Rafael van der Vaart was on target with a stunning brace to hand Tottenham a share of the spoils in a breathtaking 3-3 draw against Arsenal at White Hart Lane.
Wednesday night’s thrilling North London derby saw the goals flow thick and fast in the opening half, with the clash balanced on a knife edge at the break after Spurs pulled it back to 3-2.
Dutchman Van der Vaart then made no mistake in converting from the spot with his second of the night after substitute Aaron Lennon was brought down in the box by Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Theo Walcott had got things rolling for the visitors in the fifth minute when he powered home the opener, but Spurs responded through Van der Vaart just two minutes later to level the scores.
Arsenal ploughed ahead with goals from Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie but Tom Huddlestone kept Spurs in with a chance with a crucial strike on the stroke of half-time before Van der Vaart levelled things up after the break.
Tottenham’s point keeps them in touch with Manchester City as they battle for a top-four Premier League finish, but Arsenal will be disappointed not to take the maximum haul after leaders Manchester United handed them a lifeline in the title race on Tuesday night after only managing a draw at Newcastle.
More to follow…
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