A first North London Derby for Emery and boy did he need a classy introduction to this historical fixture. He delivered in style and made all the right decisions at the right times, throughout the game. The starting team was unchanged from our last Premier League game and it was fair as this new change in formation looks to suit us well.
Arsenal dominated the game from start to finish, with a lot of controversies too.
We took the deserved lead as Vertonghen handled in the box and Aubameyang converted the resulting penalty in style. Later Spurs equalised after Leno was beaten at near post by Dier’s header which also saw a fight between the players near the touch line. Then Spurs were awarded a dubious penalty thanks to Mike Dean and Heung-Min Son which Kane converted to leave Arsenal trailing at the break.
Then came the master stroke from Emery where he introduced Ramsey and Lacazette at the break and it completely shifted the game in our favour as Ramsey created two goals and Lacazette scored one. Aubameyang scored a brace and Torriera added a late fourth capping his man of the match performance which saw us win comfortably. This extends our unbeaten run to nineteen games with more tough games tom come through the festive period.
Player Ratings:
Bernd Leno: 7
Made some crucial saves but was at fault for the first goal we conceded. He's in good form but needs to improve on his positioning.
Hector Bellerin: 7
Went up and down well. The wingback role brings the best out of him.
Sead Kolasinac: 7.5
Was really up for the game and was a great threat going forward. Had a solid game.
Shkodran Mustafi: 7.5
Was brilliant in the air and contained Kane well before limping off injured in the second half.
Sokratis: 6.5
New formation suits him too. Made some crucial decisions and organised the defence well throughout the match.
Rob Holding: 8
Has been a revelation this season and after another great performance should be the first name on the team sheet.
Lucas Torreira - 10 - MAN OF THE MATCH
Absolutely brilliant performance from the little Uruguayan. He was everywhere defensively and attacked well too. Distribution and ball winning was perfect and he also scored a late goal which was well deserved.
Granit Xhaka: 7
A good game all round and supported him partner well. Distribution, reading and maturity was impressive.
Henrikh Mhkitaryan: 6.5
Started the game well but later late in the first half. Was then substituted at half time.
Alex Iwobi: 6
Not the best of games for Iwobi and he also departed at half time. Should have had a goal before the break having failed to shoot when an opening arose after a good counter.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 9
Scored a quality brace and was a great outlet all game long. Another brilliant game for the man in form but was caught offside a little too much.
Substitutes:
Alex Lacazette: 7.5
Scored the third goal after some good solo work and made a huge impact from the bench.
Aaron Ramsey: 8
Played with passion, desire and commitment. Clearly cares about the club and most importantly had a huge impact on the game with two key assists.
Matteo Guendouzi: 6
Everyone's favourite after his cameo on Sunday. Supplied composure and calm on the ball - exactly what the game needed to see out an Arsenal win.
That's all from my review and ratings. I hope you liked it, and thank you for reading. Your comments are all welcome.
COYG!Tejasvi Bhandari @SaviAfc
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