Francis Coquelin Receives Red Card vs. Tottenham: Latest Details and Reaction

Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin received a red card 10 minutes into the second half of the club's north London derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur after being shown his second yellow of the match.

The Gunners confirmed the early exit on their official Twitter account. The dismissal came after a reckless, unnecessary challenge on Harry Kane. It completely changed the match, as Spurs levelled the score at 1-1 just five minutes later and grabbed a 2-1 lead shortly after that.  

Tottenham controlled the pace for most of the first half, but they watched Arsenal grab the lead. An outstanding backheel finish from Aaron Ramsey not only gave the visitors a 1-0 edge, but it sparked a much better stretch of play.

The Gunners were just starting to settle into a nice rhythm after halftime when Coquelin made a terrible decision going to ground on Kane. He had already received a yellow card in the first half for a handball and Spurs weren't posing an immediate threat to goal.

Mark Pougatch of BBC Radio 5 Live summed up the mistake:

The Daily Cannon opined about where the blame lies:

Piers Morgan of the Daily Mail added his thoughts:

Ultimately, the mental error gave Spurs the spark they were looking for all match, and it took them less than 10 minutes to fully capitalize. Goals by Toby Alderweireld and Kane finally gave the home supporters at White Hart Lane something to cheer about.

Arsenal fought back, though. Alexis Sanchez scored an equalizer with around 15 minutes left to bring his side back to life despite playing with a man down. It was an effort Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris probably should have stopped, but it counts just the same.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw, which leaves Tottenham two points behind league-leading Leicester. Arsenal are five points back with the Foxes still to play later Saturday against Watford. The Gunners are left to wonder what might have been if not for that game-changing moment.

Coquelin will miss the club's trip to Hull for an FA Cup clash on Tuesday as a result of the red card.