Sunday’s North London derby was a game of low quality.
Tottenham had the better of the first half, with their midfield three of Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembélé running riot against the hosts’ diminutive pairing of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla, and took the lead through Harry Kane, who finished well after Danny Rose’s inviting through ball. However, Arsenal responded well in the second half; Olivier Giroud missed a pair of good chances soon after the interval, and the Gunners snatched a point through Kieran Gibbs after Mesut Özil’s cross, which was the Germany man’s tenth assist of the Premier League season.
For Arsenal this was something of a chance missed. Their opponents tired as the game went on, perhaps feeling the effects of their third game in a six-day period, and after Manchester City were held by Remi Garde’s Aston Villa, a win would have taken them top of the league. However, given the manner of Wednesday’s defeat to Bayern Munich, it was vital to get a result of sorts.
North London Derby Player Ratings:
Arsenal:
Petr Čech – 7/10
A pair of second-half saves, from Christian Eriksen’s strike and a Toby Alderweireld header, kept Arsenal in the game. Almost had a calamitous moment during a mix-up with Per Mertesacker, and his kicking was somewhat less assured than usual.
Mathieu Debuchy – 6/10
Spurs’ lack of an orthodox left-winger meant that the right-back had limited defensive work to do, and he failed to make a lasting impact on the game going forwards. Not an awful performance, but it is hard to see him keeping his spot once Hector Bellerin returns from injury.
Per Mertesacker – 4/10
A tough afternoon for the German. Mertesacker struggled with the task of marking Harry Kane, didn’t make an impact at either end from set-pieces and looked lost when Arsenal played a high line at times. Looked weary, and will be grateful for the timing of the international break.
Laurent Koscielny – 5/10
A poor game by the Frenchman’s exceptionally high standards. He inexplicably tried to play Kane offside for his goal, and looked leggy – it is very possibly that he was not fully fit after his hip injury.
Nacho Monreal – 6/10
Monreal has been Arsenal’s Mr. Reliable in recent months, and put in a solid shift yet again today. He dealt with the threats of Lamela and Eriksen well, but didn’t have his usual impact in attack. Despite Gibbs’ goal, it is unlikely that the Spaniard will be displaced as first choice left-back any time soon.
Francis Coquelin – 6/10
Started with his usual panache and aggression, with some crunching tackles flying in, but as the first half went on, he had issues dealing with the physicality of Alli, Dembele and Dier whilst showing a lack of positional awareness. He improved as the game went on, but he is not good enough in attack to spray some of his attempted long passes forwards.
Santi Cazorla – 4/10
One of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt; Cazorla was anonymous in the first half, with the exception of him giving the ball away on a couple of occasions, and was hauled off at half-time for Mathieu Flamini.
Joel Campbell – 5/10
Sloppy in possession as per usual. Campbell has shown flashes of quality in his three games in the first-team since the Sheffield Wednesday debacle, but his is over-reliant on his left foot, and his passing is laughably poor for an attacking player in a title-challenging side. Worked hard and looked up for the challenge, just lacking in quality.
Mesut Özil – 8/10
Whilst Campbell and Alexis were ineffective, the German posed a real threat in attack for Arsenal. His set-piece delivery was fantastic as always, and but for Olivier Giroud’s poor finishing, he could easily have ended the game with three assists.
PASS MASTER Mesut Ozil is the first player to provide an assist in SIX consecutive #BPL matches in the same season pic.twitter.com/KvXKRSldC8
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 8, 2015
Alexis Sanchez – 6/10
Worked hard as always, but looked somewhat jaded. Struggled to break through Tottenham’s resolute defence, and found himself up against a capable performer in Kyle Walker.
Olivier Giroud – 6/10
Missed a pair of chances that he should really have scored, but he held the ball up well on the whole, and looked the most likely player to score for the hosts. His off-the-ball scuffle with Jan Vertonghen was embarrassing for both parties.
Subs:
Mathieu Flamini – 6/10
Limited influence on the game, but helped Coquelin out when needed and filled in capably at right-back after Debuchy’s injury.
Kieran Gibbs – 7/10
Gave Arsenal a natural width that they were lacking with Alexis on the pitch, and took his goal well – even if Hugo Lloris could have done better.
Mikel Arteta – 5/10
No time to influence proceedings.
Tottenham Hotspur:
Hugo Lloris – 5/10
Should have saved Gibbs’ shot that gave the Gunners a point, and could have claimed a pair of crosses that led to Giroud chances. Made a smart, low save to deny Campbell.
Kyle Walker – 7/10
Did very well against Alexis throughout, and used his best asset – his pace – to his advantage. Perhaps he could have done better for Gibbs’ goal, but put in a good shift. Could he become England’s first choice right-back ahead of Euro 2016?
Toby Alderweireld – 6/10
Confident on the ball, but didn’t have much to deal with at the back from open play. Could have scored from a corner in the second half, but for a good save.
Jan Vertonghen – 6/10
Between him and Alderweireld, Tottenham have an extremely reliable centre-back pairing for the first time in a few seasons. Bizarrely didn’t mark Giroud from set-pieces, and could have been punished for the aforementioned incident with the Frenchman.
Danny Rose – 7/10
Won his individual battle with Campbell, and did well going forward, setting up Kane for the opener. Defended resolutely, and appears to have secured the left-back spot ahead of Ben Davies.
Eric Dier – 7/10
Has great presence in midfield, and was effective at breaking up the play in the second half when Spurs were on the back foot. Should have done better with his first-half header from Eriksen’s free-kick.
Dele Alli – 8/10
Showed maturity in a big game, and impressed Sky’s pundits with his physicality as he helped his side dominated the midfield. He is yet to look fazed by the nature of Premier League football.
Mousa Dembele – 7/10
Looks more willing to press and run under Pochettino than he ever did under Tim Sherwood or Andre Vilas-Boas. Dembele’s recent resurgence has been impressive, and he will look to carry his strong form through the international break.
Christian Eriksen – 5/10
Drifted in the attacking midfield role. His set-piece delivery is excellent, but he never asserted his authority on the game, despite plenty of space being offered by Arsenal’s occasionally lacklustre defence.
Erik Lamela – 6/10
Like Dembele, he looks a different player under Pochettino. The former Roma winger started well and with a real attacking intent, but fizzled out as the game went on. However, he showed an appetite for the tackle, which is crucial in a derby game.
Harry Kane – 7/10
Held up play well and took his chance beautifully, drawing praise from Thierry Henry for the way he opened up his body. The argument that he is a ‘one-season wonder’ seems to have been put to bed after his recent goals.
Subs:
Heung-Min Son – 5/10
Largely anonymous in his fifteen minutes on the pitch.
Ryan Mason – 5/10
Has lost his place in the side on account of Alli, Dembele and Dier’s excellence, and may struggle to win it back barring an injury to one of that trio.
Josh Onomah – 5/10
No time in which to influence proceedings.
