Aaron Ramsdale: Arsenal star left with ‘sour taste’ after fan aims kick at him following win over Tottenham

After the full-time whistle had gone, most players appeared to be calmly congratulating one another despite the expected tensions that come with derby day, and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte shared a post-match handshake with Arteta.

However, cameras caught Tottenham’s Brazilian forward Richarlison pushing Ramsdale in the face. Seconds later, as the England goalkeeper attempted to collect his belongings, a fan appeared to aim a kick at his back.

Ramsdale reacted angrily but was ushered away by team-mates and Arteta, and then players from both sides rushed to confront one another by the side of the pitch before tempers appeared to subside.

Speaking after the match, Ramsdale played down the incidents but said it was disappointing.

“The Spurs fans were giving me some [stick] throughout the second half,” he explained. “I gave them some back, and the people I did do it to [took it in the right spirit]. And then a fan jumped over and gave me a little punch in the back.

“That’s what happened, and it’s a shame as it’s just a game of football at the end of the day. Thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It’s a sour taste but I’m sure we’ll enjoy it when we’re back in the dressing-room.”

Ramsdale discussed the victory and stated he thought it was well earned.

“We deserved the two-goal lead and maybe deserved more. We played the way we wanted to play in the first half and got the deserved lead,” he said.

After making important saves from Spurs forwards Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, he added: “That’s what I’m there to do. 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.”

A PFA spokesperson commented: “Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are happening far too often.

“Players have a right to be safe in their place of work. When a player is attacked, we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect players to be properly enforced.

“As the players’ union, we treat this as a priority issue. We will continue working with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”