By Danny Murphy For The Mail On Sunday
Published: 22:30 GMT, 2 March 2019 | Updated: 23:41 GMT, 2 March 2019
View
comments
Tottenham got away with one on Saturday and Mauricio Pochettino probably feels a change in luck was exactly what his side needed.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's late, missed penalty could have massive repercussions on this season.
If Spurs had lost a third consecutive game and had their advantage over Arsenal cut to one point, the anxiety would really have dug in. As it is, a 1-1 draw means they are still four points ahead and that should be enough to secure a Champions League spot.
Mauricio Pochettino was fortunate to see his side come away from the derby with a point
The penalty miss was interesting because Aubameyang is better known for putting the ball to the goalkeeper's left than the side he chose. I think he was relying on Hugo Lloris second-guessing him and diving left so he could roll the ball in the other way.
That was his mistake, Lloris won the mind game by diving right and that proved fatal for the Arsenal striker because he put his head down too early before shooting.
I was a penalty taker who always tried to keep my head up as long as possible, in case I saw the goalkeeper move early, it gave me the option of placing the shot the other side.
Aubameyang did not give himself that option and his strike was too