Player Ratings: Spurs 2-1 Arsenal

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After that surprisingly relaxing 98 minutes of football, I am slightly surprised that my finger nails, hair and sweat all seems to be missing. Then I realise it’s in a puddle just below my sofa. What a tense game! But what a result! To be honest, I’m quite surprised that Wenger didn’t play Jack Wilshere, and didn’t even bring him off the bench! Sorry, what? He was on the pitch? Where? Ah, never mind, without further ado, let’s rate the lads.

Hugo Lloris – 8 – On multiple occasions he raced off his line to clear up behind the defence. The difference in the success of the respective high lines is this man; anything more than 5 metres behind the defence will undoubtedly be his. Faultless for the goal.

Kyle Walker – 7 – Pace is his strength; and he used it extremely well. Most Arsenal openings came down the right side of their attack – Walker wasn’t let anything through and he cleared up well on a number of occasions.

Michael Dawson – 9 – This man knows what a derby means more than any other and it truly showed in this performance. Hardly lost a header and as always, wasn’t scared to stick himself where it hurts. A true captain’s performance.

Jan Vertonghen – 9 – Nothing got past this man all day. Walcott had absolutely no joy when he came inside; this man is the reason. A superbly polished display. Kept his head in the dying moments, aiming to hold onto the ball rather than mindlessly hoof it.

BAE – 7 – Don’t you wish your left back was B-A-E? Don’t you? Well, Arsenal fans certainly should after the horror show that their new left back put in. BAE had a good game – no clear cut chances came from the Arsenal right and that is testament to his determined display.

Scott Parker – 8 – Another man who knows the meaning of the word derby and performs at his best in these high pressure situations. As mentioned in the intro, he kept Jack Wilshere firmly on a leash for the whole game and contributed well going forward too.

Mousa Dembele – 8 – A very solid game from the Moose. Kept calm under pressure and always found a pass. Also helped to keep Cazorla and Wilshere out of the game for the majority.

Aaron Lennon – 7 – A very good game, both defensively and offensively. Had to track back to monitor Monreal on a number of occasions and did so successfully. A beautiful run and collected finish for his goal – and when he scores, we never lose….

Gareth Bale – 7 – As with Lennon, an excellently timed run and finish for his goal. Provided a very useful outlet on a number of occasions and made some threatening runs. Hardly justified the numerous one-man team claims, however.

Gylfi Sigurdsson – 9 – I personally thought that Gylfi was truly excellent. His work rate was absolutely immense – forward and backwards – and played in a few superb passes.

Emmanuel Adebayor – 6 – Was an okay-ish target man but didn’t really offer anything. Made a good run to drag defenders away for the Bale goal. Booked early on which only made the game more nerve-wracking.

Substitutes:

Jermain Defoe – 7 – Played very well when he came on. Managed to win a few headers – including one against 6ft 7 Per Mertesacker – no, I don’t know how either – and was lively for the whole of his 30 minute cameo.

Jake Livermore – 6 – Solid.

William Gallas – 6 – Didn’t touch the ball.

What a game! Do you agree with my ratings? Have your say below!

By Alex Beck