Bentancur and Danso Endure North London Derby Days to Forget

Gunners Squad Performance Reviews

David Raya Barely touched the ball as Arsenal controlled the match. Is likely frustrated to have been surprised by the Brazilian forward. 6

Jurriën Timber Rarely ever puts a foot wrong and was able to push forward at will. Persistence paid off in his key pass for Eze’s second goal. 8

William Saliba Seldom challenged by Spurs' defensive tactics. There will be bigger tests to come in the next few weeks without his regular defensive partner. 7

Piero Hincapié Appeared confident in filling in for Gabriel Magalhães. Doesn’t possess the Brazilian’s physical prowess but makes up for it with skill and good judgment. 7

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

Martín Zubimendi Controlled the game from the midfield anchor with typical authority. Luckily, his mistake in losing possession for Richarlison’s goal didn’t affect the outcome. 7

Declan Rice Should have done better with early chance but can never fault his effort. Tottenham could not handle his marauding runs from midfield. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the team he turned down in the summer. Produced a moment of magic to score a superb first before excellent finishes for his second and third goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few exchanges with the defender in the first half before springing to life. Enjoyed celebrating Eze’s hat-trick almost as much as the scorer did. 8

Mikel Merino Always a eager runner filling in up front and provided a moment of quality with a sublime pass for the left winger's goal. 8

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be hard to shift 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

Tottenham Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario Two decent saves as he mastered 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 brought into a back three. Expected that he was replaced at half-time. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a reliable last line of defence but could not cope with Arsenal’s incessant pressure. Added to his misery by picking up a booking that means he is now suspended. 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 pinned back. A testing occasion for the England defender. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur Spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows. Could have done far better to stop Eze from running past to score his opening goal. 4

João Palhinha Put himself about in midfield but was guilty of leaving an huge space for Eze to exploit twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it tough to contain the winger. At fault for Arsenal’s third and doubts remain about his defending. 5

Wilson Odobert Was difficult to work out what role he had been asked to fulfil. Couldn’t get any change out of Timber. 5

Richarlison Struggled to make any impact in the first half. But his excellent lob at least gave Tottenham something to take pride in. 7

Mohammed Kudus Almost anonymous aside from a couple of promising early moments. Needs more service but spends too much time on the fringes. 5

Subs: Xavi Simons (for Danso, ht) Made a impact with eagerness to drive forward with ball 6; Pape Sarr (for Odobert, 67) Added some energy 6; Randal Kolo Muani (for Bentancur, 67) Looked off the pace 5; Brennan Johnson (for Kudus, 78) The game was already over 6; Pedro Porro (for Spence, 78) Ended game arguing with the midfielder 6.

Franklin Sampson
Franklin Sampson

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in helping businesses adapt to emerging technologies.