Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: player ratings

03 March 2013 18:21
Tottenham Hotspur Hugo Lloris Despite Arsenal's wealth of possession he had surprisingly little to do; making an early save from Giroud. Had little chance of keeping out Mertesacker's header but was always quick off his line. 6/10 Kyle Walker A mixed game at times for the England man who gave away possession too easily but made a key tackle on Walcott in the first half and stayed strong at the back. 6 Michael Dawson Had a furious confrontation with referee Clattenburg after he failed to stop play when Adebayor was injured; but showed the same passion in his defending. 7 Jan Vertonghen Made and fantastic block on Giroud to prevent Arsenal going ahead and an even better one on Walcott in the second half; howed once again he is a real quality defender. 8 Benoit Assou-Ekotto Had a lot to deal with on the left with Theo Walcott flying forward but in general dealt with him well; his distribution was good, too. 7 Moussa Dembele Not his most influential match in a Spurs shirt. The midfielder showed some classy touches in possession but much of the game passed him by until he went off injured. 6 Scott Parker Started slowly as Arsenal passed the ball around him but grew steadily more influential as the afternoon went on and superbly set up Tottenham's second goal with a wonderful through-ball for Lennon. 7 Aaron Lennon Tottenham's danger man on the ball; Arsenal looked nervous whenever he set off on a jinking run- and he crowned his performance with a well-taken goal. 7 Gareth Bale Won the headlines without hitting top gear. Bale barely touched the ball for the opening half hour but when he finally got it, from a Sigurdsson pass, his finish was sublime. A wonderful cross-field pass almost set up a third after the break. 6 Gylfi Sigurdsson A controversial choice ahead of Lewis Holtby in the eyes of some Spurs fans but he repaid his manager by setting up the opening goal. Also wasted a second-half chance, though. 6 Emmanuel Adebayor Surprisingly quiet against his former club, he barely featured in the action - except when he was booked for a nasty challenge on Ramsey. Then he was carried off on a stretcher with a second-half injury. 5 Subs: Defoe came on for the injured Adebayor, and was an instant livewire. Livermore came on late for the injured Dembele, before Gallas arrived in injury time. Subs not used: Friedel, Naughton, Holtby, Carroll. Arsenal Wojciech Szczesny Got nowhere near Tottenham's first-half goals as Bale and Lennon beat him with ease; but his distribution was quick and his handling safe at least. 6 Carl Jenkinson Both Tottenham's first half goals started on his side of the field and although he was athletic going forward this wasn't a great day for the full-back. Subbed injured. 5 Per Mertesacker Nothing he does in defence looks convincing He did g up the other end to glance a header past Loris for 2-1 but at the back he remains at best a frustration and at worst a liability. 6 Thomas Vermaelen The captain turned his back on the ball for Tottenham's second goal and allowed Lennon to waltz past him unfettered; and the move was almost repeated for Sigurdsson after the break. 5 Nacho Monreal Has shown greater promise in previous matches; at White Hart Lane he was less influential in possession and part of a defence that collectively wobbled when it really mattered. 5 Aaron Ramsey Provided energy and commitment on Arsenal's left-hand side and did the same when moved to the right - although he wasted a great chance after 80 minutes. 7 Mikel Arteta Has suffered a frustrating dip in form since returning from injury and the holding role in midfield doesn't seem to suit him. Didn't impose himself on the match. 6 Theo Walcott Didn't get a lot of change out of Tottenham's defence but never stopped trying; it was his cross that set up a goal for Meretesacker in the second half. 7 Jack Wilshere As usual he was the lynchpin of Arsenal's midfield and their driving force; surely it can't be long before he is handed the captain's armband. 7 Santi Cazorla Every touch oozed class; and Spurs had no real answer to him when he got on the ball. But the frustration for Arsenal was they didn't get him within shooting range. 7 Olivier Giroud The Frenchman had an early header saved and worked hard on his own up front; but he never really looks like hitting the net. At times he was too isolated. 6 Subs: Rosicky came on in the second-half and made an instant impact with his energy levels; Podolski arrived to liven up the left flank. Subs not used: Mannone, Koscielny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin, Gervinho.   Premier League Sport » Football » Arsenal » Tottenham Hotspur » In football »   Smith's north London XI    Premier League's Dad's Army Related Partners Buy football tickets to all upcoming fixtures from Telegraph Tickets   Advertisement telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Advertisement Promotions » Loading Advertisement Motoring Engineering VistaPrint Loading Search for Engineering Jobs in the UK and overseas Search for the full range of VistaPrint services MORE FROM TELEGRAPH.CO.UK POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM   A guide to the British Museum's exhibition about life and death in ancient Roman cities View Telegraph Puzzles   Get access to 20 free puzzles from Telegraph Puzzles View Household Bills   Households urged to switch to Britain's cheapest energy deal View Telegraph Gardenshop   Grow your own: Toby Buckland's best fruit and veg for 2013 View Back to top HOME Rugby Union England Club Football Teams Fixtures Results News Cricket England Fixtures Live Scoreboards Formula One Lewis Hamilton Jenson Button Teams Finance Rugby Union Six Nations British and Irish Lions Fixtures Other Sports Cycling Athletics Sport A-Z Lifestyle Tennis Andy Murray Roger Federer ATP Tour Golf European Tour US Tour Tiger Woods Comment Contact Us Telegraph Journalists Advertising Fantasy Football Announcements Reader Prints Follow Us Apps Epaper Expat Promotions Subscriber Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast

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