Overview

• Arsenal concluded their Asia tour with a 1-0 friendly defeat to Tottenham in Hong Kong, decided by a Pape Matar Sarr long-range strike in the first North London Derby held outside the UK.
• Declan Rice publicly apologised after misplacing a pass that could have set up Gabriel Martinelli, whose seven completed passes and zero successful dribbles exposed persistent left-wing shortcomings.
• Substitute Leandro Trossard showed encouraging moments off the bench but withdrew with a groin problem, compounding Arsenal’s pre-season fitness concerns.
• Pundits and supporters have seized on the defeat as evidence that Arsenal must reinforce their left flank, naming targets such as Eberechi Eze or Rafael Leão.
• With the new season imminent, club officials face mounting pressure to secure a high-impact winger to bolster attacking options under Mikel Arteta.