Arsenal Suffer Torment At Tottenham

Tottenham underlined their superiority over Arsenal with a convincing 2-0 win at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The result confirms that Spurs will finish above Arsenal for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s two-decade reign.

The Gunners were arguably lucky to avoid losing by a bigger margin, with Tottenham culpable of missing some gilt-edged chances before Dele Alli and Harry Kane put their rivals to the sword.

Positives

Perhaps the one consolation is that Arsenal weren’t on the end of a serious thrashing. Had Spurs been more clinical, this could have been embarrassing for Wenger’s men.

They’ll also take some comfort from the fact that both Manchester clubs and Everton also dropped points on Sunday. Arsenal’s slim hopes of making the top four remain just about alive.

Negatives

After three consecutive victories, this was a return to the brittle Arsenal we’ve seen for the majority of the season. It turns out the new 3-4-3 system isn’t quite the panacea the supporters hoped. The Gunners struggled against a team who seemed more organised and motivated.

Wenger is right: one season does not necessarily denote a power shift in north London. However, right now Tottenham are comfortably better than their rivals.

4 — The Gunners boss will be criticised for naming Olivier Giroud ahead of Danny Welbeck in attack. Tottenham tend to squeeze high, leaving space in behind, yet Giroud was unwilling and unable to test the Spurs defence in that fashion.

Wenger was also worryingly passive on the touchline, failing to make changes until the game was beyond Arsenal. After the FA Cup semifinal win over Manchester City provided some respite, this result will reopen the debate over the manager’s future.

GK Petr Cech, 7 — Were it not for several excellent saves, Tottenham could have really humiliated Arsenal. He had little chance with either goal, and showed outstanding reflexes to keep the score at 2-0.

DF Gabriel Paulista, 5 — The Brazilian had been one of the major beneficiaries of the switch to a back three but he struggled with Tottenham’s speed and directness on the flanks. Kane seemed to deliberately trail his leg to help win the penalty, but Gabriel’s tackle was reckless nonetheless.

DF Laurent Koscielny, 5 — Beaten far too easily by Christian Eriksen in the build-up to Alli’s goal. Koscielny was a fitness doubt before the game, and perhaps that explains his lacklustre display.

DF Nacho Monreal, 5 — The Spaniard is still adapting to his role on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s three centre-halves, and he’ll have been disappointed that Tottenham’s opener came from his channel. Perhaps Wenger should have kept impressive youngster Rob Holding in the side?

MF Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 5 — Battled hard but was given a torrid time on the defensive front by Tottenham’s impressive play on the flanks. It’s still unclear whether he is best deployed as a wing-back or in central midfield.

MF Aaron Ramsey, 6 — On a dark day for Arsenal, Ramsey was one of the few bright spots. He consistently made runs beyond the striker to get into the box and was also able to test Hugo Lloris with a decent strike from the edge of the box.

MF Granit Xhaka, 5 — It’s surprising he managed to get through his first away derby without getting sent off. He started brightly but faded before being replaced by Welbeck.

MF Kieran Gibbs, 4 — It seems Arsenal are chasing a new left-wing back in Schalke’s Sead Kolasinac, and given Gibbs’ struggles at White Hart Lane it’s easy to understand Wenger’s interest in the Bosnian.

FW Mesut Ozil, 5 — This was not a performance to convince Arsenal to give Ozil the massive salary he’s apparently demanding to stay at the club. Once again, the German failed to show up in a big game. His Arsenal career is threatening to end with a whimper.

FW Alexis Sanchez, 6 — In recent weeks, Sanchez has become increasingly erratic in possession. However, he remains Arsenal’s most dangerous player. Unlike Ozil, it’s absolutely essential that Arsenal keep the Chilean at the club.

FW Olivier Giroud, 4 — Offered very little as Arsenal’s starting centre-forward. Quite why Wenger chose to pick him ahead of Welbeck or Sanchez is a mystery. The one opportunity that came to him was skied over the bar with his right foot.

Substitutes:

MF Danny Welbeck, 5 — Came on for Xhaka but was bizarrely deployed in a wing-back role for the majority of his time on the pitch.

DF Hector Bellerin, N/R — On for Gabriel. Had limited impact.

FW Theo Walcott, N/R — Fired one decent opportunity straight at Lloris after replacing Giroud.