Arsenal secured a crucial 3-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League to extend their lead at the top to four points.
Arsenal made a strong start to the game but surprisingly looked content conceding possession to Tottenham. This strategy worked well for the Gunners as they looked decisive whenever they had the ball in the first period. The visitors grabbed the lead 15 minutes into the game as Bukayo Saka‘s corner was turned into his own net by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Tottenham had two moments where they seemed like they were back in the game. The first one came from a James Maddison corner as Cristian Romero headed it straight onto the post. Shortly after, Micky van de Ven appeared to have scored following a series of deflections in Arsenal’s penalty area. However, the goal was disallowed as he was offside in the build-up.
Just two minutes later, Kai Havertz played a lovely diagonal ball to put Saka through on goal. The winger showed great composure to slot the ball into the bottom-left corner to make it 2-0. Arsenal’s third goal came in the 38th minute as Declan Rice‘s corner found an unmarked Havertz, who smashed his header in to make it 3-0. The Gunners carried a commanding lead into the break.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham made decent starts to the second half as the visitors passed the ball around and maintained their shape. Ange Postecoglou brought on Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr, who helped Spurs press higher up the pitch. The hosts were handed a way back into the game as Gunners’ custodian David Raya passed the ball straight to Romero, who scored to make it 3-1.
That mistake changed the noise in the stadium as Tottenham had newfound energy to try and mount a comeback. Richarlison was in the thick of things as he was a menace in the final third. However, Spurs’ chance to score came from the penalty spot as Declan Rice caught Ben Davies in an attempt to clear the ball and a penalty was rightly awarded.
Heung-min Son stepped up and scored to make it 3-2 after 87 minutes from the spot, setting up a nervy ending. However, Arsenal navigated their way to the finish line and came away with the win. On that note, let’s take a look at the Gunners’ player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya – 6/10
Raya had nothing to do for most of the game but made a terrible error in the second half as he gifted Tottenham a goal.
Benjamin White – 7/10
White was crucial for Arsenal’s two goals from corners as he did his bit to make things difficult for Vicario. He won four duels, making six clearances, three tackles and one interception.
William Saliba – 6.5/10
Saliba had a decent game at the back as he won two duels, made five clearances and three interceptions.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6.5/10
Gabriel had a decent game at the back as he won three duels, making four clearances, one tackle and one interception.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10
Tomiyasu had a shaky game at the back as he won just one of his 10 duels. He made two interceptions, one tackle and one block.
Thomas Partey – 7.5/10
Partey had a great game in midfield for Arsenal as he passed the ball with 93% accuracy. He completed two dribbles past players and also won five duels, making two tackles and one interceptions.
Declan Rice – 7.5/10
Despite giving away a late penalty to Tottenham, Rice had a great game. He provided an assist for Arsenal’s third goal from corner. He played two key passes, three crosses and also won five duels, making five tackles and two interceptions.
Martin Odegaard – 7/10
Odegaard had a good game in midfield as he played two key passes and one cross. He won six duels and also attempted one shot that was blocked.
Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Saka had a great game on the right flank and scored a lovely goal for Arsenal after showing great composure to fake a shot before scoring. He completed two dribbles past opponents and won 12 duels.
Kai Havertz – 8.5/10
Havertz had a great game as he scored and assisted for Arsenal in a dominant performance. He played two key passes and also won 11 duels, making four clearances and one tackle.
Leandro Trossard – 6.5/10
Trossard had a decent game on the left flank as he passed the ball with 92% accuracy. He won four duels, completed three dribbles past players and won four duels.
Substitutes
Gabriel Martinelli – 6.5/10
The Brazilian came on in the second half but failed to make an impact on proceedings.
Jakub Kiwior – N/A
He came on very late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.