Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal renewed their rivalry as Arsenal gaffer, Mikel Arteta, went into the game with some selection headaches following the unfortunate suspension of Declan Rice and the ill-timed injury suffered by club captain, Martin Odegaard, on international duty.
It wasn’t an exciting contest in all honesty, but in the end, all it took was a Gabriel point-blank header to settle the contest. Without further ado, here are the Gooner Daily player ratings.
Defense
David Raya – Was very assured in defense, claiming high balls and making routine saves expected of him. Another solid performances from Arsenal’s undisputed No. 1. (7)
Ben White – Responded well to the threat posed by Heung-Min Son and worked tirelessly in defense. (7)
Gabriel – Was a colossus at the back, and contributed with what proved to be the match winner with a well-taken bullet header. (9)
William Saliba – Another monster performance from one of Europe’s elite defenders. That recovery to stop Dominic Solanke after White’s gaffe was picture perfect. (8)
Jurrien Timber – Was at his combative best, making life a living Hell for the opposition winger and full back. Loved the fire he showed and his connection with Gabi Martinelli was quite good. (8)
Midfield
Thomas Partey – Wasn’t at his best as the Tottenham midfielders had the better of him in their attacking third. Clearly missed his sparring partner, Declan Rice. (6)
Jorginho – Struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and was robbed a couple of times from the Tottenham players. Understandably so, as he has not had the required minutes, but he really looked like a liability on the pitch. (5)
Leandro Trossard – Not a performance he would remember fondly. Very sloppy with his passing and didn’t deputize well in the Odegaard role. (5)
Forwards
Gabriel Martinelli – Had a couple of good runs on the flank, leaving Pedro Porro for dead, but his finishing let him down. There was a big moment he should have squared Saka, but chose to go for the kill and hit a tame effort. (7)
Bukayo Saka – Wasn’t an influential game for the Arsenal talisman, and with no Odegaard on his side, his attacking threat was stymied. Still got the assist for the match winner. How Saka of him. (7)
Kai Havertz – Worked tirelessly for the team and had some moments to put Arsenal ahead. (7)
Substitutes
Gabriel Jesus – Came on to contribute more on the defensive third and had a moment when he should have led an attack, but his decision making was suspect. (6)
Raheem Sterling – Made his Arsenal debut and didn’t contribute much on the attacking third. (6)
Ethan Nwaneri – Didn’t play long enough to get a rating.
