Asked how he wanted his side to approach this game last week, Mikel Arteta said Arsenal would have to play in “a slightly different skin” to deal with the pressures of derby day.
In the end, they looked like an entirely different team to that which started the season with three miserable defeats to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City.
With only two Premier League goals to their name at kick off, Arsenal had more than doubled their tally come half time thanks to Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka. Tottenham were completely blown away and, despite a late consolation from Son Heung-min, they were desperately poor at both ends of the pitch.
Ultimately, it has to go down as the most one-sided north London derby since Arsenal’s famous 5-2 wins back in 2012. Here are the players – on both sides – who changed the game.
Emile Smith Rowe – 9/10
He’s only one half of a Hale End double act, with Saka also fantastic on the opposite flank, but Smith Rowe was the most influential player on the pitch.
Running between the lines and driving into the generous space afforded to him by Spurs’ absentee midfield, he was the inspiration behind Arsenal’s attacking masterclass in the first half.
His opener was beautifully taken, a ghosting run leaving Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez rooted to the ground like dead trees, but his link up with Aubameyang for the second goal was the stuff of Nuno Espirito Santo’s nightmares.
Having played his part in kickstarting the counter-attack, Smith Rowe ran onto a deft flick from Aubameyang only to execute an inch-perfect cutback to set up his teammate to score. He also had a hand in Arsenal’s third, combining beautifully with Martin Odegaard before picking out Saka who – after evading an indecisive tackle from Harry Kane – bundled home.
Kieran Tierney – 8/10
He may not have got any goals or assists to his name, but Tierney was the glue that held Arsenal’s attack together.
His efforts were exemplified barely five minutes in when, having picked up a pass from Smith Rowe on the overlap, he roared up the left flank and got a cross to Aubameyang who forced Hugo Lloris into a save at full stretch.
Tierney is at his best when he’s allowed to follow his attacking instincts and he spent much of the first half as an auxiliary winger, dovetailing nicely with Smith Rowe and Odegaard.
He also had a prominent role in the second goal, ferrying the ball forwards from deep and watching as Smith Rowe and Aubameyang did the rest.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 8/10
If Arsenal are going to capitalise on this result and revive their season in earnest, they need Aubameyang to rediscover his best form.
There were signs here that, after a strangely blunted start to the campaign, he’s sharpening up.
Having tested Lloris early on following Tierney’s smart cross, he sent a dipping shot just over the crossbar not long afterwards and exuded a general air of menace familiar from his first few seasons in north London.
Not only did he provide the moment of genius which created the second goal in the flick to Smith Rowe, he finished it with keen-edged brilliance. As the man tasked with scoring the majority of Arsenal’s goals, this showing needs to be replicated on a weekly basis going forwards.
Harry Kane – 3/10
Though he wasn’t helped by a ridiculously conservative game plan, Kane had one of his least impactful performances of the season so far.
His showing belied his status as the all-time top scorer in the north London derby and, while Spurs’ entire forward line struggled, he seemed to epitomise everything which went wrong for Nuno’s side in attack.
After 20 minutes, he had managed to touch the ball twice. Midway through the first half he blasted a shot into the stratosphere from 25 yards in what felt like an act of pure frustration, before missing several presentable chances as the game wore on.
As well as being anonymous going forwards, he gave the ball away for Arsenal’s third goal and, having sprinted back in panic, failed to dispossess Saka with his attempted tackle. He’s still without a goal in the Premier League this season and, if Spurs continue to play like this, he may be waiting for some time.
Davinson Sanchez – 3/10
Having come into the starting line-up in place of Cristian Romero, Sanchez failed to justify Nuno’s decision to make the switch in defence.
While Eric Dier was also culpable for Arsenal’s goals, Sanchez failed to track Smith Rowe’s run for the opener and, along with his centre-back partner, was caught flat-footed in the first half.
With the second goal, Sanchez could have been far more proactive about stopping the cross but, unfortunately, Spurs were almost entirely reactive in the way they played.
In that sense, his performance also seemed emblematic of Spurs’ collective failings. With their fast start to the season now looking like a false dawn, Nuno has serious problems to solve from front to back.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3kE0FYt
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