Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Hits and Flops from the game | Premier League 2019-20

#2 Flop: Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka gave away one too many cheap fouls against Spurs

Once again, Granit Xhaka proved to be a major letdown for his club. The very reason behind Spurs' dominance in the first half was a tactical masterclass from Pochettino, who asked the likes of Eriksen and Son to join up with an energetic Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko.

Result? Arsenal were made to chase whenever Spurs broke free. They looked extremely vulnerable to a more direct threat as well as their opponents' counter-attacking display. Due to the above tactical breakdown, it's safe to say that Arsenal were outnumbered in midfield throughout the first half.

One of the members of the guilty party happened to be Granit Xhaka, who didn't quite track back as he would have liked to, or direct the ones in front of him to slot in and defend Tottenham's counter. After all, he's the main source of communication at the center of the ground.

To add to his misery, the Switzerland international conceded one of the cheapest fouls you'd ever see against Son when he needlessly brought the Spurs winger down. Not for the first time, the defensive midfielder has evoked this sense of recklessness from his side in a crunch encounter.

Granit Xhaka has given away five penalties in the Premier League since making his Arsenal debut in 2016, no player in the competition has conceded more in that timeframe.Not his finest display in an Arsenal shirt. 😬 pic.twitter.com/SLbjVUhGhd

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 1, 2019