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Arsenal came from behind to claim a point against fierce North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in an evenly contested tie at the Emirates stadium. The visitors started off slowly but managed to gain the lead with a beautiful finish from prolific English international Harry Kane.
Tottenham looked more threatening of the two sides after an attacking first forty-five minutes. The second half saw the hosts surging forward in search of an equalizer, which they eventually found in an unlikely source in the form of substitute Kieran Gibbs.
The rejuvenated Gunners tried to push for a victory, but Spurs did enough to extend their undefeated streak to eleven in the league. With Manchester City failing to pick up more than a point at Villa Park earlier in the day, Arsenal continue to remain separated only in terms of goal difference at the top of the Premier League table.
Here are the ratings for the players involved in this feisty London derby.
Arsenal:
Petr Cech- 6.5/10
Despite being unable to stop Harry Kane from scoring, Petr Cech looked comfortable in goal. He was relatively busy during the second period of the match keeping the likes of Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld at bay with some vital saves. The 33-year old goalkeeper also showed a keen eye for his team-mates shrewdly picking out Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez with delightful long-range passes. His confusion with Per Mertesacker in the second half nearly let Spurs through on goal, but on a whole the experienced goalkeeper had a decent game.
Mathieu Debuchy- 5/10
Playing in place of the injured Hector Bellerin, Debuchy had a great chance to cement his place in the team after an injury-marred affair with Arsenal. The Frenchman had a good game in patches making some vital tackles with Spurs in top gear but overall delivered an average performance. The 30-year old was also unable throw himself forward as he was busy dealing with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose on the flanks.
Per Mertesacker- 6/10
Arsenal's captain for the day, Per Mertesacker had a sound game defensively. The German international averted any danger in the box with some good positioning and general awareness. Mertesacker, however, was caught napping defending a corner in the second half that gave Toby Alderweireld a free header, who almost doubled the lead for the visitors. The tall defender was not shy going forward as he popped up in the opponent box as an attacking target during set-pieces.
Laurent Koscielny- 5/10
Koscielny was declared fit after a late fitness test before the game, much to the delight of Arsene Wenger. However, the French centre-half did not have the best of games after his return from injury. Koscielny failed to spot the run of Eric Dier early on in the game, which left him unmarked on the far post and nearly opened the scoring for Spurs. He unsuccessfully tried to play Harry Kane offside, leading the Spurs forward through on goal, who then found the back of the net.
Nacho Monreal- 5.5/10
The Spaniard had a competitive game on the left as he had to adopt an extremely cautious approach against his high-flying visitors. Monreal, especially, had a tough time dealing with the fast-paced Kyle Walker, who made some surging runs down the flank. The 29-year old never really got the chance to go forward as freely as he does, but defensively he did a fair job.
Francis Coquelin- 7/10
Coquelin put in a sterling effort as the holding midfielder providing a good cover to his defense over the majority of the game. The 24-year old midfielder broke up play cleanly and made some important interceptions to keep a confident Spurs side from doubling their lead in the second half.
Santi Cazorla- 4/10
Cazorla had a game to forget as he looked a shadow of his usual self. The 30-year old gave away balls cheaply and was unable to deal with a confident Tottenham side in the center of the pitch. It was not surprising that the talented Spaniard took no further part in the game after half-time.
Joel Campbell- 6/10
Campbell was rewarded with another start by Arsene Wenger and the Costa Rican did not disappoint. He gave Arsenal that extra bit of pace and zing down the right-hand side though he never got much in return for his tremendous effort. He forced a great save off Lloris early in the second half as Arsenal bombarded the Tottenham box in search of an equalizer.
Mesut Ozil- 8/10
Mesut Ozil is probably in the form of his life and this game clearly emphasized that notion. The German international was absolutely sublime during the entirety of the match, picking out his team-mates with ultimate precision. It was his deliciously whipped in ball that was put in by Kieran Gibbs that enabled Arsenal to eke out a point from the game. Often criticized for his work-rate, Ozil put in a staggering effort and was clearly Arsenal's best player on the pitch.
Alexis Sanchez- 6.5/10
The Chilean international was actively involved in the game, producing some fine runs as well as picking out team-mates with ease. With Arsenal pushing hard for an equalizer, Sanchez toiled away on the flanks and produced a masterful effort over the course of the game.
Olivier Giroud- 7/10
The Frenchman looked the most likely player on the pitch to score, getting as many as three clear cut chances to find the back of the net. Giroud, however, was unable to add to his tally after a fine week. The 29-year old showed great commitment and tremendous hunger for ever ball that was put in the box. He won almost all of his aerial duals, though his passing abilities eluded him at times during the course of the game. He was involved in a fiery battle with Jan Vertonghen throughout the game, though it led to no serious implications.
