Although Spurs have surpassed Arsenal in recent years, back to back defeats against Burnley and Chelsea put Mauricio Pochettino’s men under immense pressure ahead of this afternoon’s blockbuster derby.
The in-form Gunners were aiming for their first league double over Tottenham in five years having won the reverse tie by a significant 4-2 margin. An early lead and a strong defensive display was shaping it up well for Unai Emery’s army until a controversial spot-kick of Harry Kane brought the hosts back in the game. The Englishman found the net ninth time in his ninth North London derby and recovered a point from yet another disappointing outing.
Arsenal, meanwhile, had a glorious opportunity to seal a late winner when Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang earned a late penalty ( controversially?) but failed to convert. His weak attempt was denied by Hugo Lloris in Spurs goal.
Below are the Arsenal players rated in their dramatic draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
Bernd Leno: 8.5
Made an outstanding double save late in the first half to deny Christian Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko in quick succession. However, the German custodian could have done little to stop Harry Kane from the spot as the Englishman showed great composure once again to find the equaliser.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6
Started as a right-back but must be blamed for conceding the penalty even though it should have been disallowed for being offside. The defender made a needless push on Kane who fell down on the ground and the referee, being close to that incident, did not hesitate in pointing at the spot.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 7
Battled well against a pacy Spurs side with his work rate and combative approach. Was focused on his duty and made timely challenges to deny the hosts. His passing could have been more accurate though.
Laurent Koscielny: 7.5
The veteran Frenchman was towering in the heart of Arsenal defence with his positioning, timely clearances, interceptions as well as physicality. Won duels one after another and never allowed the likes of Kane and Heung-Min Son to cause trouble in and around the box.
Nacho Monreal: 7.5
Impressed once again with a balanced display down the left flank. He not only kept on winning the ball back but also whipped in crosses using the width of the pitch. Played his part in the build-ups with overlapping runs, dribbles and smart decision making.
Mattéo Guendouzi: 6
Looked nervy as he struggled to keep hold of possession and dominate the midfield game. Improved his game with time but was taken off at the break to be replaced by Lucas Torreira.
Granit Xhaka: 7.5
Was clumsy with his challenges, but won a few free-kicks, made some decent crosses and also broke down Spurs moves one after another by closing down space. Offered little upfront as he concentrated more on marshalling the backline.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7
Increased his work rate, looked purposeful with his runs and also created a few chances while operating from the right flank. Often shifted to a more central role to combine with his teammates and threaten the Spurs defence.
Aaron Ramsey: 8
The Juventus-bound Welshman continued his impressive Wembley form when he earned the Gunners an early lead from a counter-attacking move. Davinson Sanchez’s mistake allowed the visitors to hit back against the run of play and the midfielder made no mistake in finishing it off after making a solo run. Got replaced by Mesut Ozil seconds before Kane’s equalizer.
Alex Iwobi: 6.5
The Nigerian was impressive down the wing with his dribbles, cut insides, pacy runs and tricky footwork. Should have been more composed with his final delivery.
Alexandre Lacazette: 6.5
Missed a couple of opportunities but did well to set it up for Aaron Ramsey who made no mistake in breaking the deadlock. Was replaced by Aubameyang minutes before the hour mark.
Substitutes
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5.5
An eventful occasion for the Gabonese who fell down softly to win a spot-kick but failed to restore the lead for his side in the stoppage time. His tame attempt was denied by Lloris and then saw his effort blocked from three yards out by Jan Vertonghen.
Lucas Torreira: 5
Was introduced at half-time in place of Guendouzi. Was combative but failed to make his usual impact in the centre of the pitch. Received a marching order in the closing seconds as his follow through caught Danny Rose on the shin.
Mesut Ozil: 5
Came in place of Ramsey. Failed to make any notable contribution by staging a comeback.
