Aaron Ramsdale admitted he was left with a "sour taste" after being attacked by a Tottenham fan at the end of the North London derby - despite Arsenal running out 2-0 winners.
The 24-year-old produced a Player of the Match performance for the Gunners as he made eight saves including a couple of key stops from Harry Kane at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal took the lead through Hugo Lloris' own-goal, before Martin Odegaard doubled their advantage as Mikel Arteta's side moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
However, as Ramsdale was celebrating following the full-time whistle, he was involved in an heated exchange with Richarlison, before a Tottenham supporter decided to attack him. The Gunners shot-stopper was off the pitch at this point as he went to collect his water bottle before the fan climbed onto the advertising hoardings and kicked Ramsdale on the back.
Ramsdale had his back turned when the fan made contact and thought he had been punched before he was led away by his manager Arteta and Arsenal staff and teammates. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Ramsdale said: "Spurs fans were giving me some crack second half, and I gave them some back. The few people I did give it to it was probably well greeted, in a sportsmanship way.
"But then a fan jumped over and gave me a little punch in the back. That's what happened, and it's a shame because it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Everyone, both sets of players, tried to bring me away. Thankfully nothing actually happened too drastically, but it's a sour taste."
Arsenal dominated the first-half and deservedly led by two goals going into the interval, although Ramsdale had to be alert to keep out a dangerous Kane header. Spurs began to grow into the game after the break and Ramsdale made his most impressive of his eight saves from Ryan Sessegnon.
The Tottenham left-back played a one-two with Kane, before Sessegnon fired the ball towards the far corner. However, Ramsdale stretched out his left boot to divert the ball past the post.
Ramsdale enjoyed his moment following the full-time whistle as he appeared to kiss the Arsenal badge before enduring a small altercation with Richarlison. This was before he was attacked by the fan which tarnished what was a terrific performance from Ramsdale.
After the incident, PFA released a statement that read: "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 them and to be properly enforced. "As the players' union we treat this as a priority issue. We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work."
