I find North London derbies the most anxiety-ridden games of the season. And a match like this made it even more so. A below-par Arsenal made up for a lack of quality with supreme doggedness to scrape a 1-0 victory.
Wojciech Szczesny - 7 – He made a howler from a cross in the second-half, which should have resulted in an equaliser from Nacer Chadli. However, he dealt with the remainder of crosses from Tottenham with aplomb.
Bacary Sagna – 6 – An unusually mediocre performance from Sagna. He rode his luck when on a yellow card, and was pinned back in his own half from buccaneering forward runs from Danny Rose.
Per Mertesacker – 9 – Mertesacker's brief dip in form from a few weeks ago seems to be over. He was magnificent in defence. His positioning and anticipation was faultless, evinced by his 20 successful clearances.
Laurent Koscielny – 9 – The only player who one could argue had a better display than Mertesacker was Koscielny. He had his hands full with an impressive Emmanuel Adebayor, but he dealt with him ably. And his superb scrambling block on the goalline from Chadli was worth a goal in itself.
Kieran Gibbs – 6 – I suspect that Gibbs wasn't fully fit. He didn't always manage to keep Andros Townsend quiet, passed the ball poorly (his pass success rate was only 57%), and didn't consistently stop crosses coming in from the right-hand side.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6 – He was full of energy, being involved in the goal. But this was a display high on perspiration and low on nous. His decision making often let him down, especially when clean through on goal on the first-half. He was substituted in the second-half with a tight calf.
Mikel Arteta – 7 – For much of the first-half, Arteta gave an excellent defensive display, helping to keep Tottenham at arm's length. However, his level dropped as Spurs increased the pressure. That said, he more than played his part in the win.
Tomas Rosicky – 7 – Rosicky is becoming something of a North London derby specialist. His bustling style – on and of the ball – is a real boon to his teammates. And he provided the one high quality moment of the match; a glorious goal which won the contest.
Santi Cazorla – 6 – The Spaniard was an uncharacteristically anonymous presence. He seemed to suffer as Arsenal sat back for most of the match. When he did get on the ball, he never did enough to affect the play.
Lukas Podolski – 6 – One couldn't fault Podolski's application, and he appeared to be Arsenal's best attacking outlet. But bar one shot in the first-half – that hit the side netting – the German spent most of the match on its fringes.
Olivier Giroud – 6 – One is beginning to worry about Giroud being hit by fatigue. He didn't manage to get much change out of Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen. The Frenchman didn't hold the ball up well enough to help Arsenal push higher up the pitch.
SUBS
Mathieu Flamini – N/A – Probably should have come on sooner.
Nacho Monreal – N/A – Added some much needed ballast to the left-hand side
Thomas Vermaelen – N/A – Brought on to preserve the lead.
Despite a satisfying win, the manner of the victory raised some worries. It seems unlikely that Arsenal can rely on their centre-halves to keep winning them games. Tiredness seems to be an increasing factor in their performances. And tougher tests await. Personally, I doubt we can win the league playing like this. But we can smile for today. After all, #NorthLondonIsRed
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