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Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur shared points at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 24, as a hard-fought North Londen derby ended in a 2-2 draw.
Both teams started the match on the front foot, testing the goalkeepers in the opening minutes. The home side made the breakthrough in the 26th minute when Bukayo Saka's shot was deflected into the goal by Cristian Romero's dangling leg.
Tottenham got back on level terms just before halftime. James Maddison skipped past Saka along the by-line and cut back to Son Heung-min, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net.
Six minutes into the second half, Arsenal were awarded a penalty by VAR after Ben White's effort from a corner bounced off Romero's arm. Saka stepped up and sent the ball high down the middle to restore the Gunners' lead.
The lead, however, lasted a little more than a minute. Maddison stole the ball off Jorginho, carried it forward, and teed up Son, who found the far corner to restore parity. Despite their best efforts, both teams failed to find the winning goal and had to settle for a draw.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Arsenal:
David Raya - 7/10
David Raya made a fantastic save in the first half to deny Brennan Johnson. He was good when on the ball, though his distribution looked a little shaky at times.
Ben White - 6/10
Ben White did well with his overlapping runs, providing an outlet for his team, going forward. He played a role in both of Arsenal’s goals.
The Englishman probably should have done better to defend James Maddison just before Spurs' first goal.
William Saliba - 7/10
William Saliba put in a dominant performance and kept the Spurs attackers in check. He made five recoveries, two blocks, and one clearance.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 7/10
It was another strong performance from Gabriel Magalhaes, who cannot be faulted for either goal. The Brazilian has slowly but surely solidified his position in the team.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko did well defensively but failed to have much impact in attack, though he did make some good passes when he came infield.
Martin Odegaard - 6/10
A relentless Martin Odegaard led the Arsenal press in midfield. However, he was not as influential as he could be when in possession. He had 64% passing accuracy and was dispossessed three times.
Declan Rice - 5/10
Declan Rice was at fault for Son Heung-min's first goal, as he missed an important interception that could've stooped that attack. The Englishman was taken off at halftime and was later spotted on the bench with a bandaged calf.
Fabio Vieira - 5/10
After a few strong performances, Fabio Vieira failed to get going against Spurs in the first half and was understandably replaced at the break.
Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Bukayo Saka gave Destiny Udogie a torrid time on the pitch with his pace and movement. The winger did well to create enough space for himself to shoot for the first goal for Arsenal. Though he has Christian Romero to thank after the huge deflection wrong-footed the goalkeeper.
Added another goal to his name with a calm and composed finish from the penalty spot.
Eddie Nketiah- 5/10
Eddie Nketiah was perhaps fortunate to not get his marching orders for his challenge on Guglielmo Vicario in the second half. He worked hard and a few crunching tackles got the crowd going. However, he failed to make any impact in attract as Spurs managed to keep the Arsenal striker quiet throughout.
Gabriel Jesus - 6/10
Gabriel Jesus was good off the ball for Arsenal and did have enough chances to do any damage when in possession. With Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard sidelined and Nketiah on the pitch, he played a majority of the match out wide, which is perhaps not where he is most comfortable.
Ratings of Arsenal substitutes
Jorginho - 4/10
Jorginho replaced Declan Rice at halftime after the latter picked up some injury. The former Chelsea player will be eager to forget this match as his error led to Spurs making it 2-2. He did, however, do well to make a good block on Richarlison at the end to deny the visitors all three points.
Kai Havertz - 4/10
Kai Havertz replaced Fabio Vieira at halftime and did not make any impact on the proceedings. After another anonymous performance, Mikel Arteta will be hoping he starts producing the goods to justify the club spending big money on him.
Reiss Nelson - 5/10
Reiss Nelson replaced Gabriel Jesus with a little more than 10 minutes left in the match and didn't get enough chances to trouble the Spurs backline.
Emile Smith Rowe - NA/10
Emile Smith Rowe replaced Bukayo Saka in the final minute of regular time and didn't have time to make a meaningful contribution.
