Arsenal hosted the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
A dramatic match saw both sides enjoy periods of dominance and ultimately cancel each other out as Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal dominated the majority of the first half, with chances falling to Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. The Gunners did make the breakthrough when Bukayo Saka’s strike was deflected into the back of his own net by Spurs centre-back Cristian Romero.
However, Tottenham grew into the game, and after some sharp movement from James Maddison, the ball came to Son Heung-min in the box and he fired home to send the two bitter rivals in level at the break. Mikel Arteta will certainly have been frustrated his team didn’t make more of their long dominant period early on.
Arsenal were awarded a contentious penalty soon after the break, which Saka tucked away calmly. However, immediately from the restart, a dreadful moment of hesitation from Jorginho saw Maddison pinch the ball from him and play Son through to slot in his second.
Neither side could snatch a winner in what remained of the edgy encounter. Arteta will view this as two points dropped and the opportunity to record a statement victory missed.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya – 6/10
Again selected ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, the Spaniard pulled off an astonishing save in the first half to stop Spurs equalising a few minutes before they actually did. His distribution was very patchy, though, and he looked unsettled on the ball at times. Ramsdale may well feel his case to be the Arsenal No. 1 was somewhat boosted today.
Ben White – 7/10
Worked tirelessly on the right, getting forward constantly and defending diligently. Consistent as ever.
William Saliba – 7.5/10
One loose pass aside, he was excellent. The £190,000-a-week Frenchman’s pace and classy technique saw him breeze his way out of a couple of difficult situations.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
Solid and dominant in the air. Used the ball well.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.5/10
Tidy in possession and tried to play progressively but not able to take control of the match and dictate proceedings.
Declan Rice – 6.5/10
Was solid in the first half, without being outstanding in the middle of the park. Was taken off at half-time with a knock that Arteta will be desperately hoping isn’t serious.
Martin Odegaard – 6.5/10
Tried to make things happen and showed flashes of quality but the Spurs midfield did an impressive job in denying the Arsenal club captain time and space in key areas.
Fabio Vieira – 5.5/10
Struggled to get into the game in the first half. Was fairly tidy in possession, but couldn’t find any cutting edge and was taken off at half-time.
Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Arsenal’s stand out player in the first half, persistently tormenting Spurs left-back Destiny Udogie. Coolly dispatched a penalty in the first half and was the Gunners’ best player on the day.
Gabriel Jesus – 6/10
Busy and dangerous as always but had to score in the first half after he robbed Maddison in the Spurs penalty area.
Eddie Nketiah – 5/10
Most notable moment came when he was lucky to avoid a red card for a challenge on Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario. Couldn’t impose himself on the game at all.
Substitutes
Kai Havertz – 6/10
Competed fiercely but the final piece is still missing. Had a tricky chance on the volley from the edge of the area. Could have instantly made himself an Arsenal hero. Lashed it wide.
Jorginho – 4/10
Replaced Rice at half-time. A nightmare for the usually so reliable 31-year-old midfielder Arsenal paid £12 million for in January. Was caught on the ball more than once, but the most notable occasion being the instance that led directly to Spurs’ second goal.
Reiss Nelson – 6.5/10
Added energy and drive when he came on.
Emile Smith Rowe – 6/10
Not on the pitch long enough to rate but nice to see him get his first Premier League minutes of the season.
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