Arsenal failed to repeat last season’s dramatic win over Tottenham at the Emirates, but managed to avoid defeat and secure a point in a 2-2 draw in the north London derby.
Christian Eriksen put Spurs in front early before Harry Kane extended their lead in the 40th minute. However, Arsenal then responded through Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but it wasn’t enough to give them all three points.
Soccernet x-ray the performance of Arsenal players against Tottenham.
Bernd Leno – Made a smart stop to initially deny Lamela but didn’t parry the ball far enough and couldn’t do anything about the follow-up. 6
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Had a fierce drive blocked early on and did his best to provide width as Arsenal pushed for a winner. 5.5
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – Was caught in no-man’s land for the opening goal, failing to challenge Kane for the long clearance then lost track of Eriksen on his recovery run. Thought he had scored the winner, only for it to be ruled out for offside. 5
David Luiz – Arguably more accomplished than his centre-back partner today, although he never looked that comfortable dealing with Kane. 6
Sead Kolasinac – Fairly anonymous in the opening half but grew into the game as Arsenal stretched their opposition. 6
Granit Xhaka – Brainless sliding challenge led to a stonewall penalty. 4
Lucas Torreira – Plenty of bite and endeavour from the Uruguayan, who adds a certain intent to the Gunners midfield, but was substituted as Arsenal pushed for the win. 6.5
Matteo Guendouzi – Denied by a brilliant stop from Lloris, and was tidy enough but rather quiet until his speculative ball was poked home by Aubameyang. 7
Nicolas Pepe – Went close with a free-kick and looked really bright in the opening 45 minutes, with his whipped delivery causing plenty of problems. 7
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Didn’t look happy out on the left wing, failing to make the most of Davinson Sanchez’s deployment at right-back, and immediately posed a greater threat when deployed through the middle. Timing of the run for the equaliser was brilliant, and the Gabon striker had the composure to slot home past Lloris. 7.5
Alexandre Lacazette – Dropped deep to try and get involved and won a couple of fouls with his solid hold-up play, then showed some real class with brilliant control, touch and finish to get Arsenal back in the game. 8
Substitutes
Dani Ceballos – Made an instant impact, getting hold of the ball and injecting some pace before forcing an excellent stop from Lloris. 6
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Slowed down the game and often looked out of ideas with the ball at his feet, killing Arsenal’s momentum in the closing stages. 4