a solid performance in the North London derby.

"We changed that. We turned bad to good. That is a good way to finish the month and now we look forward and try to be strong for the next one," Pochettino said after the draw at Arsenal while also welcoming the return of Kane following a long time on the sidelines.

"I'm happy with him. It's always important to have your main striker back. It was a good impact for us."

Tottenham have failed to win a Premier League game since the victory over Manchester City on 2 October, but remain as the only side unbeaten in the Premier League after 11 games.

"We're very positive. We always expect to win games but we're 11 games unbeaten, that's important and we're looking forward," Pochettino concluded.