Player Ratings: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Arsenal
On the back of a three-game winning run, Arsenal went to the Lane for the last derby at the ground, a ground where they have won more league titles than the hosts. However, and after a very disappointing yet not so surprising loss, it is now official that Tottenham will finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1995.
Here are the ratings…
Petr Cech: 7/10
Static on his line for his 9th penalty of the season but otherwise he was arguably our best player this afternoon, especially after the break, keeping out a number of shots and saving Arsenal from further humiliation.
Gabriel: 3.5/10
Quite solid in the first-half, he imploded after the break, letting Kane go past him for the opener before conceding a silly penalty only one minute later, one of the biggest architects of this loss. The penalty might be a soft call but he went in too recklessly anyways.
Laurent Koscielny: 5.5/10
Le Capitaine kept Kane and Alli quiet before the break but he couldn’t do much to prevent the two goals in quick sucession when the whole team crumbled as a unit.
Nacho Monreal: 5/10
The Spaniard was preferred to Rob Holding on the left side of the back three and did his job well for most of the game before totally crumbling under pressure when Eriksen got into the game.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 5/10
A mixed game for The Ox; he suffered against Son and Davies but was still there to deny any real threat on Arsenal’s goal. However, he was unable to do anything of significance once with the ball at his feet.
Granit Xhaka: 4/10
One of his worst games for Arsenal, as he was constantly harassed and misplaced an unusual number of passes, the fact that he got subbed off at the hour mark for Welbeck tells a lot about his performance. However, his quality is still undeniable and his place in the side in not under any threat.
Aaron Ramsey : 6/10
Arsenal’s driving force in the first-half, the Welshman covered an awful lot of ground, breaking lines with some passes and winning the ball back, almost always leading to a good situation for the Gunners. Switched off a bit after the break like most of the team.
Kieran Gibbs: 6/10
The left wing-back was one of the better players for Arsenal, trying hard to bring the ball into the wide areas in order to find Giroud, his delivery has let him down though. Although he restricted Tripper’s offensive contribution, he should have done more to create chances at the other end.
Mesut Özil: 4.5/10
In games where Arsenal don’t have the ball for most of the time, you can’t expect him to run the show, but you still expect better from the German. He failed to get into the right areas until it was too late, that’s a summary of his performance: too little too late.
Alexis Sanchez: 5.5/10
He hasn’t scored nor created a lot of chances but it was one of Alexis’s best performances in weeks. He still lost a lot of balls and made a few questionable choices but there was a slight improvement compared as to in recent games, where his goals have saved him from any criticism.
Olivier Giroud: 3.5/10
The Frenchman lost his battle against Toby and Vertonghen, simple as. He didn’t win enough areal duels and failed to keep the ball upfield when Arsenal struggled to breathe in that game.
The subs:
Danny Welbeck : 5/10
Came on for Xhaka, not much of an impact but he brought some power and directness into the side.
Hector Bellerin: 4.5/10
Came on for Gabriel, he really needs to work on his crossing, as he finally looks to have shaken off that ankle problem.
Theo Walcott : N/A
