Topics: James Maddison, Bukayo Saka, Arsenal, Tottenham, North London Derby, English Premier League
Saka mimicked Maddison's darts goal celebration following Arsenal's opener, which led to a brutal response from the Tottenham star.

Sunday saw a nail-biting North London Derby take place!

Arsenal hosted Tottenham in a highly-anticipated fixture, and it did not disappoint, as this four-goal thriller saw both sides score twice and share the points.

While the Gunners' opener ultimately went down as a Cristian Romero own goal, Bukayo Saka had a hand in both goals for the hosts while James Maddison assisted Son Heung-min for Tottenham's two goals as both sides maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

While the aforementioned Englishmen shined on the pitch, there appeared to be banter between the two. This all kicked off following the opening goal, with Bukayo Saka mimicking Maddison's darts celebration, which was interpreted as a dig toward Tottenham's main man.

However, as mentioned earlier, Maddison set up Son for both equalizers, with the result being more favorable towards the visitors. Speaking after the game, James was quizzed on Saka's celebration and he made sure to poke back at his countryman.

For the first of Tottenham's two equalizers, Maddison spun none other than Saka at the byline to enter Arsenal's penalty box unchallenged before assisting Son. The former Leicester playmaker highlighted this moment when responding to Bukayo's antics.

When talking to SPURSPLAY, Maddison revealed the reason behind their banter before ultimately trolling his countryman, saying (as per SPURSPLAY):

"Me and Bukayo had a bit of banter and a bit of trash-talking on international duty.

"And I got told he did the darts celebration - he must have still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal I think, so I'll have a little word with him in there!"

It should be noted that this was not an ill-tempered clash but a lighthearted one. This was evident when Sky Sports jokingly asked the Tottenham star whether he would take on Saka in a game of darts, to which Maddison replied — while laughing: 

"His action was terrible though, wasn't it?!"

The more important matter following this game surrounds Arsenal and their hopes of challenging for the title. The Gunners are only four points behind leaders Manchester City but have lost several players to injuries, with Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka all joining the treatment table.

Furthermore, their performance against Tottenham left a lot to be desired. Next up for them is a Carabao Cup showdown with Brentford this Wednesday, with ESPN+ bringing live coverage of this exciting game to fans in the USA. Click here for global broadcast listings.