After a result of this magnitude I’m finding it hard not to give every player a big fat 10 and then leave to celebrate, but I’ll make an effort to think rationally.
Sczezny: 8
The big Polish keeper wasn’t really at fault for the two he conceded, and he gave a solid performance today, running to save corners and never spilling a shot. As far as I can tell he never once had to deflect a ball away.
Gibbs: 7
Gibbs occasionally looked a little vulnerable when Spurs came forwards, but he did well coming forward and made some good challenges. His coming off in the second half means I can’t give him a top score because I don’t know if he would have maintained his performance in the last 20 minutes.
Koscielny: 9
Koscielny’s star continues to rise with another fantastic performance. Apart from one moment of going to sleep to allow Louis Saha in for 0-1 he was absolutely untouchable. Headers, tackles and driving offensive runs, he did it all.
Vermaelen: 9
Everything I said about Koscielny applies to Vermaelen, only that’s simply what we’ve come to expect from the Belgian. He offered less to attack than his central defensive partner but arguably was an even safer presence at the back.
Sagna: 8
Bacary Sagna was guilty of a fair few defensive errors early on, and he sometimes had trouble keeping the ball. However he did more good than evil and popped up with a rare goal that set Arsenal on their way to one of their finest comebacks in years.
Song: 8
One major midfield battle touted before the game was Alex Song versus Scott Parker. I think it would be fair to say that Song aced it. He played the midfield anchorman role almost to perfection and delivered some beautiful long passes, including one to set up Walcott’s second. When he’s on song (tee hee) this player is certainly one of Arsenal’s finest.
Arteta: 7
I felt that Arteta wasn’t fantastic today. He made several poor passes and contributed far less in attack than Rosicky or even Song. Nevertheless he wasn’t disastrous and made a good cross for Sagna to head in.
Rosicky: 9
During much of the second half I found myself wondering why Tomas Rosicky can’t play this way every week. He was pacy and aware, with great vision and even found his shooting boots for the first time in two years. The thing that stood out the most for me was his reaction to scoring. It clearly meant a lot and shows that this is a player who really does love the club.
Benayoun: 7
It was a good shift for the Israeli captain, though his impact on the game is questionable. We saw his footwork and ability to beat players but he spent too much time running into the touchline and getting dispossessed by the Tottenham full-backs.
Walcott: 8
Before every match we always wonder which side of Theo Walcott will come out of the tunnel and today it was the half that reminds us why he’s in the side. He ran the opposition full-backs ragged, but it wasn’t as a winger that he shined today. Twice he appeared in an advanced position to pick up a pass and finish superbly into the bottom left corner. If he can keep this up for once we might not need Lukas Podolski. (I’m joking. We do need Lukas Podolski).
Van Persie: 9
Arsenal’s talisman this season did it again. A stunning finish, an assist and a performance that was part Messi and part well, Robin van Persie. Despite looking like he’s about to fall over whenever he gets the ball, the captain twinkled through the Spurs midfield and defence and never wasted a touch.
Substitutes:
Carl Jenkinson earns a 7 for a fine defensive performance in the last 20 minutes, putting down any chance of a late comeback from the white half of North London.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain didn’t really see much of the ball appearing as he did during the closing stages, nor did he really feel the need to do much with it. Still, he looked solid enough and earns a 6.
That’s all I can say really. I just want to give a high 5-2 Spurs for their great effort and support.
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