Arsenal 4-0 Tottenham: Player ratings as Gunners win historic WSL north London derby
By Ali Rampling
History was made at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as a WSL record crowd of 47,367 watched Arsenal run out 4-0 winners of north London rivals Tottenham.
A curling Beth Mead effort, a Rafaelle header and a Vivianne Miedema brace ensured the local bragging rights remained firmly in the red half of north London and maintained the Gunners' perfect start to the WSL season.
Arsenal burst out of the blocks and almost broke the deadlock in the opening exchanges as Mead - particularly prolific at the Emirates last season - saw an effort from close range deflect wide with her first sighting of goal.
But the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner wasn't to be denied for long, superbly bending home to give the Gunners the lead inside just five minutes.
Arsenal continued to dominate, Kim Little firing into the side netting, Caitlin Foord glancing a header narrowly wide and Ashleigh Neville, Molly Bartrip and Shelina Zadorsky popping up with a series of important blocks to keep the scoreline down to a single goal.
Spurs struggled to get out of their own half and could only draw one save out of Manuela Zinsberger during the opening 45, as Cilen Bizet saw a tame effort from range comfortably held.
Arsenal doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time as Foord dispossessed Evelina Summanen deep in the Spurs half and fed Miedema. The forward coolly slotted home to open her account for the 2022/23 campaign.
Rafaelle added a third for Arsenal 10 minutes into the second half, rising highest to power home Mead's corner.
Miedema then doubled her tally for the afternoon just before the 70 minute mark as she rose completely unmarked and glanced Steph Catley's in-swinging delivery into the back of the net to wrap up an emphatic Arsenal victory.
Arsenal vs Tottenham - WSL player ratings
Arsenal (4-3-3)
GK: Manuela Zinsberger - 6/10 - Comfortably held a Bizet effort in the first half, really composed with the ball at her feet when under pressure in her own box.
RB: Laura Wienroither - 8/10 - Fired audaciously over in the first half and tore forward whenever possible, forcing Naz to sit deep in her own half. Combined well with Mead to win the corner in the build up to Arsenal's third.
CB: Leah Williamson - 7/10 - Superb in her distribution, producing a particularly eye catching pass to pick out McCabe in the first half.
CB: Rafaelle - 8/10 - Ice cool on the ball, even when Spurs attempted to press Arsenal high. Climbed highest to plant a header into the top corner in the second half for Arsenal's third.
LB: Steph Catley - 7/10 - Got forward frequently - including a first half burst forward where she got the better of three Spurs defenders with a fabulous piece of skill. Provided the assist for Arsenal's third with a wicked delivery.
CM: Lia Walti - 8/10 - Swept up everything and so cool in possession. Drew an appreciative roar from the crowd with an excellent spin in the first half to leave three Spurs players for dead.
CM: Kim Little - 8/10 - Produced a fabulous, defence splitting pass to send Mead scurrying through in the first half. Typically composed and did the un-noticed, dirty work so effectively.
CM: Vivianne Miedema - 8/10 - Cooly slotted home Arsenal's second to open her account for the season, before rising highest to head home her side's fourth.
RW: Beth Mead - 9/10 - Loves a goal at the Emirates, and this one was particularly special, bending the ball home from the edge of the area. Provided the corner delivery from which Arsenal added a third. Frequently switched flanks, a constant threat.
ST: Caitlin Foord - 8/10 - Preferred to Blackstenius up front. Robbed Summanen to set up Miedema for Arsenal's second and caused constant problems with her running, tenacity and link up play.
LW: Katie McCabe - 7/10 - Constantly interchanged with Mead and wreaked havoc with a couple of teasing deliveries across the face of goal.
SUB: Jordan Nobbs (71' for Miedema) - 6/10
SUB: Stina Blackstenius (71' for Foord) - 6/10
SUB: Lina Hurtig (74' for Mead)- 6/10
SUB: Frida Maanum (86' for Little) - N/A
SUB: Lotte Wubben-Moy (87' for Rafaelle) - N/A
Tottenham (4-5-1)
GK: Becky Spencer - 5/10 - Played Summanen into a bit of trouble with her pass to the midfielder in the build up to Arsenal's second. Couldn't have done a great deal about the other goals.
RB: Amy Turner - 4/10 - Moved to full-back having made her Spurs debut at centre-back last weekend and was given a tough time of it by the constantly switching Mead and McCabe, with many of Arsenal's most promising openings coming down the Spurs right.
CB: Shelina Zadorsky - 5/10 - Produced a fabulous crunching challenge to halt a marauding Foord in the first half but had a tough time of it up against Arsenal's electric forward line.
CB: Molly Bartrip - 5/10 - Made an important last ditch block to keep out Wienroither in the first half but could only do so much to stem the wave after wave of Arsenal attack.
LB: Ashleigh Neville - 6/10 - Popped up with a couple of great block to deny Mead and Miedema in the first half but had a tough time of it up against the Arsenal winger and the overlapping Wienroither.
RM: Celin Bizet - 5/10 - Saw a tame left footed effort comfortably held for Spurs' only effort on target in the first half, but otherwise limited in her attacking impact.
CM: Evelina Summanen - 4/10 - Turned into trouble and dispossessed by Foord in the build up to Arsenal's second.
CM: Cho So-hyun - 5/10 - Struggled to keep up with the fluidity of the Arsenal midfield, replaced just after the hour.
CM: Drew Spence - 5/10 - Arsenal's midfield bossed the game and Spurs midfield struggled to contain them. Replaced just after the hour.
LM: Jess Naz - 5/10 - Spent much of the game camped in her own half to keep tabs on Wienroither, limiting her attacking influence.
ST: Kyah Simon - 4/10 - Largely isolated and starved of service, and struggled to have an impact on proceedings. Replaced just after the hour.
SUB: Nikola Karczewska (64' for Simon) - 5/10
SUB: Ramona Petzelberger (64' for Spence) - 5/10
SUB: Angharad James (64' for Cho) - 5/10
SUB: Asmita Ale (74' for Naz) - 5/10