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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: player ratings from the north London derby

Eberechi Eze scores Arsenal's third goal
Eberechi Eze scores Arsenal's third goal at the start of the second half. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal

David Raya Barely touched the ball as Arsenal dominated. Will be disappointed to have been caught napping by Richarlison. 6

Jurriën Timber Rarely ever puts a foot wrong and was able to push forward at will. Persistence paid off in his assist for 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 Gabriel Magalhães. Doesn’t possess the Brazilian’s physical prowess but makes up for it with skill and good judgment. 7

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

Martín Zubimendi Controlled the game from the base of midfield 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 handle his marauding runs from deep. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the club he rejected in the summer. Produced a moment of magic to score a brilliant first before superb finishes for second and third goals. 9

Bukayo Saka A few handbags with Udogie in the first half before coming alive. Enjoyed celebrating Eze’s hat-trick almost as much as the scorer did. 8

Mikel Merino Always a willing runner filling in up front and provided a moment of quality with a sublime pass for Trossard’s strike. 8

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be hard to shift him from the left flank once the rest of Arsenal’s attacking options return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A welcome return from knee a 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

Guglielmo Vicario Two good saves as he perfected the art of timewasting in the first half. No chance with any of the goals. 6

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

Cristian Romero Usually a reliable last line of defence but could not cope with Arsenal’s incessant pressure. Completed misery by picking up a booking that means he is now suspended. 5

Micky van de Ven The speedy Dutchman came to his side’s rescue on more than one occasion. Yet he was powerless to stop Arsenal once they found their rhythm. 6

Djed Spence Far too slow to react to stop Trossard scoring and found himself pinned back. A testing occasion for the England defender. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur Spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows. Could have done much more to stop Eze from dribbling through to score his first. 4

João Palhinha Put himself about in midfield but was guilty of leaving an enormous space for Eze to capitalise on twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it tough to contain Saka. At fault for Arsenal’s third and question marks remain about his defensive abilities. 5

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

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

Mohammed Kudus Virtually anonymous aside from a couple of promising early touches. Needs more service but spends too much time on the periphery. 5

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

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