Spurs Stun Arsenal in Thrilling North London Derby: Complete Player Ratings from 1-0 Victory
Pape Matar Sarr's spectacular first-half goal secured a 1-0 victory for Tottenham Hotspur over Arsenal in the inaugural north London derby held on international territory.
Arsenal controlled the opening phases of this third and concluding friendly match during their pre-season Asian tour, though they were lucky not to concede early to their fierce rivals in Hong Kong. Pedro Porro's dangerous corner kick struck the far post directly as defensive confusion in the box nearly cost the Gunners dearly.
Tottenham gained momentum as the first half progressed and were twice more denied by the woodwork before the thirty-minute mark. Wilson Odobert's deflected attempt hit the frame of the goal, and Porro again found the post from the following corner, with Richarlison coming within inches of converting the Spaniard's cross at the goal line.
Dead ball situations dominated a competitive first half as both teams found it difficult to create clear scoring chances from regular play, but an Arsenal mistake resulted in the game's opening goal just before halftime. Myles Lewis-Skelly surrendered possession in his defensive half following a challenge from Richarlison, and Sarr gathered the loose ball before executing a brilliant and exquisite chip over David Raya from 50 yards out.
Arsenal's attacking struggles persisted following the interval as Mikel Arteta chose not to make wholesale substitutions, with Gabriel Martinelli's errant effort being their best attempt early in the second half. The Gunners appeared defensively fragile as well—particularly from aerial deliveries into the penalty area—and Micky van de Ven should have extended Tottenham's advantage when he misdirected a close-range header in the 66th minute.
Arteta finally introduced £63.5 million summer acquisition Viktor Gyökeres in the final stages as he searched for a leveler, while promising 15-year-old Max Dowman was also included in the changes. However, the replacements couldn't produce any match-changing moments as Arsenal had to settle for their first pre-season loss of the summer. For Spurs, it represented an ideal start to their short Asian tour.
Arsenal Player Ratings (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 5.8 |
RB: Ben White | 7.1 |
CB: William Saliba | 7.0 |
CB: Jakub Kiwior | 6.8 |
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly | 5.6 |
CM: Martin Ødegaard | 7.1 |
CM: Christian Nørgaard | 6.1 |
CM: Declan Rice | 6.0 |
RW: Bukayo Saka | 6.2 |
ST: Kai Havertz | 6.4 |
LW: Gabriel Martinelli | 5.8 |
SUB: Martín Zubimendi (68' for Nørgaard) | 6.1 |
SUB: Leandro Trossard (68' for Martinelli) | 6.1 |
SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (78' for Kiwior) | 6.0 |
SUB: Max Dowman (78' for Saka) | 6.2 |
SUB: Viktor Gyökeres (78' for Havertz) | 6.1 |
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (78' for Lewis-Skelly) | 6.1 |
SUB: Mikel Merino (78' for Rice) | 6.0 |
SUB: Reiss Nelson (85' for Trossard) | N/A |
Subs not used: Tommy Setford (GK), Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko (GK), Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Louie Copley, Andre Harriman-Annous, Ethan Nwaneri, Ismeal Kabia.
Tottenham Player Ratings (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Guglielmo Vicario | 7.0 |
RB: Pedro Porro | 7.8 |
CB: Cristian Romero | 7.1 |
CB: Micky van de Ven | 7.1 |
LB: Djed Spence | 7.4 |
CM: Lucas Bergvall | 7.4 |
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur | 7.3 |
CM: Pape Matar Sarr | 8.4 |
RW: Mohammed Kudus | 7.0 |
ST: Richarlison | 6.3 |
LW: Wilson Odobert | 6.3 |
SUB: Kevin Danso (63' for Romero) | 6.3 |
SUB: Mathys Tel (63' for Richarlison) | 6.1 |
SUB: Brennan Johnson (63' for Kudus) | 6.1 |
SUB: Heung-min Son (78' for Odobert) | 6.5 |
SUB: Yves Bissouma (78' for Bergvall) | 6.3 |
SUB: Ben Davies (78' for Davies) | 6.1 |
SUB: James Maddison (85' for Sarr) | N/A |
SUB: Archie Gray (85' for Bentancur) | N/A |
Subs not used: Antonín Kinský (GK), Brandon Austin (GK), Luka Vušković, George Abbott, Jamie Donley, Min-hyeok Yang.