Arsenal held on to a nervy finish to win the 195th North London Derby to maintain their grip on the Premier League title challenge. A game that seemed to be on cruise control from the onset spiraled into a pressured finish but Mikel Arteta’s men had enough in the tank to see it through.
Without further ado, here are the player ratings for the North London Derby.
David Raya – Had literally nothing to do in the first half, but showed a moment of madness to gift the opposition their opening goal. His handling of all crosses to the Arsenal danger area was elite. (6)
Ben White – Absolute shithousery on show in impeding Gigi Vicario for the goals conceded. Hardly gave Timo Werner a sniff and Son Heung-Min didn’t fare any better when he moved to the left. (7)
William Saliba – Another standard Rolls Royce performance from Arsenal’s colossus at the back. (7)
Gabriel Magalhaes – Worked hard to make life a living hell for Son, and had some feisty clashes with his compatriot, Richarlison. (7)
Takehiro Tomiyasu – Didn’t offer much from an attacking perspective but had a glancing header over the bar from a good Declan Rice cross. Finally had some time to remove Dejan Kukusevaki from his pocket after the final whistle. (8)
Declan Rice – Another monster performance on both ends of the pitch, given the freedom to roam with Partey at the fulcrum. Excellent distribution from set pieces. (7)
Thomas Partey – Was his usual calm self strutting his stuff unfazed in the middle of the park. We really missed his influence. (7)
Martin Odegaard – Pressed hard as he usually does and ticked along nicely in the course of the game. (7)
Leandro Trossard – Wasn’t as influential from the left side of the attack but made a lot of defensive contributions. (6)
Bukayo Saka – Was on the end of some harsh tackles but still came out with a goal and an assist. That’s just your average Saka on a Sunday. (8)
Kai Havertz – Used his height to great effect offensively for his well-taken goal, and defensively during some corners and defensive free kicks. (7)
Gabriel Martinelli – Worked hard to support Tomiyasu on the left. Didn’t offer much from an attacking perspective. (6)
Jakub Kiwior – Didn’t play long enough to get a rating.
Sayonara.