Substitutes:
Mathieu Flamini- 4/10
The experienced Frenchman was brought in at half-time to replace an off color Santi Cazorla but ended up giving an average performance himself. Flamini did not look comfortable helping out his defenders neither was he a threat going forward.
Kieran Gibbs- 7/10
With a mounting injury list, Arsene Wenger was forced to deploy Gibbs further forward on the left than his usual left-back position. He redeemed the faith shown by his manager by netting the crucial equalizer getting on the end of a beautiful Mesut Ozil delivery.
Mikel Arteta- 5/10
With Arsenal having found the equalizer, Mikel Arteta was thrown into the game in order to help Arsenal gain all three points. However, the 33-year old Spaniard never really could make much impact in his limited time on the field.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris- 6/10
With Tottenham having the better of the ball, the visiting captain had a quiet first half and had relatively nothing to do. However, it was a much different story during the second period of the game as the Frenchman was called into action on a number of occasions. Lloris had a good game, dealing with some dangerous set-pieces effectively. However, he left a lot to be desired when he meekly let in the equalizer.
Kyle Walker - 7/10
The Englishman was the spark down the right-hand side that had the Arsenal defense in a quandary. The 25-year old had an excellent game, shifting from defense to attack at every opportunity. He had a good game defensively beating the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Kieran Gibbs for pace quite comfortably. His only mistake of the game, unfortunately, saw Gibbs finding the back of the net.
Toby Alderweireld- 7/10
The Belgian put in another fine performance for his new employers dealing with his threatening opponents with utmost composure and ease. He never seemed to be perplexed even after Arsenal launched continuous attacks at goal during the second period of the game. To add to this stellar defensive performance, the 26-year old central defender also crept up on the other end of the pitch with a fine header that nearly gave the visitors a two-goal advantage.
Jan Vertonghen- 6.5/10
The senior Belgian paired up well with his international counterpart at the heart of the defense. He was involved in a scuffle with Olivier Giroud during the match, but that did not deter the performance of the experienced defender in any manner. The Belgian was neatly positioned throughout the game and marshaled his defensive line marvelously.
Danny Rose- 6/10
Danny Rose had a good game down the left-hand side of the pitch. The English international picked out Harry Kane with a beautifully weighted ball that eventually opened the scoring for the visitors. Defensively, the English international was a little troubled by the pace of Joel Campbell, but never really let the Costa Rican fluster him too much.
Eric Dier- 6.5/10
Eric Dier celebrated his call-up to the English squad with a magnificent performance as the holding midfielder. The versatile 21-year old seemed to be at home in midfield, making some crucial interceptions and disrupting several attacks from the hosts. He also nearly found the back of the net when he made an intelligent run on the far post, only to fire the shot wide.
Dele Alli- 6.5/10
The 19-year old has been a revelation for Spurs this season and delivered a sparkling performance yet again in the midfield. Alli looked confident every time he had the ball at his feet and also picked out his team-mates with some beautiful passes. Not only this, he looked comfortable even when was deployed further forward after Erik Lamela was substituted.
Erik Lamela- 4/10
Lamela had a relatively quiet game and never created much impact on the right hand side of the pitch. The club record signing picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, thereby earning him a suspension for the next game.
Moussa Dembele- 6/10
The experienced Belgian international looked to carry on his fine form after scoring a brilliant goal midweek in the Europa League. The 28-year churned out a neat performance meticulously pulling the strings in the Tottenham's midfield.
Christian Eriksen- 7.5/10
After a low-key first period of the game, Eriksen got much more involved in the game only in the second half. The Danish international had a couple of efforts at goal denied owing to some wonderful effort from the Arsenal defense. The 23-year old was a tremendous threat in dead-ball situations delivering some beautiful balls into the danger area.
Harry Kane- 8/10
Harry Kane continued his rich vein of form by netting in a composed finish to give the visitors an unexpected lead in the first period of the game. The English international was more than willing to help his team-mates, pushing out wide on several occasions. Slick with his passing, the 22-year old also showed a keen eye for his team-mates. With Arsenal pushing forward for an equalizer, he was hardly involved in the second half of the game but looked to make an impact every time he had the ball.
Substitutes:
Heung-Min Son- 4/10
The Korean forward made his return to the league after his injury with a late appearance in the game. With Tottenham trying to keep their attacking opponents at bay, the talented 23-year old never got a chance to showcase his attacking prowess during the time he was on the pitch.
Ryan Mason- N/A
The English midfielder was brought on as a late substitute for Dele Alli and was unable to create any impact in his short stint of the game.
Joshua Onomah- N/A
Brought in right at the 90-minute mark, the exciting England U-19 player was essentially used to kill off Arsenal's momentum and eat up some vital time during the end of the game.
