Danso and Bentancur Endure North London Derby Days to Forget

Arsenal Player Ratings

David Raya Hardly handled the ball as Arsenal controlled the game. Will be frustrated to have been caught napping by the Brazilian forward. 6

Jurriën Timber Rarely ever puts a foot wrong and was able to advance at will. Persistence paid off in his key pass for Eberechi Eze's second goal. 8

William Saliba Seldom challenged by Tottenham’s defensive approach. There will be tougher challenges to come in the next few weeks without his regular defensive partner. 7

Piero Hincapié Appeared confident in filling in for the Brazilian defender. Lacks the his physical prowess but makes up for it with technique and good judgment. 7

Riccardo Calafiori Didn't practice all week due to a hip problem but didn’t look sluggish. Provides Arsenal with excellent energy all over the field. 8

Martín Zubimendi Directed the game from the base of midfield with typical authority. Luckily, his mistake in giving the ball away for the consolation strike didn’t affect the outcome. 7

Declan Rice Should have done better with first opportunity but can never fault his effort. Tottenham could not cope with his powerful runs from deep. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the team he turned down in the summer. Produced a moment of magic to score a superb first before superb finishes for his next two goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few exchanges with Udogie in the first half before coming alive. Loved celebrating Eze’s hat-trick almost as much as the scorer did. 8

Mikel Merino Always a willing runner playing up front and provided a moment of class with a exquisite pass for Trossard’s strike. 8

Leandro Trossard Skillfully took his goal. Will be difficult to shift him from the left wing once the rest of Arsenal’s forward players return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A welcome return from knee injury 7; Ethan Nwaneri (for Merino, 86) n/a; Cristhian Mosquera (for Hincapie, 86) n/a; Myles Lewis-Skelly (for Calafiori, 90) n/s

Spurs Squad Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario Two decent saves as he perfected the art of timewasting in the first half. No chance with any of the goals. 6

Kevin Danso Made a nervous start after being introduced to a back three. Expected that he was replaced at the break. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a reliable center-back but could not handle Arsenal’s incessant pressure. Added to his misery by picking up a booking that means he is now banned. 5

Micky van de Ven The speedy Dutchman came to his side’s rescue on more than one occasion. Yet he was unable to stop Arsenal once they found their rhythm. 6

Djed Spence Far too slow to react to stop Trossard scoring and found himself under pressure. A testing occasion for the English full-back. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur Spent most of the afternoon struggling to keep up. Could have done far better to stop the attacker from running past to score his first. 4

João Palhinha Put himself about in midfield but was at fault of leaving an enormous space for Eze to exploit twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it tough to contain Saka. At fault for Arsenal’s third and doubts remain about his defending. 5

Wilson Odobert Was difficult to work out what position he had been asked to play. Couldn’t get any change out of Timber. 5

Richarlison Struggled to make any influence in the first half. But his excellent lob at least gave Tottenham something to cling on to. 7

Mohammed Kudus Virtually anonymous aside from a couple of promising early moments. Needs more service but spends too much time on the fringes. 5

Subs: Xavi Simons (for Danso, ht) Made a impact with willingness to drive forward with ball 6; Pape Sarr (for Odobert, 67) Added some energy 6; Randal Kolo Muani (for Bentancur, 67) Looked slow 5; Brennan Johnson (for Kudus, 78) The game was already over 6; Pedro Porro (for Spence, 78) Ended game arguing with Rice 6.

Danielle Lowe
Danielle Lowe

A professional poker coach with over a decade of experience in high-stakes tournaments and strategy development.