Arsenal regain bragging rights in the North London Derby with a dominating win over Tottenham at the Emirates.
Arsenal secured a foothold at the top of the Premier League table with a terrific win over arch-rivals Tottenham at the Emirates. Goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka secured the three points for Mikel Arteta’s side, while Spurs right-back Emerson Royal saw red midway through the second period.
The Gunners dominated from the first minute and had a few chances to warm Hugo Lloris’ palms. They were soon rewarded with an opener as Partey stuck from outside the box to perfection and beyond the French goalkeeper’s reach. Arsenal did not sit back as they continued to search for a second strike to take advantage.
When Arsenal looked to be running away with the game, Tottenham were awarded a penalty against the run of play. Xhaka lost control of the ball, putting teammate Gabriel Magalhaes under pressure as the Brazilian fouled Richarlison in the box. Harry Kane made no mistake and slotted it at the centre of Aaron Ramsdale’s goal.
As the first half ended with the scores level, Arsenal came out flying in the second half. Partey laid the ball out to Bukayo Saka on the right, who found space to get his shot away. Lloris palmed it towards Cristian Romero, which rebounded and fell invitingly to Jesus with the goal at his mercy.
'I don't know how, but congrats." ?
Gabriel Jesus after handing fellow goalscorer Granit Xhaka Man Of The Match ? pic.twitter.com/mGTtPUOdQF
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 1, 2022
The second strike was certainly a Lloris error, but the events after that period were entirely on Antonio Conte. The manager refused to amend his tactics and chose to keep the shape and style of his team intact. Meanwhile, Royal found himself receiving a needless red card after a challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal took full control of proceedings after the sending-off, as Gabriel Martinelli then set Xhaka up for the third. The Swiss star drilled his effort past Lloris to kill the game effectively. The victory took the Gunners four points above Tottenham and firmly at the top of the table.
Here are the ratings from Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Tottenham at the Emirates.
Arsenal
Aaron Ramsdale – 7/10
Ramsdale made a brilliant save early in the game to deny Richarlison from point-blank range. After that, he was barely tested, although he did concede the goal from the spot-kick, jumping the wrong way.
Ben White – 7/10
A solid, reliable performance from Ben White, who was more involved in helping Arsenal in the final third. He kept the likes of Perisic and Son in check for most parts and got the assist for the Partey strike. He could have had another had Jesus guided his header correctly.
William Saliba – 9/10
A brilliant performance from Saliba, who at times was under tremendous pressure but got out of situations with ease. The young man showed immense maturity with his display as he kept a tight lid on the threat posed by Tottenham forwards.
William Saliba's game by numbers vs. Tottenham:
100% aerial duels won
100% take-ons completed
96% pass accuracy
79 touches
71 passes
11 ball recoveries
6 passes into final ⅓
5 duels won
3 tackles made
3 clearances
0x dribbled past? Do do do do do do do do ? pic.twitter.com/HgjpmO2OJQ
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 1, 2022
Gabriel – 6/10
Gabriel has been a bit sloppy in previous games, and right away, when he conceded the penalty, all eyes were on him. In his defence, the Brazilian was under pressure after Xhaka failed to control the ball, and the defender was left with no choice but to concede a penalty. Beyond that, he showed immense maturity to keep Tottenham’s attack at bay.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
Zinchenko was technically sound but did look a bit off in the first period. In the end, his selection proved to be the correct decision for Arteta. The Ukrainian was more active in the second half but took off after scoring the third goal.
Mikel Arteta ? on Partey's goal
"We were waiting for that for a long time.Shoot ,shoot and finally this goal
I'm happy for him ,he deserves it." pic.twitter.com/fZYAxpmC6C
— George Addo Jnr (@addojunr) October 1, 2022
Thomas Partey – 8/10
A sensational performance from Partey as he finally got his goal from a distance. It was a strike from the midfielder, as the Emirates ruptured in joy. In the centre, he was immense in controlling the ball and dominating proceedings. He also had a hand in the build-up to the remaining two goals.
Granit Xhaka – 8/10
Adjudged man of the match against Spurs, Xhaka continued his impressive performances and got another goal to his name, his first derby strike in England. Overall, he was fantastic in midfield and deserved the accolade for his leadership on the pitch.
? "We've got, Granit Xhaka!" ?
? @PremierLeague Player of the Match
? How much love for Granit today, Gooners? pic.twitter.com/oCR2XZ2VlG
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 1, 2022
Martin Odegaard – 6/10
A relatively quiet game by Odegaard’s standards, but the Arsenal captain was instrumental in helping play tick in the final third. There were a few tidy moments where he created chances and had a shot himself, but otherwise, he was decent.
Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Saka often found plenty of space in wide areas and tried to weave his magic. He was instrumental in creating the first goal and was involved heavily in the final third activities throughout the match.
Gabriel Jesus – 8/10
Jesus was thoroughly involved in his first North London Derby and got his goal after a fortunate error from Lloris. The Brazilian was deeply involved in the attacking third, keeping Dier & co busy throughout the afternoon.
