Bentancur and Danso Have North London Derby Forgettable Performances

Gunners Squad Ratings

David Raya Hardly handled the ball as Arsenal commanded the match. Is likely frustrated to have been caught off guard by the Brazilian forward. 6

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

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

Piero Hincapié Appeared confident in deputising for Gabriel Magalhães. Doesn’t possess the Brazilian’s physical prowess but compensates with technique and good decision-making. 7

Riccardo Calafiori Didn't practice all week due to a hip issue but didn’t look off the pace. Provides Arsenal with excellent energy all over the field. 8

Martín Zubimendi Controlled the game from the base of midfield with typical authority. Luckily, his mistake in giving the ball away for the consolation strike didn’t affect the result. 7

Declan Rice Could have done better with early chance but can never question his work rate. Tottenham could not cope with his powerful runs from deep. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the team he rejected in the summer. Delivered a moment of magic to score a superb first before superb finishes for his next two goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few exchanges with the defender in the first half before coming alive. Loved celebrating the three goals almost as much as the scorer did. 8

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

Leandro Trossard Skillfully took his goal. Will be hard to displace him from the left wing once the rest of Arsenal’s attacking options 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 Performance Reviews

Guglielmo Vicario Two decent saves as he mastered the art of timewasting in the first half. Little opportunity with any of the Arsenal strikes. 6

Kevin Danso Made a shaky start after being brought into a back three. No surprise that he was replaced at half-time. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a dependable last line of defence but could not cope with Arsenal’s constant pressure. Added to his misery by receiving a booking that means he is now banned. 5

Micky van de Ven The quick Dutchman came to his team's rescue on several instances. Yet he was unable to stop Arsenal once they found their rhythm. 6

Djed Spence Too sluggish to react to stop the winger's goal and found himself under pressure. A testing occasion for the English full-back. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur Spent most of the afternoon struggling to keep up. Could have done far better to stop Eze from running past to score his first. 4

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

Destiny Udogie Found it difficult to contain Saka. At fault for Arsenal’s third goal and question marks remain about his defending. 5

Wilson Odobert Was hard to work out what position he had been asked to fulfil. Couldn’t get any change out of the defender. 5

Richarlison Found it hard to make any influence 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 support but spends too much time on the periphery. 5

Subs: Xavi Simons (for Danso, ht) Made a difference with willingness 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 the midfielder 6.

Ashley Shields
Ashley Shields

A semiconductor engineer with over a decade of experience in solid state device research and industry analysis.