Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Mikel Arteta secures third consecutive win at Spurs’ home
The 196th North London derby’s bragging rights go to Arsenal, who claimed a trademark 1-0 win over neighbours Tottenham on Sunday.
In another closely fought affair, which saw seven yellows cards in the first half (five for Tottenham, two for Arsenal); the joint-most cards ever shown in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match, Gabriel Magalhães decided the contest in the 64th minute when he nodded home Bukayo Saka’s corner.
This result means the Gunners have won six consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since March–September 2013, when they won eight in a row under Arsène Wenger. They’ve also now won three consecutive away North London derbies for the first time since September 1988.
Here’s how the players rated at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario – 6.5 – Booked following the scuffle sparked by Timber’s challenge on Porro, it occurred moments after the Italian goalkeeper appeared nervous following an Arsenal corner, and that continued after the hour mark when conceding the game’s opener.
Destiny Udogie – 6.5 – Enjoyed an engaging battle with Saka down Tottenham’s left flank but received Spurs’ first yellow card after taking out the English international.
Micky van de Ven – 6.5 – Booked for recklessly challenging Trossard and not getting anywhere near the ball. The speedster also came close to putting Spurs ahead, but his header shortly after the break lacked the power to beat Raya.
Cristian Romero – 7 – He fired the crowd up with a superb spell of defending that ended with a tackle on Timber, but minutes later he was meant to be picking up Gabriel. It was poor from the Argentinian.
Pedro Porro – 7 – No one in a Spurs jersey created more chances than Porro, who often found himself in Tottenham’s final third but lacked the killer ball he’s capable of producing.
James Maddison – 7 – You can’t fault Maddison’s off-the-ball work, as he made two challenges and two interceptions. But his playmaking opportunities were limited because of Arsenal’s stronghold in midfield.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6 – Came into this game after being sanctioned by the Football Association; in a tense game, the Uruguayan was cautioned after bringing Havertz down after he performed a textbook centre-forward play.
Dejan Kulusevski – 6.5 – After starting the game promisingly, he was booked for pulling back Jorginho on the stroke of half-time.
Son Heung-Min – 6.5 – A man for the big occasions, and his record in this particular fixture is good, but Tottenham’s skipper and talisman effectively played on the periphery for much of it.
Dominic Solanke – 6 – Had one sharp chance, and though he fits well into this Spurs team and gave Saliba something to think about, especially early on, the English marksman fell off toward the end.
Brennan Johnson – 6.5 – Had two opportunities to put Spurs ahead before halftime. First, a low strike was blocked behind, then he shot from an angle and missed the target.
Substitutes:
Pape Sarr (for Bentancur 68) – N/A – A late sub.
Wilson Odobert (for Johnson 68) – N/A – A late sub.
Timo Werner (for Maddison 80) – N/A – A late sub.
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Arsenal
David Raya – 8 – Another commanding performance, Raya made numerous key interventions and earned this clean sheet.
Jurriën Timber – 6.5 – Escaped a more severe punishment after going in late on Porro and was shown a yellow card. “Just listening to what is being said in Stockley Park. Timber touches the ball but he doesn’t follow through over it which is what saved him from it being a red card,” Gary Neville explained on Sky Sports commentary.
Gabriel Magalhães – 8 – He was immense defensively before making the breakthrough at the other end. The counter-attacking chance that led to the corner started with superb defending from the Brazilian in his box. Unmarked six yards out from Saka’s corner, Gabriel headed home to put the visitors in front. He subsequently becomes the fourth Arsenal player to score 10+ headed goals in the Premier League alongside Olivier Giroud (27), Ian Wright (14) and Emmanuel Adebayor (12).
William Saliba – 6.5 – First to be cautioned by referee Jarred Gillett for delaying the restart. His booking (14:48) was the earliest by an Arsenal defender in this fixture in the Premier League since Bacary Sagna (12:34) in November 2010.
Ben White – 7 – Showed great effort in attack and supported the dynamic Saka well.
Leandro Trossard – 6.5 – There were glimpses of Trossard’s brilliant forward play, but on this occasion, the Belgian wasn’t at the forefront of Arsenal’s attacking work.
Thomas Partey – 7.5 – Became the last player to complete a pass in this game, which occurred well after 10 minutes into the match. He finished the game strongly, though, with two interceptions made, two aerial duels won and 81% pass success.
Jorginho – 6 – Had an eventful re-start following the break, first dispossessed by Solanke, leading to a Spurs chance before entering the referee’s book for bringing Maddison down.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7.5 – No one in an Arsenal jersey had more touches (eight) in the opposition box than Martinelli, who produced one shot on target, as well as winning back possession (six times). This was a selfless and hardworking outing for the Brazilian forward.
Kai Havertz – 7.5 – Has been in incredible goal-scoring form as of late. Although Havretz didn’t add to his tally, the German international was a good focal point for Arteta’s side. No player won more aerial duels (8) or more duels overall (11) than him. He also recorded the most pressures of any player (30).
Bukayo Saka – 7.5 – Produced a brilliant cross to help put the Gunners in front. It means Arsenal have scored 23 goals from set pieces (excl. pens) since the start of last season in the Premier League – the most of any side. He left the game having won both of his attempted tackles. “Saka’s off the ball work defensively, I don’t think there are much better wide players,” came Neville’s verdict.
Substitutes:
Gabriel Jesus (for Trossard 80) – N/A – A late sub.
Raheem Sterling (for Martinelli 80) – N/A – The first player to make his competitive Arsenal debut in a match against Tottenham since Isaiah Rankin in December 1997.
Ethan Nwaneri (for Saka 85) – N/A – A late sub.