Raheem Sterling’s North London Derby performance was seriously overlooked for one surprising reason

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Deadline day loan signing Raheem Sterling earned his third Premier League start for Arsenal.

Arsenal beat Tottenham in the North London Derby to move within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta made the bold decision to start Sterling in the monumental fixture, despite the loanee struggling for form since his transfer.

While Sterling earned mixed reviews against Manchester United, Arteta showed his trust in the 30-year-old, handing him the keys to the right wing.

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Raheem Sterling impressed for Arsenal against Tottenham

After recovering from injury, Sterling returned at the perfect time as both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus were lost to injuries.

The Chelsea loanee has been struggling for form since arriving at Arsenal however, there have been some encouraging signs from the Englishman.

Such was evident against Spurs, as Sterling stepped up in an area of his game that is rarely spoken about.

As seen above, the England international won seven duels in the North London Derby, the joint-most within the Arsenal squad, tied with defender Jurrien Timber. 

The winger put in a real shift on the right flank and despite Sterling frustrating Arsenal fans, his contribution in the wide areas did cause Spurs problems.

Sure, the 30-year-old’s finishing and final ball could have been better however, there is little to complain about when reviewing his application in the must-win game.

Sterling has a chance to impress Mikel Arteta

Arteta knew of Sterling’s record against Tottenham going into the fixture but unfortunately, the Englishman wasn’t able to add to his tally.

That being said, there were plenty of positives to take from the loanee’s performance, with the rusty areas of his game partly due to his lack of minutes. 

Amid Arsenal’s dire injury situation in attack, Arteta will have some assurance that he can count on Sterling to bring some experience and trickery to the wide areas.

All that’s needed is for the Premier League winner to offer more with his final ball, which will surely come with additional minutes and building confidence.