- Paul Merson tried to annoy Michael Dawson with a taunt after Arsenal beat Spurs
- His mockery was met with a wall of silence from former Spurs defender Dawson.
- Can Arsenal win a trophy for their progress? The Gunners have recovered, but the last obstacle remains: Listen It’s all starting! podcast
Paul Merson and Michael Dawson endured some excruciating moments of silence on air after Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Tottenham.
They had just watched Arsenal survive a second-half comeback from Spurs and were completing their match report on Sky Sports when a social catastrophe struck.
Merson, an Arsenal striker in days of yore, attempted to mock Dawson, once of Tottenham, but his ironic jibe was met with silence.
—That counterattack will be very useful for next year, won’t it? Merson said, nodding toward Dawson.
Presenter David Jones and co-writers Roy Keane and Micah Richards allowed themselves a smile, but Dawson didn’t seem to notice, or care.
Paul Merson (centre) tried to convince Michael Dawson (centre-right) by suggesting Spurs’ season was over
But Dawson didn’t respond, leaving Merson confused as an awkward silence descended.
Three seconds of silence followed, which seemed more like three minutes at the time, as Dawson remained silent before Jones continued the conversation.
Merson gestured toward Dawson, confused as to why he hadn’t responded.
He had basically been saying that Tottenham’s season and their Champions League hopes were over, even though they have two games in hand to reduce a seven-point deficit to fourth-placed Aston Villa.
But the slight mockery apparently didn’t register with Dawson, unless he was following us all.
Arsenal thought they were closing in on three points when an own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, plus goals from Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, gave them a 3-0 half-time lead.
It was the first time they had won 3-0 away from their bitter rivals since 1959.
However, Spurs had a lifeline when David Raya gave them the ball and Cristian Romero, who consistently played as if he were a striker and not a defender, finished in the 65th minute.
They were on the crest of a wave and a late Heung-min Son penalty had everyone on edge, but Arsenal held on.
Arsenal survived a second-half comeback to win 3-2 and move five points ahead of Man City.
Had a first half penalty been awarded to Dejan Kulusevski following a challenge from Leandro Trossard, which both Dawson and Richards felt was a penalty, the story might have been different.
Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to five points over Manchester City, who had two games in hand ahead of Sunday afternoon’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
