Danso and Bentancur Experience North London Derby Forgettable Performances

Gunners Squad Ratings

David Raya Barely touched the ball as the Gunners dominated the fixture. Is likely frustrated to have been caught napping by the Brazilian forward. 6

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

William Saliba Seldom challenged by Spurs' defensive approach. There will be bigger tests to come in the next few weeks without his usual defensive partner. 7

Piero Hincapié Appeared confident in filling in for Gabriel Magalhães. Lacks the his physical prowess but makes up for it with skill and good judgment. 7

Riccardo Calafiori Hadn’t trained all week due to a hip problem but didn’t look sluggish. Provides Arsenal with excellent energy all over the pitch. 8

Martín Zubimendi Directed the game from the midfield anchor with typical authority. Fortunately, his mistake in giving the ball away for the consolation strike didn’t affect the result. 7

Declan Rice Could have done better with early chance but can never question his work rate. Tottenham could not cope with his powerful runs from midfield. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the team he rejected in the summer. Delivered a moment of magic to score a superb first before superb finishes for his second and third goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few handbags with Udogie in the first half before coming alive. Loved celebrating the three goals almost as much as the goal-getter did. 8

Mikel Merino Always a eager runner filling in up front and provided a moment of quality with a sublime pass for Trossard’s strike. 8

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be difficult to displace him from the left wing once the rest of Arsenal’s attacking options return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A welcome return from injury layoff 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 slowing play in the first half. No chance with any of the goals. 6

Kevin Danso Made a shaky start after being brought into a three-man defense. No surprise that he was replaced at the break. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a reliable last line of defence but could not handle Arsenal’s incessant pressure. Added to his misery by receiving a booking that means he is now suspended. 5

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

Djed Spence Too sluggish to respond 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 much more to stop the attacker from dribbling through to score his opening goal. 4

João Palhinha Put himself about in the center but was guilty of leaving an enormous space for the playmaker to exploit twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it tough to handle Saka. To blame for Arsenal’s third and question marks remain about his defensive abilities. 5

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

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

Mohammed Kudus Almost anonymous aside from a couple of encouraging early touches. Needs more service but spends too much time on the periphery. 5

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

Deborah Garcia
Deborah Garcia

Lena is a digital marketing strategist with over 10 years of experience in SEO and content marketing, passionate about helping startups scale.