Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings – Derby Day delight for the Gunners as they earn the bragging rights

The bragging rights of the North London derby were earned by Arsenal after they turned a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead, thanks to an own goal from Dominic Solanke and Leandro Trossard. This result puts the Gunners in second place, with just four points away from the top spot albeit playing a game more. The fluctuating performances continue for Spurs as they slide down to 13th place.

Both teams were unable to make huge changes as their squads are depleted due to injuries. Tottenham did really well to hold Arsenal off in the initial moments of the match. But to everyone’s surprise, Son Heung Min put the visitors ahead after he hit a low shot, which took a deflection and sneaked past Raya into the bottom corner. While things looked to go in the favour of the Lilywhites, Gabriel pulled one back via a set-piece header that clipped his marker Dragusin, then Solanke and finally into the back of the net. Arsenal turned it around with the second goal as Trossard expertly hit a powerful shot from a tight angle. Tottenham’s own defensive frailties cost them the lead as the hosts went into the dressing room with a satisfactory half.

Tottenham went in all guns blazing, replacing both of their defensive midfielders with attacking options. But the hosts continuously applied pressure, effortlessly bypassing the defence but were unable to get the final shot away. Tottenham despite being known for their attacking style of play, completely struggled to even get some shots on target. With the visitors looking completely passive, Arsenal made regular defensive substitutions to see the game out comfortably.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs Tottenham Hotspur

Goalkeeper

Raya: 7.5/10 – Apart from the opening goal, the Spanish goalie did a good job to keep the Spurs attackers at bay with some smart saves.

Defenders

Timber: 7/10 – He locked down his flank, good in possession and added defensive solidity to the hosts.

Saliba: 7/10 – A calm, collected performance, not allowing the Spurs attackers to get their shots across.

Gabriel: 7.5/10 – A masterclass in defending, being in complete control and was a huge threat on set-pieces, he did his job well to turn things around.

Lewis-Skelly: 7.5/10 – The academy player who has been deputising in defence was spectacular, making crunching tackles, out-muscling veteran attackers and displaying a mature, professional performance.

Midfielders

Partey: 6.5/10 – The defensive midfielder won the possession regularly and played a good part in the second goal for the hosts.

Odegaard: 8.5/10 – A magnificent ball player who was rewarded with an assist but was equally good off the ball today. His press from the front was consistently tireless and gave his side a truckload of high turnovers.

Rice: 8/10 – He was a singular wrecking ball, picking off countless Spurs attacks with superb anticipation and positioning.

Forwards

Trossard: 7/10 – A potential match-winning goal and was subbed off to shore up the defense to see the game out.

Havertz: 5/10 – Another disappointing night infront of goal, failing to put away his chances as he struggled to get his shots away.

Sterling: 5.5/10 – A quiet game for Sterling and it was brought to an early end as he got subbed off in the second half.

Substitutes

Martinelli: 6.5/10

Tierney: 6/10

Merino: NA

Zinchenko: NA

Manager

Mikel Arteta: 9/10: – A crucial derby win to lift the spirits of his team who faced some disappointing results since the last few weeks. He has kept the hopes of a title challenge alive with this result.

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Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Goalkeeper

Kinsky: 6/10 – Some questionable decision-making during crucial moments and he could have done better to stop the second goal.

Defenders

Porro: 6/10 – A surprisingly quiet performance on the attacking side, but was solid defensively.

Gray: 6/10 – His inexperience showed in a few moments, as he was anonymous and struggled to contain the attackers.

Dragusin: 6/10 – A decent defensive work, especially the block on the shot of Havertz. However, he was not impressive during the key moments of the game.

Spence: 6/10 – A promising performance on the attacking side, creating some chances but often failing to make the final pass effectively.

Midfielders

Bergvall: 6.5/10 – While he made some mistakes tonight, he was still a total workhorse, running tirelessly to win possession back in an unfamiliar setup.

Bissouma: 5/10 – He was too slack in possession tonight, which led to the second goal for the hosts. He got subbed off at half-time as a part of a tactical switch.

Sarr: 5.5/10 – While he got booked for delaying the game, he was unable to make an impact like he usually does and got subbed off at half-time rightfully for an attacking option.

Forwards

Kulusevski: 6.5/10 – The Swedish attacker played two different roles in two different halves. While he showed quality initially, he slowly faded away as the game progressed.

Solanke: 5.5/10 – A disappointing performance, as he struggled to deal with the physicality of both the centrebacks, failing to get shots on target and to make things worse, got an own goal.

Son: 7.5/10 – He looked like his old self tonight, a goal to put his team ahead which built confidence.

Substitutes

Johnson: 6.5/10

Maddison: 6/10

Richarlison: 6/10

Manager

Ange Postecoglou: 5/10 – Albeit a tough fixture for Spurs historically, the same woes continued for the Australian, as his team struggled to retain a lead. His substitutions to go all-out attack did not work that well and his team ultimately failed to win the derby away.

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