Arsenal vs Tottenham result: Player ratings as Gunners deservedly edge the north London derby
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: Lamela and Odegaard traded first-half strikes before Lacazette’s penalty
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the north London derby on Sunday.
Emile Smith Rowe went close to opening the scoring with a clipped effort from 20 yards which struck the crossbar, with the Gunners dominating the opening stages.
But it was Spurs who opened the scoring around the half-hour mark through Erik Lamela’s brilliant piece of improvisation, sending a low rabona finish into the far bottom corner after replacing the injured Son Heung-min.
Cedric Soares almost immediately put the Gunners back on terms with a thunderous strike against the post, but it was Martin Odegaard who finally managed the equaliser with a deflected finish from the centre of the box.
An Alexandre Lacazette penalty put the Gunners ahead just past the hour mark, before Lamela received two yellow cards in eight minutes to leave Spurs a man light and see Arsenal take the points, despite Harry Kane’s late free-kick hitting the post.
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Here are the player ratings from the derby on Sunday.
Arsenal
Bernd Leno - 6. Had nothing to do until he had to pick the ball out of the net. Lucky not to cost the win with the late free-kick.
Cedric Soares - 7. Some very good runs down the flank and unlucky not to score with a strike from range.
David Luiz - 6. Tidy, if underworked during the game.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 8. Strong aerially to repel Spurs’ infrequent attacks and a brilliant late block.
Kieran Tierney - 8. The real playmaker of the team. Superb on the dribble and smart with his cut-backs.
Thomas Partey - 8. Very hard-working to stop Spurs’ counters. Totally bullied Hojbjerg.
Granit Xhaka - 6. Mostly a supporting role to close out passing lanes and lay off the simple ball.
Bukayo Saka - 6. Doubled-up on at times but still a good outlet. Subbed at the break.
Martin Odegaard - 7. Scruffy but well-timed goal for his first in the Premier League.
Emile Smith Rowe - 7. Excellent outlet in the first half and a real hub of the team’s build-up play.
Alexandre Lacazette - 6. The surprise starter due to Aubameyang’s indiscretion and didn’t offer much in the first 45. One effort saved after the break then netted a penalty.
Substitutes
Nicolas Pepe - 6. A couple of counters and a good pass for the penalty.
Willian - n/a
Mohamed Elneny - n/a
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris - 5. Couldn’t do anything about four Arsenal shots; one went in, two struck the woodwork, one was a penalty.
Matt Doherty - 5. Run ragged with no support from midfield against the Gunners’ left-sided threat.
Davinson Sanchez - 5. Ponderous on the ball and failed to make a couple of routine clearances. Fouled Lacazette for the penalty.
Toby Alderweireld - 6. Unfortunate with the deflection on the goal. Stood firm with his clearances but
Sergio Reguilon - 6. Decent on the ball, less than stellar defensively.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 4. Fine in possession but defensively couldn’t keep track of the runners and resorted to fouls and dropping ever-deeper.
Tanguy Ndombele - 6. Overrun and not hugely involved in the first half. Did move into a more advanced role briefly but failed to impress and replaced around the hour mark.
Gareth Bale - 6. Bypassed for much of the first half. Moved central after the break but subbed before the hour mark.
Lucas Moura - 6. Made very little impact in either half of the pitch until the last 10 minutes, when he started dribbling past every tackle Arsenal made.
Son Heung-min - 6. Barely had a kick before going off injured.
Harry Kane - 5. Anonymous is a kind way to describe the striker’s performance through 89 minutes, before hitting the post late on.
Substitutes
Erik Lamela - 7. Unbelievable finish for one of the individual goals of the season. Some other bright moments, but then also two fouls, one yellow card...and another which inevitably followed for an outstretched arm in Tierney’s face.
Moussa Sissoko - 5. Didn’t help Spurs seize control at all in the middle.
Dele Alli - 5. Didn’t really get involved.
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