First Derby, first gol, first win… ????⚽️
Well played, guys! Team! ????#alômãe#gratidão#doperi pic.twitter.com/FMaKrf2AKN— Gabriel Jesus (@gabrieljesus9) October 1, 2022
Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10
Martinelli was a constant thorn for Tottenham’s defence, as his direct runs caused all sorts of problems at the back. Set up Xhaka’s goal, which killed the game off, but his overall threat in the attack was admirable.
Substitutes
Sambi Lokonga – 6/10
The two-goal cushion and a man advantage allowed Arteta to take Partey off and bring Sambi Lokonga. The midfielder controlled proceedings and kept things ticking.
Kieran Tierney – 6/10
Tierney replaced Zinchenko and could have scored with a stinger, only for Lloris to palm his effort away.
Fabio Vieira – 5/10
Like the other substitutions, Vieira replaced Odegaard to get some minutes under his belt and was decent enough to keep the attack afloat.
Eddie Nketiah – 5/10
He came on and threatened the Spurs’ defence with his movements.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – N/A
Not much time on the pitch to have an impact.
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris – 4/10
Apart from looking shaky overall, Lloris made a big error leading to the second Arsenal goal. The keeper was to blame for a weak save off Saka’s shot and then failing to control the situation.
Emerson Royal – 2/10
A terrible afternoon for Royal, who was quite anonymous until his sending-off put Tottenham under tremendous pressure. In a moment of madness, the defender stamped Martinelli, leading to the referee handing out a straight red card. This could be when he might be resigned to the bench for a long time, with Matt Doherty likely making the right wing-back position his own.
"The game was over after 70 minutes!"
Antonio Conte gives his thoughts on his side's loss to Arsenal and why he made such big changes late on in the game… ?
?️ @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/55rvVA6Pe3
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 1, 2022
Christian Romero – 5.5/10
Barring a moment when Romero ventured forward with purpose, the Argentine mostly settled to sit deep as Arsenal continued their relentless attacks from his side. He was also involved in the error leading to the second Gunners goal and will be disappointed by his performance on such an important stage.
Eric Dier – 5/10
Dier was decent in the first period but complacent in the second half when he was at fault for the third Arsenal goal. He did his job at the back well, but he was kept busy by Jesus inside the box.
Clement Lenglet – 5.5/10
Lenglet suffered a reality check in the Premier League as this was his busiest game since signing for Spurs. As Saka, Ben White and Martin Odegaard constantly attacked from his zone; the Frenchman will take the experience back with him. Otherwise, it was a decent performance from the Barcelona loanee.
Ivan Perisic – 5/10
Started the game ahead of Ryan Sessegnon; Perisic had little to no impact. In one instance, he found ample space to make something happen, only to sky the ball into the stands.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6/10
He could have had an important performance, but Hojbjerg failed to take control of midfield in light of Partey and Xhaka’s presence. He was not supported properly by Rodrigo Bentancur, but the Dane was on hand to make some important blocks and defensive interceptions.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6/10
One of Tottenham’s better performers on the evening, as Bentancur tried to make things happen and take control. His partnership with Hojbjerg did not yield anything meaningful, but he could be content with his display at the Emirates.
Richarlison – 6/10
There were periods when Richarlison looked threatening, but for most parts, he was contained well by the Arsenal defence. He did win the penalty leading to Tottenham’s equaliser, but after that had an awfully quiet period.
Heung-min Son – 5.5/10
After a relatively productive end to the first half, Son had a bad second period, often finding himself in the defensive third. He allowed Saka space to get his shot away leading to the second Arsenal goal, but the South Korean would have wanted to be more active in his final third than in the defensive area.
Harry Kane has now scored more career goals against Arsenal (14) than Didier Drogba (13). ?
A new worst nightmare and he lives next door. #NLD pic.twitter.com/RKn4u9Efvb
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 1, 2022
Harry Kane – 6/10
At one point in the second half, Kane seemed like he might drag Tottenham back into the game after a clever performance in the first half. He was quiet in the second period, but with the penalty in the first half, Kane surpassed Thierry Henry to become the all-time top scorer in the NLD.
Substitutes
Yves Bissouma – 4/10
Conte made a raft of defensive changes after going down 3-1, and Bissouma was the first to arrive. The midfielder barely had any impact on changing Tottenham’s fortunes after that.
Matt Doherty – 4/10
More than having an impact in the game, the substitution was designed to give Doherty some valuable minutes as Conte eases him back from an injury.
Davinson Sanchez – 4/10
Looked like a needless substitution, not designed to impact the game.
Ryan Sessegnon – 5/10
Sessegnon found little joy on the flanks since replacing Perisic after the third Arsenal goal, but beyond that, his impact was limited.
Oliver Skipp – 4/10
Skipp was decent off the ball, but on it, he did not have any impact on changing the course of the game.
