Opinion: Tottenham player ratings from the 2-0 derby defeat to Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 2-0 defeat against their bitter North London rivals Arsenal this evening, leaving the Gunners well clear at the top of the Premier League table and Spurs falling away from the Champions League spots.  Let’s take a look at how the individual players got on: Hugo Lloris – 3 – Yes, […]

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Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 2-0 defeat against their bitter North London rivals Arsenal this evening, leaving the Gunners well clear at the top of the Premier League table and Spurs falling away from the Champions League spots. 

(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Let’s take a look at how the individual players got on:

Hugo Lloris – 3 – Yes, he did make a couple of key saves to keep Spurs in it at times. However, the damage was really done within the first portion of the game. He almost got caught following a poor first touch, then palmed the ball into his own net. Spurs never recovered from that.

Matt Doherty – 4 – Just was not in the game at all. Struggled to find any space in behind and lost a lot of his aerial duels. He was more like a right-back in a flat line than a threatening wing-back.

Cristian Romero – 4 – Looked on the edge of getting sent off for much of the game after his yellow. Usually, he thrives in these kinds of matches, but he was a little all over the place at times.

Eric Dier – 5 – Was arguably Tottenham’s best defender on and off the ball, but he was still well below his usual standards. Spurs needed more of those long raking balls over the top at times.

Clement Lenglet – 4.5 – Struggled with the pace and trickery of Bukayo Saka down that Arsenal right. Often calm and composed on the ball, but leaves a lot to be desired with his marking and defending. Having said that, he came up with a couple of important last-ditch blocks and tackles.

Ryan Sessegnon – 5 – It was hard to rate Sess today. The positions he got into were absolute class, but his end product just was not good enough. Those crosses have to find a Spurs man, and those shots have to ripple the back of the net if he wants a future in the first team.

Pape Matar Sarr – 7 – I was really impressed with the 20-year-old today, making his full Premier League debut. Considering Spurs were overrun in the centre of the pitch, he showed so much composure and quality on the ball, in a very similar way to Bentancur. Well done, Pape.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 5 – I felt a bit sorry for him because Arsenal had four men in the middle of the pitch at times, up against Tottenham’s two. He showed glimpses of his usual quality, in between being completely suffocated in the engine room.

Dejan Kulusevski – 7 – Tottenham’s most potent attacking threat. Whether he skipped past on the outside or cut in on his left, Arsenal rarely stopped Kulusevski’s cross or shot. Unfortunately, everything was half a yard too high or long today.

Harry Kane – 4 – Just struggled to get in the game at all, and even when he was on the ball, Harry looked a little out of sorts today. Usually Mr North London Derby, but he was more of a spectator today.

Heung-min Son – 4 – Just wasn’t involved in the game for large portions of the encounter. We are so used to seeing Son as a focal point for Tottenham’s breaks in these kinds of games, but he barely threatened today as his struggles continue.

Substitutes: 

Richarlison – 4 – Came on for 20 minutes but struggled to get involved at all.

Ivan Perisic – N/A

Yves Bissouma – N/A

Bryan Gil – N/A

Ben Davies – N/A

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