An assessment of the players’ performances in the derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.
Arsenal extended their lead in the Premier League with a 3-1 win over north London rivals Tottenham on Saturday.
Thomas Partey scored the opening goal with a long-range shot, but Harry Kane equalized with a penalty. Gabriel Jesus restored Arsenal’s lead after the break and after Emerson Royal was sent off, Granit Xhaka’s goal eventually secured all three points.
Arsenal started the game very offensively and almost got the opener within minutes when Gabriel Martinelli’s powerful half-volley smacked the post of Hugo Lloris.
The Gunners pressed relentlessly but, contrary to the flow of play, Spurs almost went ahead when Richarlison’s free-kick was parried by Aaron Ramsdale’s impressive reflex.
At the other end, Xhaka’s low shot whizzed just wide of the Lloris far post before Partey curled the ball into the top corner with a brilliant long-range effort to score the first goal.
Spurs held back well and were awarded a penalty just before half-time after Richarlison was brought down by Gabriel and Kane converted the equaliser.
The goal obviously gave Spurs a boost and they almost scored a second after a fine play which Kane finished off at the back post, but Ramsdale saved the ball.
It was even at half-time but Arsenal almost took the lead through Jesus, who combined well with Martin Odegaard in the box and whose shot was well blocked by Lloris.
As in the first half, Arsenal came out of the dressing room with plenty of momentum and this time it took just four minutes to take the lead. Bukayo Saka’s shot was blocked by Lloris and Jesus got past Cristian Romero and put the ball over the line.
Shortly after, Jesus should have scored the second when he failed to place a close-range header in Lloris’ goal.
Spurs tried their best to get back into the game but Emerson’s red card after the hour threw a spanner in the works. The Brazilian caught Martinelli with a foul on the ankle that didn’t look like red at first glance, but the VAR had no trouble confirming the decision and he was sent off.
Xhaka ended the game just moments later, scoring from close range and giving Arsenal an unassailable lead.
Spurs opted for damage control, standing deep and trying to avoid further problems, allowing the Gunners to secure a comfortable win.
Arsenal vs Tottenham individual review
1 Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale – Grade: 5/10 – Stopped Richarlison in the early stages with a nice save, but then seemed a bit uncertain. Was played by Kane on the penalty kick.
RV: Ben White – Grade: 6/10 – An awkward first half, but a small tactical change saw White improve after the break. Was influential at both ends of the field.
IV: William Saliba – Grade: 7/10 – Had enough composure to prevail. He consistently made the right decisions and never let his team down.
IV: Gabriel – Grade: 6/10 – Another fatal mistake when he missed the penalty. But he recovered well.
LV: Oleksandr Zinchenko – Grade: 5/10 – The stats were good to him, but the eye test wasn’t. Zinchenko was often out of position in the first half. He looked a little rusty on his return from injury.
ZDM: Thomas Partey – Grade: 7/10 – A wonderful goal at the start of the game. His penchant for long-range shots has finally paid off.
ZDM: Granit Xhaka – Grade: 7/10 – Was a bit careless in the first half, but improved significantly after the break. A beautiful goal.
RM: Bukayo Saka – Grade: 6/10 – Felt a bit isolated at times but has performed well at both ends of the field. Looked good when he finally got away from his defenders.
ZOM: Martin Ödegaard – Grade: 5/10 – Couldn’t get to the ball as often as he would have liked.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli – Grade: 7/10 – He showed some nice dribbles and always caused trouble when he ran into the Spurs back line.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – Grade: 7/10 – He was a major threat to the Spurs defense and deserved the goal.
Joker: Albert Sambi Lokonga (73rd for Partey) – Grade: 6/10 – Played with refreshing confidence.
Joker: Kieran Tierney (73rd for Zinchenko) – Grade: 6/10 – Enjoyed playing as a reverse full-back.
Joker: Fabio Vieira (80th for Odegaard) – Without grade
Joker: Eddie Nketiah (80th for Jesus) – No grade
Joker: Takehiro Tomiyasu (89th for White) – No grade
Coach: Mikel Arteta – Grade: 7/10 – Struggled to break through Spurs’ stubborn defense in the first half but found a way to free Saka in the second half and was rewarded for it.
2.Tottenham (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris – Rating: 4/10 – A few good saves and a few absolutely bad passes. He was bad at the second goal too.
IV: Cristian Romero – Grade: 5/10 – Incredibly lucky he wasn’t booked in the first half. Didn’t cover himself in glory with the second goal either.
IV: Eric Dier – Grade: 5/10 – Remained calm against the two Gabriels, but lost them immediately after the red card.
IV: Clement Lenglet – Grade: 6/10 – His job was to neutralize Saka and he did it quite well.
RM: Emerson Royal – Grade: 1/10 – Wasted himself even before the red card he received after an hour for a nasty foul.
CM: Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg – Grade: 4/10 – Lost his fight against Partey. Didn’t feel comfortable at either end of the pitch.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – Grade: 6/10 – Another solid performance from Bentancur. Led the midfield well and once again made an important contribution.
LM: Ivan Perisic – Grade: 5/10 – Did a good job against Saka in the first half and then a not so good job against Saka in the second half.
ZOOM: Richarlison – Grade: 5/10 – One had the feeling that he wanted to play too much in the center. Couldn’t get into the game that much.
ZOM: Son Heung-min – Grade: 6/10 – Was dangerous on counterattacks but struggled to get as many ball contacts as he would have liked.
ST: Harry Kane – Grade: 7/10 – Shot his penalty well and made some nice passes when he had the chance.
Joker: Davinson Sanchez (71st for Lenglet) – Grade: 6/10 – Did a decent job, but the game was already over by that point.
Joker: Yves Bissouma (71st for Perisic) – Grade: 6/10 – His presence alone helped in the midfield battle.
Joker: Ryan Sessegnon (71st for Richarlison) – Grade: 5/10 – Had few opportunities to do anything.
Joker: Matt Doherty (71st for Son) – Grade: 6/10 – Actually not that bad.
Joker: Oliver Skipp (75th for Höjbjerg) – grade: 4/10 – could hardly get the ball, but that was probably also due to being outnumbered.
Coach: Antonio Conte – Grade: 4/10 – Spurs’ two midfielders struggled against Arsenal when Zinchenko and Tierney came into play, but the manager only acted when it was too late. Bissouma’s substitution earlier might have done something.
Player of the Game – Gabriel Jesus
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
