Arsenal player ratings

A painful defeat, but not a surprising result. Tottenham have been knocking on the door to surpass Arsenal for a few seasons now. With this 2-1 win in the North London derby, they may have just managed it.

Wojciech Szczesny - 5 – His kicking remains an issue, but otherwise this was a better performance from Szczesny. Could do little with either of the Tottenham goals, with the accountability for them being on the men stationed in front of him.

Carl Jenkinson - 6 – Jenkinson's performance should be caveated by the fact that he received little support from Theo Walcott on the right flank. Having to do the work of two men, Jenkinson tried gamely, also putting in some decent crosses. Was substituted when Arsenal pushed for an equaliser.

Per Mertesacker – 4 – Made an important intervention to get Arsenal back into the match (although it will probably go down as a Gareth Bale own goal). But he's the “de-facto” leader of the back four, they were caught square far too often. His inability to get the rearguard playing an effective offside trap was a major reason why Arsenal lost.

Thomas Vermaelen – 4 – Like the Arsenal team, he had a decent game for 37 minutes. But he was hugely culpable for both Spurs' goals, and along with Mertesacker, looked very vulnerable for the rest of the match. As a side point, his propensity to hit aimless long balls is maddening, and often leads to possession being lost.

Nacho Monreal - 4 – He was another to go to sleep during the crucial period of the match. He gave Aaron Lennon a 5 yard head start, and yet was nowhere near him when the England international scored the winner. He found it tough going all afternoon, and didn't get forward enough when Arsenal were chasing the game.

Mikel Arteta – 5 – Until Spurs' 2 goal spell, Arteta may have been the game's best player. Arsenal had most of the play, and it was Arteta who was controlling the midfield. However, he didn't give the back four enough protection for Bale and Lennon's goals. Was sacrificed for Lukas Podolski late on.

Aaron Ramsey - 5 – Very energetic as always, and pressed Tottenham well in the early exchanges – also winning the free kick for the Arsenal goal. But his lack of positional discipline left his defence exposed, and he missed a decent chance when playing at right-back in the closing stages.

Jack Wilshere - 5 – Wouldn't be surprised if fatigue is an issue here, but Wilshere had one of his poorer games. He was closed down, and made little impact around the penalty area. He looked better for a spell as he operated a touch deeper. But his passing was unusually awry with only 73% accuracy, and not one of his attempted through-balls found their target.

Theo Walcott - 5 – His positioning was very poor in the first-half. Rather than starting wide and making runs through the middle, he started far too central, giving Jenkinson little help, and making it easier for Tottenham to mark him. He operated wider in the second-half, but couldn't get in behind Assou-Ekotto or Vertonghen. Gave a decent assist for the goal though.

Olivier Giroud - 4 –  The Frenchman looks in a bad run of form. Tried manfully, and gave every last ounce of effort. But his quality was poor, often failing to make the ball stick up-front, and couldn't link play with his midfielders. He's looking like a pretty blunt instrument in attack at the moment.

Santi Cazorla - 6 – Had a hit and miss display, but Arsenal's best spell of the game came with Cazorla often at the hub of it. Sadly it wasn't for long enough for him to make a key difference, and the Spaniard spent far too much of the game on its fringes.

SUBS

Tomas Rosicky – 6 – Gave Arsenal increased tempo and directness, yet again leaving fans scratching their heads at why he's not being included more. Should probably have come on earlier.

Lukas Podolski – n/a – Another player who should have been given more of the game to make an impact. Had one good opening late on, but his first touch let him down.

The match had a horrible feeling of chickens coming home to roost.

Tottenham didn't play brilliantly, but they executed the basics with efficiency and competence. They defended solidly, were well organised, and took their chances.

While Arsenal had more of the possession, this team looks too inconsistent in quality to finish above either Spurs or Chelsea in the table.

Gooners may want to start keeping their Thursday nights free from this September.

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