Arsenal suffered their worst nightmare at the White Hart Lane as the Gunners were run ragged by Tottenham Hotspur for the entire game. The final score was 2-0 for the Spurs but it could have been far worse had Cech been not at his best. It was an embarrassing performance by the players as they never looked up to the task against one of the best sides in the Premier League.
This was Arsene Wenger’s 50th North London derby but the milestone turned out to be a moment to forget as a Spurs win guaranteed them finishing above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane got on the scoresheet for Spurs as the Lilywhites maintained their title charge as they are still just four points behind leaders, Chelsea. For Arsenal, a place in the top four is looking like a distant dream now.
On that note, here are the Arsenal players rated in their humbling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur:
Petr Cech (7/10): Cech had nothing to do in the first half but came into his own in the second where he saved numerous attempts from Spurs which helped Arsenal avoid a humiliation at the hands of their bitter rivals.
Nacho Monreal (6/10): He started the game on the back foot and could not recover to get a hold of the game. In the first goal, he could not recover quickly to stop Eriksen and Alli from combining well.
Laurent Koscielny (5/10): A captain’s performance was expected from him but like his entire team, Koscielny froze in the second half and made some crucial errors which handed Spurs many chances on a plate.
Gabriel (5.5/10): Had a brilliant first half as he handled the pace and strength of Kane well but committed a stupid foul on the striker to give away a penalty in a critical position in the game during the second half.
Kieran Gibbs (5/10): Son gave him a torrid time throughout the match as his performance proved once again that Arsenal lack a proper left back.
Granit Xhaka (6/10): Looked as one of the players who cared to fight for his team as he started brilliantly but was soon found out by Spurs’ midfield. He was substituted for Welbeck when Arsenal were in need of goals.
Aaron Ramsey (6.5/10): Had an attempt on goal in the first half and passed the ball efficiently but could not inspire his teammates around him.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (6/10): He looked confident in the first half but committed unnecessary mistakes in the second half as his importance to the team faded as the game went on.
Alexis Sanchez (5/10): Though he was Arsenal’s best bet to do something creative, Sanchez was extremely poor tonight as he failed to do anything worth mentioning for the Gunners.
Mesut Ozil (5/10): Another abysmal performance in a big game for the German as the playmaker failed to carve out a chance or make a key pass during the game.
Olivier Giroud (5.5/10): He failed to justify his selection in the team as along with not getting required service, Giroud wasted a golden chance with a half volley which he shot into the stands.
Substitutions
Danny Welbeck (5/10): However a good player may be, a striker cannot succeed in a wing back role where he was deployed tonight.
Hector Bellerin (6/10): The Spaniard failed to do anything important going forward but handled his defensive priorities well.
Theo Walcott (5/10): Brought on too late to do inflict damage on the hosts.
