LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - 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 Sunday.
Ramsdale was man-of-the-match as he kept Tottenham at bay time and again and also clashed with several Spurs players during the match.
Spurs' Brazilian forward Richarlison had an altercation with Ramsdale after the final whistle, before a Tottenham supporter seemed to climb on the pitch-side advertising boards and kick the 24-year-old.
"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."
Some fireworks between Arsenal and Tottenham at the final whistle. #MyPLMorning | #TOTARS pic.twitter.com/6OD2c4E7cY
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 15, 2023
A fan tried to kick Ramsdale after the fulltime whistle. pic.twitter.com/9cRrTiK4X2
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 15, 2023
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) January 15, 2023
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," he added. "We deserved the two-goal lead and maybe deserved more."
(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
