Danso and Bentancur Have North London Derby Days to Forget

Arsenal Player Ratings

David Raya Barely touched the ball as the Gunners dominated the fixture. Will be disappointed to have been surprised by Richarlison. 6

Jurriën Timber Seldom puts a foot wrong and was able to attack at will. Persistence paid off in his key pass for Eberechi Eze's second goal. 8

William Saliba Rarely tested by Tottenham’s defensive approach. There will be bigger tests to come in the next few weeks without his usual defensive partner. 7

Piero Hincapié Looked assured in deputising for the Brazilian defender. Doesn’t possess the his physical prowess but compensates with skill and good decision-making. 7

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

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

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

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the club he turned down in the summer. Delivered a moment of brilliance to score a brilliant first before superb finishes for his second and third goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few handbags 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 exquisite pass for Trossard’s strike. 8

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be difficult to displace him from the left wing once the rest of Arsenal’s forward players return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A welcome 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 Performance Reviews

Guglielmo Vicario Two decent saves as he mastered the art of slowing play in the first half. No chance with any of the goals. 6

Kevin Danso Made a nervous start after being brought into a three-man defense. Expected that he was substituted at half-time. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a dependable center-back 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 quick Dutchman came to his team's rescue on more than one occasion. Yet he was unable to stop Arsenal once they hit their stride. 6

Djed Spence Too sluggish to respond to stop the winger's goal and found himself under pressure. A difficult occasion for the England defender. 5

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

João Palhinha Put himself about in the center but was at fault of leaving an huge space for Eze to capitalise on twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it difficult to contain Saka. To blame for Arsenal’s third and doubts remain about his defending. 5

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

Richarlison Found it hard to make any impact in the first half. But his superb lob at least gave Tottenham something to cling on to. 7

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

Subs: Xavi Simons (for Danso, ht) Made a difference with eagerness to advance with ball 6; Pape Sarr (for Odobert, 67) Added some drive 6; Randal Kolo Muani (for Bentancur, 67) Looked slow 5; Brennan Johnson (for Kudus, 78) The game was already lost 6; Pedro Porro (for Spence, 78) Ended game arguing with Rice 6.

Brian Davis
Brian Davis

A wildlife biologist with over a decade of experience studying sloths in Central America, passionate about conservation and education.