Football

Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings: A thrilling North London derby ends in a draw

September 24, 2023 4:21 pm
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings: A thrilling North London derby ends in a draw
Photo by Icon sport

  • Arsenal and Spurs share the points at the Emirates Stadium in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
  • Arsenal had led twice, first via a Cristian Romero own goal and then from a Buyako Saka penalty.
  • Spurs responded well to going behind on both occasions with Son Heung-Min levelling twice for the away side.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya 6/10 – Made a stunning save from Johnson in the first half but was culpable for Spurs’ first equaliser.

Ben White 6/10 – Was positionally caught out on a number of occasions.

William Saliba 7/10 – Made some excellent recovery tackles when Arsenal were stretched.

Gabriel 6/10 – Was more rash than his defensive partner which hindered his team.

Oleksandr Zinchenko 6/10 – Didn’t have the best of games defensively but looked comfortable on the ball.

Declan Rice 7/10 – Was impressive in the first half before being forced off with an injury.

Fabio Vieira 6/10 – Was also taken off at half-time and Arsenal missed his energy.

Martin Odegaard 7/10 – Everything positive went through Odegaard in the first half but wasn’t quite in the game as much after the break.

Gabriel Jesus 5/10 – Missed a guilt edge chance to make it 2-0 that would have transformed the match.

Eddie Nketiah 5/10 – Wasn’t his best performance with some questionable decision-making.

Bukayo Saka 8/10 – Made Udogie look silly at times and took his penalty really well.

Substitutes

Kai Havertz 5/10 – Another disappointing display from Havertz.

Jorginho 4/10 – Was entirely at fault for Spurs’ second equaliser after losing the ball in his own half.

Reiss Nelson N/A

Tottenham player ratings

Guglielmo Vicario 7/10 – Made some impressive saves and claims from dangerous crosses.

Pedro Porro 5/10 – Struggled defensively and put in some disappointing balls from promising positions.

Cristian Romero 4/10 – Scored an own goal and conceded a penalty.

Micky van de Ven 7/10  – Made some important tackles and blocks for Spurs.

Destiny Udogie 3/10 – His worst performance in a Spurs shirt with Saka frequently getting the better of him.

Pape Sarr 6/10 – Made some rash challenges early on but grew into the game.

Yves Bissouma 7/10 – Looks more and more assured in midfield by the game.

Dejan Kulusevski 7/10 – Seems to make the right decision every time he picks up the ball on the right wing.

James Maddison 9/10 – Made an early mistake when Jesus pickpocketed him but was the best player on the pitch afterwards.

Brennan Johnson 6/10 – Looked dangerous on the wing and was unlucky not to score when Raya denied him.

Son Heung-Min 8/10 – Two beautiful finishes from the Spurs captain to keep his team in the game.

Substitutes

Manor Solomon 6/10 – Looked bright in the time he had on the pitch.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg N/A

Richarlison N/A

Arsenal vs Tottenham match summary and highlights

Coming into the match, the game was billed as the biggest North London derby in recent years due to how well both teams have started the season. There was a worry that the match would fail to live up to expectations, however, those concerns were quickly dispelled due to how intense the match was from the first minute.

Arsenal dominated the opening exchanges and after a wave of pressure, they took the lead when Bukayo Saka sent a left-footed strike towards Vicario’s goal. Cristian Romero threw a wild leg at the ball which directed the ball into the back of the net. Arsenal had a number of chances to double their lead but were made to pay for missing them when Son levelled the match just before half time.

After the break, Arsenal regained the lead via a controversial penalty. The ball struck Romero’s arm in the box, much in the same way it did earlier in the season when Spurs faced Man Utd, but this time VAR decided that a penalty should be awarded. Saka stepped up and finished the spot kick expertly.

Spurs bounced back almost immediately when Jorginho lost the ball in a dangerous position in their own half. Maddison pounced before slipping the ball into Son Heung-Min who finished nicely past Raya. Both teams had chances to win the game but neither could find the killer blow and the spoils were shared.

Player of the match: James Maddison

James Maddison has had a fine start to the new Premier League season and he continued that form on Sunday afternoon. The Englishman displayed some excellent footwork down the byline before cutting it back for Son for the opener before slipping his captain in again for the second equaliser.

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