Arsenal produced a statement victory over Tottenham in Saturday’s pulsating north London derby, with a dominant second half display from the Gunners taking the game away from their bitter rivals at the Emirates Stadium.
The home side raced into the lead through a stunning first-time curling effort from Thomas Partey, before Harry Kane equalised from the penalty spot to level the game by half-time.
But a goalkeeping howler from Hugo Lloris gave Gabriel Jesus the simplest of tap-ins to make it 2-1, before Granit Xhaka completed the rout just after the hour mark as Arsenal won a hard-fought grudge match 3-1 in north London.
Sportsmail’s SAMI MOKBEL rated the players from both sides at the Emirates.
Arsenal won a thrilling north London derby 3-1 after a dominant second half performance
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1)
Aaron Ramsdale – Indecision led to Tottenham’s first half penalty, but made a crucial save to deny Richarlison early on. 6.5
Ben White – Surely pushing for an England World Cup call up. Superb again for the Gunners. 7.5
William Saliba – Showed little nerves in his first game against Tottenham. Cool as ice in the heat of battle. Booked. 8
Gabriel Magalhaes – Cost his team a penalty with a poor decision to go to ground to challenge Richarlison. But very good for the most part. 6.5
Gabriel Magalhaes made the foul to give away Harry Kane’s first half penalty to make it 1-1
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Playing in his first North London Derby but was completely unfazed. Genuine quality at left back. 7
Thomas Partey – A doubt ahead of kick-off but didn’t play like it. Arsenal are a different team without him. Scored a brilliant goal. 8
Granit Xhaka – Lead from the front against Arsenal’s most hated of rivals. Unquestionably a leader in this Arsenal team. 8
Granit Xhaka has been praised for gathering a team huddle after Thomas Partey’s goal
Bukayo Saka – A constant threat with his pace and skill but was just as eye-catching going back the other way. 7.5
Martin Odegaard – Always ready to accept the ball and responsibility. Picked up some dangerous positions. Booked. 7
Gabriel Martinelli – His pace and directness caused Spurs all worlds of problems. Growing in stature in an Arsenal shirt. Booked. 8
Gabriel Jesus – Electric. Given Arsenal a new dimension in attack – turning into one of the signings of the summer. 8.5
It was Gabriel Jesus who found the back just after the half-time break to restore Arsenal’s lead
Subs:
Sambi (Partey 73); Tierney (Zinchenko 73); Vieira (Odegaard 80); Nketiah (Jesus 80); Tomiyasu (White 89).
Not used: Turner, Holding, Nelson, Marquinhos.
Manager – Mikel Arteta: No-one can begrudge his team celebrating this victory. His team were breathless and brilliant. 8
TOTTENHAM (3-4-3)
Hugo Lloris – A miserable afternoon. Will be disappointed with Partey’s opener and let the ball squirm from his grasp for Jesus’ goal. 5.5
Hugo Lloris’ blunder allowed Arsenal to go 2-1 up in the north London derby on Saturday
Cristian Romero – Very easy on the eye but was given a torrid time by Arsenal’s breathtaking attacking play. 6
Eric Dier – Fresh from a positive International break the England defender could do nothing to stem the tide of Arsenal attacks. 6
Clement Lenglet – Like a rabbit caught in the headlights and was eventually put out of his misery with his team 3-1 down. 5.5
Emerson Royal – Saw a red card for a high foot on Martinelli to leave Tottenham exposed. He didn’t fare much better prior to be honest. Red card. 5
Emerson’s card saw Tottenham go into a downward spiral and they never regained any control
Rodrigo Bentancur – His performance a positive in an otherwise day to forget for Spurs. Nice balance of combativeness and quality. 7
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – The game bypassed him. Simply couldn’t cope with Arsenal’s dynamism and ended up chasing shadows. 6
Ivan Perisic – Was solid enough and experience was key in the first-half before his team’s second half capitulation. 6
Richarlison – Arsenal were clearly wary of his pace and power. Won Tottenham’s penalty with his sheer persistence. 6.5
Harry Kane – Scored his 100th away Premier League goal at the Emirates but his won’t be a day the England captain will choose to remember. 6.5
Spurs found their way back into the game thanks to Harry Kane’s penalty in the first half
Son Heung-min – Showed some promising signs that he’s approaching his brilliant best but opportunities were at a premium for Tottenham. 6
Antonio Conte: His team suffered their first league defeat since April – and thoroughly deserved it. The Italian will be fuming. 6
Subs:
Sanchez (Lenglet 71); Sessegnon (Perisic 71); Bissouma (Richarlison 71); Doherty (Son 71); Skipp (Hojbjerg 75)
Not used: Forster, Gil, Spence, Sarr.
Referee: Anthony Taylor: 7
Antonio Conte has quickly become a fan favourite at Tottenham since taking charge last year
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