Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners ease to derby win
By Sean Walsh
From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Arsenal moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win at Tottenham in the north London derby.
The Gunners picked up their first ever win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend their advantage atop the standings and pile further misery on Antonio Conte and Spurs.
Arsenal squandered a great chance to take a seventh-minute lead when Hugo Lloris and Clement Lenglet failed to clear when a move from the back went awry, allowing Eddie Nketiah a sight at goal, but the Spurs skipper redeemed himself with a fine save.
Mikel Arteta's men didn't have to wait too much longer to go in front, however. Bukayo Saka managed to isolate himself against Ryan Sessegnon, and he fired at Lloris' near post from the byline, with the ball somehow inexplicably squirming through the goalkeeper and in.
Spurs looked to quickly bounce back and Sessegnon cleverly managed to pick out a neat reverse pass to Son Heung-min, only for Aaron Ramsdale to sprawl at his feet and deny him.
An Arsenal counter left Martin Odegaard free to take aim from 20 yards, with Lloris diving to his left to keep his fellow captain out.
A rocket from Thomas Partey crashed against the post as the home crowd began to grow restless only midway into the first half.
Spurs failed to read the warning signs as Odegaard's strike from distance found the bottom corner and Arsenal doubled their lead.
Towards of the first half, a cross from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was nodded on by Harry Kane, but Ramsdale got down low to keep the header out.
From the resulting corner, Spurs were seemingly awarded a penalty when Hojbjerg's leg was caught in the act of lashing a half-volley wide, only for the referee to reverse his decision and blow for half-time again.
On the other side of the break, Dejan Kulusevski managed to weave his way onto Gabriel's weaker side, but his shot sailed over the top of the bar.
The Swede was finally finding his feet as he swivelled away from Granit Xhaka and set Kane racing away, only to be denied a fine goal by Ramsdale again.
Spurs' onslaught continued as Sessegnon was next to force Ramsdale into a great save after being released by an unselfish Kane.
A cross-cum-shot from Kulusevski whistled past the post as Tottenham's spirited second half went on without reward, while Cristian Romero somehow didn't pick up a second booking when a flying challenge through Xhaka went unpunished.
Nketiah twice had shots from close range kept out by Lloris, while Richarlison came off the bench and joined the club of Spurs forwards to be denied by Ramsdale.
Kane's low cutback was driven goal-wards by Son but deflected over at very close range as Spurs' frustrated day petered out.
For the first time, Arsenal fans danced jubilantly on the concourses of their rivals' new home and cruised through five minutes of stoppage time to claim another momentous win in their quest to become champions of England.
Tottenham Hotspur player ratings
GK: Hugo Lloris - 2/10 - Completely inexcusable error changed the game.
CB: Cristian Romero - 5/10 - Precariously played on the edge while on a booking.
CB: Eric Dier - 5/10 - Not the worst offender. Not a happy birthday.
CB: Clement Lenglet - 4/10 - Though at times has looked belonging at the back for Spurs, his low-intensity style made it easy for Arsenal to press.
RM: Matt Doherty - 5/10 - Provided runs to free up space for Kulusevski. Not a good defender and doesn't bring pace, however.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 5/10 - Thrown into the deep end on his full Premier League debut in conditions that were far from ideal. Fought til the end.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 5/10 - Swept up in the frantic second half but was so far off the standard technically.
LM: Ryan Sessegnon - 4/10 - Spurned various good crossing opportunities. Slowed Saka down but not much.
RF: Dejan Kulusevski - 6/10 - Spurs' best player, particularly in the second half. Demanded the ball but needed more help.
LF: Son Heung-min - 4/10 - Barely involved at all.
CF: Harry Kane - 5/10 - Dropped deep to try and get involved but found it difficult to make a difference.
Substitutes
Richarlison (71' for Doherty) - 5/10
Ivan Perisic (76' for Sessegnon) - 5/10
Yves Bissouma (76' for Sarr) - 5/10
Bryan Gil (88' for Kuliusevski) - N/A
Ben Davies (88' for Lenglet) - N/A
Manager
Antonio Conte - 4/10 - Spurs were made to pay for another poor first half. Fixture congestion won't wash as an excuse this time.
Arsenal player ratings
GK: Aaron Ramsdale - 9/10 - Produced several stunning saves to keep Arsenal in front.
RB: Ben White - 8/10 - Kept Son and Sessegnon quiet with relative ease. Another understated but excellent display.
CB: William Saliba - 7/10 - A little sloppy in playing from thr back at times but did his primary job well.
CB: Gabriel - 9/10 - Seemed to win every duel and get his head on every cross into the Arsenal box.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10 - Enjoyed an excellent first half but was put to work by Kulusevski after the break.
CM: Thomas Partey - 7/10 - Controlled the midfield battle.
CM: Granit Xhaka - 6/10 - Kept the ball well, though Spurs found it easier to attack on his side.
RM: Bukayo Saka - 7/10 - Not his busiest game but Saka's pace and trickery forced Spurs to defend with caution.
AM: Martin Odegaard - 8/10 - Picked apart Tottenham at will in Arsenal's dominant first half.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli - 7/10 - A bit rough around the edges, but like Saka, Spurs seemed scared of Martinelli.
CF: Eddie Nketiah - 6/10 - Pressed well, though was a bit wasteful in front of goal.
Substitutes
Kieran Tierney (79' for Martinelli) - 5/10
Takehiro Tomiyasu (85' for Zinchenko) - N/A
Fabio Vieira (90' for Odegaard) - N/A
Emile Smith Rowe (90' for Nketiah) - N/A
Manager
Mikel Arteta - 9/10 - Arsenal were head and shoulders above their rivals.