Player ratings are nice and cool. They are even nicer after a very good North Derby victory. We decided to double down this week and do a duel.
Bernd Leno – AG: 6 | AL: 6
Help: The thing about Arsenal’s performance today is that Leno did not really have anything to do. Went the wrong way on Kane’s late free kick.
Aaron: Hard to blame him for the goal since he first saw it. Instead of playing a pass and perhaps putting a teammate under pressure, he noticed that he was going on the field a few times.
Cedric Soares – AG: 5 | AL: 6
Help: Hit badly in the build-up to Lamela’s goal. His crossing was not good and deteriorated a lot in the first half. He did hit the crossbar, but it showed last week that Bellerín is clearly the better option.
Aaron: Thought he was somewhat better on the ball than he normally is. You know what you would expect from him without any horrible mistakes. Yes, he may have been beaten in the run-up to the goal, but sometimes it happens, you know?
David Luiz – AG: 7 | AL: 8
Help: If he’s good, he’s very good. Did not put a foot wrong today. Nice variety at his departure.
Aaron: Sturdy, flawless match. Even, oddly enough, he finds himself on the ball around the Tottenham penalty area and helps it generate some half chances. You could see that he was also a vocal leader today.
Gabriel – AG: 8 | AL: 9
Help: Both he and David Luiz had very little to do until the last ten minutes, but Gabriel, like his compatriot, was excellent. Brilliant block at the end.
Aaron: Not sure he was beaten once today. Back to the early season level that made me think he could become a bold CB star. And yes, the victory with his header saved.
Kieran Tierney – AG: 9 | AL: 9
Help: The left side absolutely dominated, sending Lamela and setting up Ødegaard’s goal. He is fantastic.
Aaron: Up there with Bukayo Saka for the most important player at the moment. Arsenal are another side with him attacking left. Matt Doherty is going to have nightmares about how badly Tierney roasted him for Arsenal’s first goal.
Thomas Partey – AG: 6.5 | AL: 5
Help: It would be higher until the last fifteen minutes when he carelessly gave the ball away a few times and conceded a stupid free kick, from which Kane hit the post. He’s clearly a class above anyone else in Arsenal midfield, but I think he’s clearly not fit either. Great things in building up ESR’s first half shot too. Must also prevent him from shooting.
Aaron: Thought he had a nice pedestrian match, at least by his own standards. Definitely did not stand out in the same way as the other points this season. Absolutely awful ending of fifteen minutes of the match.
Granite Xhaka – AG: 7 | AL: 8
Help: We know of its limitations. It was sometimes painful to watch him go backwards and take an extra touch after the one-act play by Partey, Ødegaard and Smith Rowe. But he was also very good again. 94% who passed in midfield, 4/5 on long balls, helped establish Arsenal’s control.
Aaron: One of Xhaka’s best matches of the season. Thomas Partey, who was not his usual force in midfield, got the slap. Had some fantastic defensive decks and strong tackles. The sliding suit he put on Matt Doherty towards the end of the second half was authoritative and textbook. And gives Granit a record that Erik Lamela does not allow himself to be something stupid.
Bukayo Saka – AG: 7 | AL: 6.5
Help: Hopefully his injury is not bad. He was bright and resourceful in the first half, although his support from Cédric did not suit him as well as Bellerín.
Aaron: It was clear that he did not have as much time to do his thing due to the injury. Thought he was a little more reluctant to tackle his husband than usual, but was still involved in his productive pass compositions. Maybe one day the referees in the Premier League will start protecting him like the star he is; he has been twice as hard committed today.
Martin Ødegaard – AG: 8 | AL: 9
Help: His best match for Arsenal. 96.6% pass rate, some beautiful one-off stuff, created two chances and scored a goal. 3 tackles too; his work rate is great, he is buzzing, and his overall game was really very good. I want Arsenal to keep him.
Aaron: Not much more to add. I was skeptical about Arsenal’s ability to make it work with him and Emile Smith Rowe on the field (because the Leeds game was on the sidelines, the formation did not click so well), but it worked today. He has a sixth sense for when he needs to move the ball fast and when the game needs to be slowed down. Underestimated counter-press and ball recovery as well.
Emile Smith Rowe – AG: 9 | AL: 9
Help: If that first half had shot, I would have gone to town. An outstanding game, dominated, with Tierney, the left. If you have some great chances for Lacazette (more on this in a minute), 4 key passes with 97% passing are excellent, and he connects so well with other Arsenal players. He was not at his best on the left tonight, but it was an excellent everyday performance.
Aaron: Great to see ESR backing up for that. After looking so brightly back in January when he was first included in the group, he started to slow down and looked a bit bony. It looks like the injury was just there he needed to get the spring back in its pace. Along with Kieran Tierney, Matt Doherty absolutely ate lunch on the left flank.
Alexandre Lacazette – AG: 5 | AL: 6
Help: Would not have started if Aubameyang had not been disciplined, and it’s pretty clear why. Better than he was, in that he took a few shots from open play, but he was the opposite of the three behind them. While moving fast, inventively and always, Lacazette was troublesome and static. Arlo White has never made a more genuine comment than: “Lacazette does not want to run backwards,” and Arsenal missed it. In the second half, Arteta kept yelling at him. Good penalty, after a full air shot on the pass of Pépé. And a nutmeg 8 meters from the goal is absolute nonsense, even if Cédric runs on and hits the bar.
Aaron: Worked as hard as usual when Arsenal were not in possession. Was especially good in the first half when he came up on wings to balance Tottenham in the wider areas (but that sometimes left the middle vacant). Converting fines is a skill, and Lacazette has a bunch of them. He has to take over Aubameyang when they are both on the field – his conversion rate is higher.
Nicolas Pépé – AG: 7 | AL: 8
Help: Very good as a replacement for Saka. Maybe it should have started when Aubameyang did not do it because he poses a threat behind. Fantastic pass for Lacazette, was direct and came in good positions.
Aaron: Another Appearance Contribution for Pepe. Look, we all created him when he did not create and score goals, and now he just does. He was one of Arsenal’s better, more dangerous strikers because he’s been up and running for two months now. The pass he made to Alexandre Lacazette was absolutely wonderful.
Willian – AG: 5 | AL: 4
Help: Why?
Aaron: Not to say that Willian is entirely to blame, but Arsenal’s inability to go on and hold the ball to close out the match is consistent with his acquaintance with the match.
Mohamed Elneny – AG: 6 | AL: 5
Help: Since to exclude things, many run as indicated, to try to help Arsenal regain control. Not sure if he really touched the ball.
Aaron: Definitely a player who played in this game.