Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal: 5 Hits and Flops as Toby Alderweireld header gives Spurs crucial North London Derby victory | Premier League 2019-20
Tottenham Hotspur edged past a disappointing Arsenal side to secure a crucial victory in the North London derby earlier today. The Gunners dominated large periods of the match but were able to find the back of the net only once in the first half.
Alexandre Lacazette's stunning opener was cancelled out by a terrible mistake from Sead Kolasinac before Toby Alderweireld's goal in the second half put an unmistakable smile on Jose Mourinho's face. The Belgian's goal sees the Spurs move above Arsenal in the Premier League table and puts Mourinho's side in contention for European football next season.
Arsenal and Tottenham exchanged a few chances in the opening stages before Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring for Arsenal with an absolute peach of a goal. Arsenal's defence, however, lived up to its tag as the gift that keeps on giving as a horror pass from Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac handed Heung-min Son the equaliser on a silver platter.
Both sides settled down after the cooling break and engaged in an interesting tactical battle to wrest control of the match. Tottenham nearly doubled its lead after a stunning Ben Davies shot smashed against the post. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also came close at the other end with a free-kick but both sides went into half-time with the score tied at 1-1.
Arsenal dominated proceedings at the start of the second half with Dani Ceballos dictating play for Arsenal. A slick Arsenal move resulted in a powerful Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot cannoning off the post. The home side struggled to keep possession as Mikel Arteta's half-time tweaks kept Arsenal in control of the game.
Tottenham had an excellent chance after the cooling break as Harry Kane bullied Shkodran Mustafi and created a chance for Heung-min Son but Emiliano Martinez did brilliantly to smother the effort.
Tottenham's Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld had the last laugh, however, as he put his side in the lead with an excellent header. Jose Mourinho's side repelled a series of onslaughts by Arsenal towards the end of the match to come away with a crucial 2-1 victory.
#1 Hit - Lucas Moura, Tottenham Hotspur
Lucas Moura played on the left flank in place of Steven Bergwijn against Arsenal and covered up for Ben Davies on a number of occasions. The Brazilian winger had his work cut out for him against the likes of Hector Bellerin and Bukayo Saka but held his own and was able to win several duels.
The winger also created a chance for Harry Kane in the first ten minutes with an excellent diagonal ball but the English striker's lob was saved by Emiliano Martinez.
Moura also played an excellent ball into his captain's feet in the second half but Harry Kane was unable to find the target. Jose Mourinho will be thoroughly impressed with his winger and the effort he put in today.
#2 Flop - Sead Kolasinac, Arsenal
Not a week goes by without a high-profile mistake by an Arsenal defender. Sead Kolasinac was the culprit today and his blunder left Mikel Arteta furious on the sidelines.
The Bosnian defender started on the left of a back-three for Arsenal and threw the game away for the Gunners after a composed opening 15 minutes. Kolasinac played a horrendous back-pass that gave David Luiz no chance and handed Tottenham the equaliser minutes after Arsenal had taken the lead.
The goal was a body blow to Arsenal's morale and cancelled out much of Arteta's good work in the opening stages of the game. The Gunners will have to iron out these mistakes from their game if they hope to finish in a better position next season.
#3 Hit - Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal
Alexandre Lazazette was Arsenal's most potent threat in the final third on either side of the half-time interval. The French striker pounced on a loose ball in the first half and gave Arsenal the lead with a stunning strike from well outside the box.
The French striker was heavily involved in Arsenal's patient build-up play as the Gunners dominated the possession in the second half. Lacazette did well to occupy spaces in between the lines and gave Harry Winks a torrid time in the middle of the pitch.
Lacazette nearly bagged an assist for himself after his pass to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang resulted in a nearly unstoppable shot that smashed against the upright. The Frenchman has been improving under Mikel Arteta and gave a good account of himself today.
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#4 Flop - Serge Aurier, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham's defence was well-organised and composed for most of the match but the weakest link in its armour was French full-back Serge Aurier. The defender struggled against a tenacious Kieran Tierney on Tottenham's right flank and gave the ball away on several occasions.
Aurier's heavy first touch in his own half handed Alexandre Lacazette the ball in the build-up to Arsenal's opening goal. Aurier also picked up a yellow card in the first half after a similar mistake saw the French defender pulling Lacazette to the ground.
Serge Aurier also offered very little in the final third and was disappointing on the ball. The right-back is likely to hold on to his place in Tottenham's starting eleven but his days at White Hart Lane may well be numbered.
#5 Hit - Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur
Toby Alderweireld is not particularly known for scoring goals but he could not have picked a better moment to find the back of the net. Arsenal was dominating the game in the second half and Alderweireld's bullet header stunned Mikel Arteta's side to hand the Spurs some much-needed impetus for the rest of the game.
As is usually the norm for Tottenham, Toby Alderweireld was a calm and composed presence in the defensive line alongside Davinson Sanchez and used his experience to ensure that his side kept its defensive shape.
The Belgian centre-back gave Emiliano Martinez no chance with his stunning header and helped his side see out the rest of the match with some vital clearances. Alderweireld's goal now sees Tottenham leapfrog Arsenal and moved into the eighth place in the Premier League table.
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