Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from 2015 Capital One Cup

The north London Derby has seen unlikely heroes emerge in its past. Add Mathieu Flamini to the list. 

The midfielder was the shock hero in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday's Capital One Cup match, as his stunning brace was the difference for the Gunners. Arsenal accounted for all three goals in the game, as Calum Chambers' second-half own goal gave Spurs their only tally. 

Tottenham had the better of possession (55 percent) and earned seven corners to Arsenal's four, though the teams each managed 13 shots, with the Gunners putting more on goal (6-4), according to ESPN FC.

Arsenal struck first in the 26th minute. After a nice piece of build-up play by the Gunners, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain freed himself for a shot just outside of the box that forced Michel Vorm to make a diving save. He couldn't parry the rebound out wide, however, and it bounced right into the path of Flamini, who smashed the ball into the net to give Arsenal the 1-0 advantage. 

It was a first for Flamini, per Squawka Football on Twitter:

Tottenham nearly struck back just minutes later, as Danny Rose had acres of space on the counter and cut inside on his weaker right foot inside the box before unleashing a shot that he pulled just wide.  

Tottenham continued to ramp up the pressure from there, creating several promising scoring opportunities, but Spurs couldn't find the final bit of quality to push in the equalising goal, and the game went into the half with Arsenal maintaining their 1-0 lead. 

Spurs would have their equaliser in the 56th minute, however. Nacer Chadli's shot from an acute angle looked as though it would be easily gathered by 'keeper David Ospina, but centre-back Chambers stuck out his foot in an attempt to clear the effort and instead deflected the shot into his own net. 

Chambers has had his struggles when called to action this year, prompting John Brewin of ESPN FC to compare him to another young defender who struggled for the Gunners in recent years:

Meanwhile, the own goal was the first in a north London Derby since Nicklas Bendtner scored one in January 2008 while with Arsenal, per WhoScored.com on Twitter.

Harry Kane nearly gave Tottenham the lead 10 minutes later, but his volley was cleared off the line by Kieran Gibbs' desperation header. 

That seemed to wake up the Gunners, however, as both second-half substitute Alexis Sanchez and forward Olivier Giroud had chances on goal. Vorm was up to the task on both shots, however, and the game remained even.

Until Flamini emerged as the hero once again in the 78th minute, that is, as the ball deflected high into the air and found his right foot just outside of the box. His rocketed volley left Vorm absolutely helpless and everyone in attendance completely shocked at what had transpired.

Indeed, Flamini is not renowned for his finishing, so the effort came out of left field. Former player and football pundit Gary Lineker could only tip his cap:

David Wall of OptaJean, meanwhile, felt it was a strike you'd normally see from the world's elite finishers:

That, of course, is almost assuredly the last time a Flamini shot will elicit comparisons to Lionel Messi. As Michael Cummings of Bleacher Report noted, however, these are strange times for the Gunners:

The Gunners will take goals from anyone who can provide them, of course. On this day, it was Flamini.

Post-Match Reaction

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Flamini had a message for the Arsenal fans who attended the match at White Hart Lane: 

It was a big win for the Gunners and Flamini, who were looking to recover from the weekend's controversial loss to Chelsea. An away win in the north London Derby doesn't heal all wounds, but it certainly sweetened what had been a pretty sour week following a loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and the loss to Chelsea. 

Up next for the Gunners is a Premier League matchup against Leicester City. 

For Tottenham, the loss hurts on multiple fronts. For one, it ended their Capital One Cup, and it was a stinging loss to their hated rival on top of that. Plus, it ended their unbeaten streak that dated back to their league-opening loss against Manchester United on August 8. 

"The atmosphere was unbelievable," Tottenham centre-back Kevin Wimmer acknowledged via the club's official Twitter account before lamenting the loss. "We had chances at 1-1. We have to keep our heads up."

Manager Mauricio Pochettino focused on what he felt was a lost opportunity, however.

"It was a close game but we're disappointed," he said in his post-match comments. "We created more chances and dominated the second half."

He continued, "It's not a good feeling. We feel bad but we have to take the positives and move on to Saturday."

Spurs will indeed have to put this one behind them quickly, however, as up next is another stiff test against Manchester City in Premier League play.