Bentancur and Danso Experience North London Derby Forgettable Performances

Gunners Squad Performance Reviews

David Raya Barely touched the ball as Arsenal commanded the match. Will be disappointed to have been surprised 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 Rarely tested 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 deputising for Gabriel Magalhães. Lacks the Brazilian’s physical prowess but makes up for it with skill and good decision-making. 7

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

Martín Zubimendi Directed the game from the base of midfield with usual authority. Fortunately, his mistake in giving the ball away for Richarlison’s goal didn’t affect the outcome. 7

Declan Rice Could have done better with first opportunity but can never fault his work rate. Tottenham could not cope with his powerful runs from midfield. 8

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

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

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

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be hard to displace him from the left flank once the rest of Arsenal’s forward players return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A positive 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 slowing play in the first half. Little opportunity with any of the Arsenal strikes. 6

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

Cristian Romero Usually a reliable last line of defence 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 several instances. Yet he was powerless to stop Arsenal once they found their rhythm. 6

Djed Spence Too sluggish to respond to stop the winger's goal and found himself under pressure. A testing occasion for the English full-back. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur Spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows. Could have done far better to stop the attacker from running past to score his first. 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 difficult to handle Saka. At fault for Arsenal’s third and question marks remain about his defending. 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 promising early moments. Needs more support 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 drive 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.

Margaret Patton
Margaret Patton

A tech journalist and business strategist with over a decade of experience covering digital transformation and startup ecosystems.