Danso and Bentancur Have North London Derby Forgettable Performances

Arsenal Player Ratings

David Raya Rarely saw the ball as Arsenal commanded the game. Will be disappointed to have been caught napping by the Brazilian forward. 6

Jurriën Timber Seldom puts a foot wrong and was able to advance at will. Persistence paid off in his key pass for Eze’s second goal. 8

William Saliba Seldom challenged by Spurs' defensive tactics. There will be tougher challenges to come in the next few weeks without his regular defensive partner. 7

Piero Hincapié Appeared confident in filling in for the Brazilian defender. Lacks the Brazilian’s physical prowess but makes up for it with skill and good judgment. 7

Riccardo Calafiori Didn't practice all week due to a hip issue but didn’t look off the pace. Provides Arsenal with excellent energy all over the field. 8

Martín Zubimendi Controlled the game from the base of midfield with usual authority. Luckily, his mistake in losing possession for Richarlison’s goal didn’t affect the result. 7

Declan Rice Could have done better with early chance but can never fault his effort. Tottenham could not handle his marauding runs from midfield. 8

Eberechi Eze It had to be him against the club he rejected in the summer. Produced a moment of magic to score a superb first before excellent finishes for his next two 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 goal-getter did. 8

Mikel Merino Always a willing runner filling in up front and provided a moment of quality with a exquisite pass for the left winger's goal. 8

Leandro Trossard Expertly took his goal. Will be difficult to displace him from the left flank once the rest of Arsenal’s forward players return. 8

Subs: Noni Madueke (for Trossard, 78) A positive return from knee 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 Player Ratings

Guglielmo Vicario Two decent saves as he perfected the art of slowing play in the first half. Little opportunity with any of the Arsenal strikes. 6

Kevin Danso Made a nervous start after being introduced to a three-man defense. Expected that he was replaced at half-time. 5

Cristian Romero Usually a dependable last line of defence but could not cope with Arsenal’s constant pressure. Added to his misery by picking up a booking that means he is now suspended. 5

Micky van de Ven The speedy Dutchman came to his team's rescue on several instances. Yet he was powerless to stop Arsenal once they found their rhythm. 6

Djed Spence Far too slow to respond to stop Trossard scoring and found himself under pressure. A difficult occasion for the English full-back. 5

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

JoĂŁo Palhinha Put himself about in the center but was at fault of leaving an enormous space for Eze to capitalise on twice. 5

Destiny Udogie Found it difficult to contain Saka. To blame for Arsenal’s third and question marks remain about his defensive abilities. 5

Wilson Odobert Was hard to work out what position he had been asked to play. Couldn’t get any success out of Timber. 5

Richarlison Found it hard to make any impact in the first half. But his excellent lob at least gave Tottenham something to take pride in. 7

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

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

Carolyn Dunn
Carolyn Dunn

Elara Vance is a lighting design specialist with over a decade of experience in smart home technology and sustainable energy solutions.