Arsenal u18s still in title race after 4-4 derby draw | OneFootball

Max Dowman scored again and the Arsenal u18s put four goals past Tottenham Hotpsur on Tuesday, but they still left the contest with just one point.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter

The Arsenal u18s went into Tuesday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur knowing they might need three wins from their final three games to win the u18 Premier League South this season.

But the north London derbies are always unpredictable, and just two minutes into Tuesday’s game Spurs had already taken the lead through Ellis Lehane.

Arsenal quickly rallied, and it was no surprise their comeback was driven by Max Dowman. With 10 goals in four games going into this match, Dowman added to his tally with another goal from the edge of the box for 1-1.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter

The game swung in Arsenal’s favour, with Samuel Onyekachukwu and Ife Ibrahim scoring their first u18 goals in the 16th and 28th minutes respectively. Despite being behind in the first five minutes, Arsenal were 3-1 up by the half-hour mark, with Dowman providing one of the assists.

That lead didn’t last long, with George Feeney and Junai Byfield bringing Spurs level with goals in the 41st and 42nd minutes.

But Arsenal were back ahead by the break, with Louis Zecevic-John scoring a solo goal in the 45th.

Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter

After a goalfest in the first half, the second was a more fiery affair, with five yellow cards and one injury-time red to Arsenal goalscorer Onyekachukwu.

Arsenal managed to hold onto their lead until the 10th minute of second-half injury time, but Jamel Beggs then scored to make it 4-4 at the last moment.

The draw doesn’t put Arsenal out of the title race, just three points behind first-place Aston Villa with a game still to come against the league leaders. But it will likely take two wins from two for the Gunners to top the division now.

Spurs’ own title challenge is probably over, as they really needed a win to stay in touch with the top two. If Aston Villa beat Leicester City in their penultimate game, it will be at best a two-horse race against Arsenal for the title.

Arsenal u18 lineup vs Spurs

Porter, Clarke, Ogunnaike, Onyekachukwu, Sweet, Ibrahim, Harriman-Annous, Copley, Zecevic-John, Dowman, Casey

Substitutes

Julienne (for Casey, 69), O’Neill (for Zecevic-John, 87), Ismail (for Harriman-Annous, 90+8), Ranson, Marciniak

What’s next?

The Arsenal u18s now have two must-win games against Fulham on May 3rd at 11:00 BST and against Aston Villa on May 11th at 13:00.

Winning both and maintaining a superior goal difference to Villa would mean winning the u18 Premier League South and setting up a play-off final against the winner of the u18 Premier League North – Manchester City.