North London derby review: Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

 

Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsdale

North London derby review: Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

By Oli Dickson Jefford
 
What. A. Performance.

Arsenal suddenly look a different team to the one that suffered embarrassing defeats to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City earlier this season.

Victories over Norwich and Burnley certainly steadied the ship, but a huge North London Derby win? That’s another level.

It has to be mentioned that Tottenham were poor, looking limp and lifeless throughout the opening 65 minutes before belatedly finding something in the closing stages.

However, praise should be heaped on the entire Arsenal XI who played superbly well and brought some joy back to the Emirates after years of negativity and hopelessness.

Having been under real pressure just a few weeks ago, Mikel Arteta will now be riding high and hoping that the 
Gunners keep this momentum going.


Saka and Smith-Rowe Star 

There are plenty of positives from an Arsenal perspective, but perhaps the two brightest talking points are Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka.

In the dreary matches at the beginning of the campaign, Smith-Rowe and Saka were often the only positives to take.

Both well and truly shone yesterday, with each on the scoresheet and creating an array of chances, as they wreaked havoc on the Spurs defence.

Saka continues to excel as he always has done during his club and international career, while an England call-up may not be too far away for Smith-Rowe if he continues this run of form.


Defensive Stability 

Another standout was the performance of Aaron Ramsdale, who continues to stamp his authority in between the posts and has seemingly usurped Bernd Leno as the new No.1

Several questioned Ramsdale’s experience and whether he was good enough to play for a side that is aiming to finish in the top six, but he is silencing those doubters now. 

He will be a little disappointed by the late goal conceded, but he could do very little to stop Heung Min-Son on that occasion and made several strong saves throughout the rest of the match.

Ramsdale also had control of the penalty box throughout and didn’t look fazed at any point, and aged just 23 he could become a key figure for many years to come.

Elsewhere, it was by far the strongest performance of Ben White’s young career at the Emirates.

Aaron Ramsdale

White looked shaky when he made his debut against Brentford just over a month ago, but now looks a calm and assured presence at the back.

He, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel were solid and after defensive woes for a few seasons now, everyone at the club will be hoping that these three can form a formidable relationship alongside the likes of Ramsdale.


Grit in midfield

There were no performances that can be faulted, with everyone in a red shirt playing exceptionally well.

Though Smith-Rowe and Saka will get the headlines, it was another strong performance from Martin Odegaard who is playing the best football of his life after joining the club on a permanent deal.

And it was also a positive showing for Granit Xhaka, who showed a level of composure he hasn’t always done in big matches.

One slight negative may be the injury he picked up late on, hopefully it won’t prove serious.

So, North London is well and truly red for now.

The hard work now begins to make sure that everyone at the club builds on this highly impressive derby display.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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