Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal: Which Spurs star ‘didn’t deserve to lose’? An Arsenal star oozes quality… but which defender struggled and scored 5.5?
Arsenal won a thrilling derby in North London on Sunday afternoon thanks to a second-half header from Gabriel.
In a heated first half, which saw the most yellow cards handed out in a Premier League match in the opening 45 minutes, the players clashed after Jurrien Timber narrowly avoided a red card.
The second half was also exciting, with Gabriel’s header from a Bukayo Saka corner scoring the only goal of the match.
Arsenal finished second with the win, while Tottenham remain in the bottom half of the table after a difficult start to the season.
Mail Sport’s SAMI MOKBEL and ISAAN KHAN give their assessments from North London.
Gabriel (left) scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday
The defender, along with William Saliba (right), also helped his team to another clean sheet
Mikel Arteta (pictured) has now won three North London derbies in a row – a feat Arsène Wenger has failed to achieve
Tottenham (4-3-3)
Guglielmo Vicario-6
Question marks over Arsenal’s winning goal. Could have claimed Saka’s corner. Good save from Havertz in the first half. Booked. 6
Pedro Porro – 6.5
Had problems with his feet in the beginning, but he developed into the game and gave me an outlet on the right.
Cristian Romero – 6
Bullied by Gabriel Magalhaes for Arsenal’s winning goal. Was strong until that precious moment.
Micky van de Ven – 7
His speed is such an important aspect of the way Postecoglou wants to play. Didn’t deserve to lose. Booked.
Destination Udogie – 6.5
Did well to minimise Saka’s impact. Complemented Tottenham’s attack at times. Booked.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5.5
Efficient and hardworking in midfield, but nothing more. Substituted when Spurs were chasing an equaliser. Booked.
James Maddison – 6.5
Showed some promising signs after a mixed start to the season. Still at his best.
Dejan Kulusevski – 6
Got into dangerous spots but couldn’t produce a final product on a frustrating afternoon. Gave the ball away too often. Booked.
Brennan Johnson – 6
Made Timber struggle a bit on Spurs’ right side but couldn’t unlock the door. Substituted.
Dominic Solanke – 6
Provided some physical presence in Spurs’ attacking line but hung around for too long on a chance in the first half.
Heung-min son – 6.5
Caused problems with White, especially in the first half. The captain was a threat, but has had more profitable afternoons.
Substitutes: Sarr 6 (Bentancur 68); Odobert 6 (Johnson 68); Werner (Maddison 80)
Ange Postecoglou – 6
Will feel disadvantaged, but his team can only blame themselves. Another set piece conceded.
ARSENAL (4-3-3)
DAVID RAYA-7
He established himself in the air, with Dominic Solanke constantly coming into play, and distributed well. Made two good saves in the first 10 minutes, setting the tone for his team.
BEN WIT – 5.5
Struggled with Son Heung-min but was helped by Bukayo Saka’s tracking back. Fortunately, his miscued pass, which found Solanke after 14 minutes, did not yield any more.
WILLEM SALIBA – 7
Was outclassed in some duels with Solanke, but kept coming back for more. Showed resilience in that aspect.
GABRIEL-8
Solid at the back and scored Arsenal’s winning goal with a powerful header from a corner. A crucial goal indeed.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 7
Involved in key phases of the game, both in attack and defence. Fortunately, he only received a yellow card for his excessive foul on Pedro Porro, given the way referee Jarred Gillett dealt with cautions.
JORGINHO – 6.5
Had not played this season yet, but stepped in with ease. The quality of the Italian ensures that he can come into big matches without rust.
THOMAS PARTEY- 6.5
Wasn’t in the middle without Rice next to him and made some good tackles.
LEANDRO TROSSARD -6.5
Filled in a midfield role he doesn’t normally play, characterized by his work without the ball and content with not being the man in attack.
BUKAYO SAKA – 6.5
Created the corner that resulted in Arsenal’s winning kick. His best work was not in attack but in defence, helping White selflessly down the right flank.
KAI HAVERTZ – 6.5
Worked very hard without the ball and tried to create an air route both inside and outside the box. Had two headers saved in the first half, one of which required a real stretch from Vicario.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 6.5
Should have done much better in the one-on-one chance he had against Guglielmo Vicario End, his product was lacking. But he did follow back and help the defence effectively.
Substitutes
Jesus for Trossard (80 min)
Sterling for Martinelli (80 min)
Nwaneri for Saka (86 min)
Administrator: MIKEL ARTETA – 7.5
Blasted out a win with a makeshift midfield missing key players like Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino. His ploy to keep Havertz up front worked. He’ll be happy about it.
Referee: JARRED GILETT – 5
Was very quick to issue yellow cards — there were seven in the first half, a joint Premier League record — which affected the game. The bar for a warning was set too low.