Tottenham Hotspur recorded their fourth consecutive victory over Arsenal in the North London derby thanks to an ambitious effort by Kyle Walker. Here are the player ratings from a pulsating game in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur
Brad Friedel (7): He could do nothing about Ramsey’s goal. His handling and shot stopping was solid throughout though he was not tested enough by Arsenal.
Ledley King (8): Sheer class from the Spurs skipper as he kept Arsenal at bay with some rock solid defending. His knees might not support him well but when he plays, he never fails to impress.
Younes Kaboul (7): Blew hot and cold but he did win some brilliant headers in the second half. Made an adventurous run late on as Arsenal started to tire.
Trending
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (7): Always showed Walcott the inside and thus narrowed Arsenal’s space. Supported Bale ably enough when required.
Kyle Walker (8): A future right-back for England for sure. He put in another good performance defensively and was superb going forward. Struck the winner with real venom and did his enhancing reputation no harm at all.
Luka Modric (6.5): Had a quiet afternoon. Was rendered ineffective by Arsenal’s midfield but once the game started to open up he did look threatening.
Scott Parker (7.5): Like Modric, didn’t have a great first half but he was absolutely brilliant in the second. He snapped into tackles and kept pressing Arsenal’s midfield while not allowing any room at all.
Gareth Bale (8): He ran Sagna ragged. Sagna never got close to him and if you don’t do that, Gareth Bale will always beat you for pace. He delivered some stunning crosses from the left-wing and then went on to torment Jenkinson. Missed a simple one-on-one chance late on.
Rafael Van der Vaart (7.5): There was a hint of handball about his goal but he took it really well. Volleyed it beyond Szczesny calmly. Had to be taken off in the second half as he was struggling to help out Walker defensively. Was substituted for Sandro.
Emmanuel Adebayor (7): Was the victim of some awful abuse by the Gunners fans but kept his head high. Found van der Vaart for the opening goal with a beautiful cross. Was replaced by Livermore later.
Jermain Defoe (5.5): Failed to impress on a day when his team-mates needed him to work harder.
Subs:
Sandro (7): Came on for Van der Vaart to tighten things up in midfield and played his role to perfection.
Jake Livermore (N/A): Came on for Adebayor and helped see out the game.
Vedran Corluka (N/A): Replaced the brilliant Parker in the dying minutes.
Arsenal
Wojciech Szczesny (7.5): He should have kept out Walker’s effort but apart from that, it was a superb performance by the Pole. He kept denying Spurs time and time again and could have used some help from his defenders.
Per Mertesacker (6): He made some important interceptions and tackles but the German still looks lost in the Premier League. He still hasn’t got used to the pace of the league and was caught out on a number of occasions.
Alexandre Song (6.5): Didn’t begin well as he let Parker in for a one-on-one early in the game but grew into his role as center-back. Kept a tight leash on Adebayor after the break and was involved in Arsenal’s equalizer.
Kieran Gibbs (6.5): Had a few nervy moments when he lost Van der Vaart but was solid enough otherwise.
Bacary Sagna (6): Struggled to deal with the explosive pace of Bale. Never got tight enough on the Welshman. But he did provide an attacking threat on the right for the visitors. Stretched off after landing awkwardly on his ankle and was replaced by Jenkinson.
Francis Coquelin (7.5): Provided some ray of light for Wenger on a dark for the club as he put in a very impressive midfield performance. Looked utterly unfazed by the occasion and kept the play ticking and used possession well enough for his side.
Aaron Ramsey (6): Took his goal well after an intelligent run from midfield but apart from that, he had a shocker. His passing lacked zip, was too predictable and lost the ball on a number of occasions. He will have to step up his game in the absence of Wilshere.
Mikel Arteta (6.5): Like his counterpart Modric, he had a quiet game for the visitors. Drifted in and out at times and failed to provide the spark Arsenal needed.
Theo Walcott (6): Failed to get any luck out of Assou-Ekkotto who kept a tight leash on him. Was replaced by Benayoun with 20 mints left.
Gervinho (5.5): Dear oh dear, what a miss by Gervinho. He had an almost open net in front of him when van Persie played the ball to him but Gervinho somehow managed to squander the chance. Another hit and miss display by the Ivory Coast international.
Robin van Persie (6.5): Didn’t get any space against King and Kaboul who gave him no room to provide the goods for Arsenal.
Subs:
Andrei Arshavin (6): Replaced Gervinho but once again he couldn’t influence proceedings.
Carl Jenkinson (5.5): Replaced the injured Sagna was given a torrid time by Bale who ran circles around him.
Yossi Benayoun (6.5): Brought some zip into Arsenal’s play when he replaced Walcott and had a half-chance but couldn’t beat Friedel.
