Pape Matar Sarr scored from the halfway line as Tottenham punished a shaky performance by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya to win the first North London derby staged outside the United Kingdom 1-0.
Raya, who had already been caught in no-man’s land twice as in-swinging corners hit the post, was at fault again in the 45th minute on Thursday when Sarr robbed Myles Lewis-Skelly just inside the Arsenal half.
The Spurs midfielder looked up, saw Raya stranded way outside his penalty area and let fly to score in outrageous fashion from 50 yards out.
Nominally a preseason “friendly”, there was no love lost on the pitch between the bitter rivals.
Tackles flew in and tempers frayed in a fiercely contested clash in front of a 49,975 sellout crowd under the roof in Hong Kong’s air-conditioned Kai Tak