Premier League 2019-20: Arsenal player ratings in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur in the first North London derby of the Premier League season at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Unai Emery's men were denied a goal by an offside call when Sokratis netted one past Hugo Lloris in the 80th minute, and they will feel robbed of a win.
Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs look like they have hit a slump in form and will have to work hard to get back to the top. The Gunners were fabulous in the second half and many believe they deserved to win, but somehow it was not to be.
Here, we rate the Arsenal players after their stellar showing on Sunday.
1) Bernd Leno - 6.5/10
Arsenal's goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the less busy among the two goalkeepers on display on Sunday but he did no harm to his cause at all. The German displayed his superior shot-stopping skills and even deflected a few out of the way.
However, he will need to do even better in the coming days to protect Arsenal's defence.
2) Sead Kolasinac - 6.5/10
Left-back Sead Kolasinac, who found a place in the Arsenal starting XI after Nacho Monreal was sold to Real Sociedad, was pretty impressive at the Emirates on Sunday. He made highly useful forward pressing runs, although defensively he wasn't at his best. His minute error, which led to an offside call, cost Arsenal the winner.
3) David Luiz - 6/10
Former Chelsea centre-half David Luiz, who moved across London to Arsenal in the summer, was in control of the Gunners' defence on Sunday except on some occasions. The Brazilian is a technically gifted defender who can take up positions quickly and put his opponents under pressure, and that showed at times during the match.
4) Sokratis - 6.5/10
Arsenal's centre-half Sokratis, whom they signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of 20m euros, will remember this North London derby for the offside call that ruled his goal out in the 80th minute. Defensively he was alright with his man-marking skills, but Harry Kane could be seen easily slipping in and out.
5) Ainsley Maitland Niles - 7.5/10
Perhaps the best Arsenal defender on display at the Emirates on Sunday, Ainsley Maitland Niles was certainly on top of his game. His defensive skills, which were questioned by pundits earlier, came out of the North London derby unscathed. His quick runs down the flanks provided support for Arsenal's attackers.
6) Matteo Guendouzi - 8/10
Youngster Matteo Guendouzi was another shining star for Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. He was brilliant in his positioning off the ball and while on it, his turning and swerving skills left little to be desired. The Frenchman is an excellent man-marker whose distribution skills are fabulous too. He bagged the assist for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang's goal as well.
7) Granit Xhaka - 6/10
Although manager Unai Emery might have defended Granit Xhaka in the press for the shocking penalty he gave away to Spurs on Sunday, the Swiss central midfielder will be left frustrated after the game. He did not pull the strings in midfield as well as he would have liked to on Sunday, but by no means was his a poor performance.
8) Lucas Torreira - 7/10
Lucas Torreira, playing on the right side of Arsenal's central midfield on Sunday, was good in parts and nothing more could have been asked of him. He held his position well and distributed the ball into wide and empty spaces whenever he got a touch. The Uruguayan can be proud of his performance in the derby.
9) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 8.5/10
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who played on the flanks at the Emirates on Sunday to accomodate Alexandre Lacazette in the centre forward position, was simply brilliant. His timely pass to the latter to open the scoring for the Gunners after they had been two down was exquisite, and his equalizer in the 72nd minute will be remembered by Arsenal fans for a long time to come.
10) Alexandre Lacazette - 7.5/10
Although manager Unai Emery will be a little worried by the fact that Alexandre Lacazette asked to be substituted, presumably due to an injury he picked up during the game, there can be no complaints from the former. Lacazette scored Arsenal's first goal just before half-time and was instrumental in probing the Spurs defence repeatedly.
11) Nicolas Pepe - 8/10
New signing Nicolas Pepe, who arrived from Lille in the summer, was just too good at the Emirates on Sunday. His weighted passes and swerving crosses which always seem to find the right men are beautiful pieces of creation. His pace hurt Tottenham as well when he chased the ball in counter attacks.
SUBSTITUTES:
12) Daniel Ceballos - 7/10
Real Madrid loanee Daniel Ceballos came on for Lucas Torreira and had an immediate impact on the game when he hit a long ranged shot towards the Spurs goal which was deflected by Hugo Lloris. He was instrumental in the Gunners pressing higher on the pitch.
13) Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 6/10
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whom Arsenal signed from Manchester United in January 2018, came on for Alexandre Lacazette and did just about enough to provide the Gunners with some pace and enthusiasm. He was on the field for only 23 minutes so not a lot can be made out of his performance.