Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pops up to rescue point for Arsenal at home to Tottenham Hotspur

ARSENAL were indebted to a late Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain strike to rescue a point at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby of the season.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal reacts after a missed opportunity during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 27, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

ARSENAL were indebted to a late Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain strike to rescue a point at home to arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first north London derby of the season.

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Having gone ahead through Nacer Chadli in the 56th minute, Tottenham were disappointed not to have recorded only their third Premier League victory at the home of their neighbours.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain restores parity against Spurs.

But though Arsenal were relieved to have avoided that fate, the point came at a cost.

Injuries to Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, both of whom were replaced in the first half, means manager Arsene Wenger is likely to have to rethink his tactics for the visit of Galatasaray in the Champions League this week.

The result, which lifted the Gunners into fourth on the table ahead of their clash with leaders Chelsea next weekend, left Wenger frustrated.

“We had a lot of quality and I am frustrated it finished 1-1 because we put the effort in,” Wenger said.

“We had great spirit and great determination. On top of that, we were 1-0 down and I think we had 77 per cent possession, which is unbelievable in a game like that.

“I am frustrated because we dropped two points and also because we didn’t do enough with our set–pieces.

“Especially with our corners, we have real room for improvement there, because when you have 14 corners at home and three or four free-kicks around the box, we must do better.

“I give credit to the team for what they did. It shows great potential and great spirit.”

Wenger raised a few eyebrows before the game by leaving Alexis Sanchez, the big-money close-season signing from Barcelona, on the bench, with Danny Welbeck starting up front.

The one surprise in the Tottenham starting line-up was the inclusion of Ryan Mason in midfield.

The 23-year-old was a scoring substitute in the midweek 3-1 Capital One Cup victory over Nottingham Forest, but this was his first taste of Premier League action.

Nacer Chadli puts Spurs ahead.

The first 45 minutes were goalless, but not short of incident, as referee Michael Oliver booked Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere as well as Tottenham’s Erik Lamela in the opening half hour.

Hugo Lloris, the Tottenham goalkeeper, was busy, making saves from Wilshere, Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey, but the man at the other end, Wojchiech Szczesny, was also required to make significant stops.

Arteta and Ramsey’s exits concern Wenger greatly. Arteta was the first to go, limping off in the 28th minute to be replaced by Mathieu Flamini, and Ramsey went down in first-half stoppage time, immediately indicating that he could not continue.

Arsenal began the second half strongly, but Tottenham held out and took the lead against the run of play after 11 minutes.

Flamini was at fault, losing the ball to Christian Eriksen. Lamela picking up the ball and found Chadli in space on the right of the box for a simple finish across Szczesny.

Arsenal thought they had equalised soon afterwards through Mertesacker’s downward header, but Lloris just managed to stop the ball crossing the line, as goal-line technology replays confirmed.

On came Sanchez for Wilshere while Tottenham replaced Eriksen with Aaron Lennon in the 62nd minute.

Arsenal piled on the pressure and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 74th minute from Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The over-worked Tottenham defence failed to clear a simple ball into the box from Santi Cazorla and although Welbeck missed his kick in front of goal, his England colleague did not, firing high into the net.