Match Report: Draw a Fair Result in Sunday's North London Derby
The North London Derby is usually one of the most hotly contested in the country and Sunday's edition was no different. The latest meeting between Arsenal and Tottenham started at a frantic pace before some sort of dominance was established, that coming from the visitors. Spurs were arguably he better of the two teams and were rewarded for their efforts on the half hour mark as Harry Kane bagged his sixth league goal of the season. Spurs had a number of opportunities to double their advantage before and after half time, but were made to pay for their lack of cutting edge as substitute Kieran Gibbs pulled one back for the Gunners 15 minutes from time as the match ended 1-1.
As the game neared it's climax, it was one that could have swayed either way, but, on the face of it, a draw was probably a fair result at the Emirates Stadium, highlighted in that both teams shared the same WhoScored rating (6.82). Spurs had their chances to add to Kane's first half strike after the restart - Petr Cech's smart save to deny Toby Alderweireld the pick of the bunch - while Olivier Giroud, on another day, could have had a hat-trick, once again reinforcing the idea that the Premier League is one of fine margins. However, what was clear-cut was just how poor an outing Alexis Sanchez endured.
Alexis looks a player in dire need of a rest and that showed on Sunday afternoon. The Chilean played the full 90 minutes in Wednesday's 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, with Arsene Wenger opting against withdrawing the attacker despite knowing the game was lost. His assist for Olivier Giroud's goal sparked something of a mini-revival, but Wenger had the ideal chance to rest his star man ahead of the welcome of Spurs. Instead, Alexis played the entire match and it certainly showed.
His WhoScored rating (6.35) was his worst since Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea (6.16) and his second worst in the Premier League this season. Meanwhile, no player was dispossessed more times than Alexis (5) over the 90 minutes, with the player's decision making still questionable. While Alexis is indeed a superb performer with the ball at his feet, he often looks to carry the offensive threat on his own rather than play the easy pass for a teammate, which often slowed Arsenal's attacks. A poor first touch that resulted in a Spurs throw in in the second half effectively summed up Alexis' outing.
Furthermore, for someone renowned for his defensive contribution, Alexis shirked these responsibilites, which often left Nacho Monreal isloated, the Spaniard forced to contain the offensive threat of both Erik Lamela and Kyle Walker, which, to his credit, he did to a hugely impressive standard.
Arsenal's left-back has established himself as a first team regular this season and once again proved why, gaining a commendable WhoScored rating of 7.17, his five tackles contributing to this. While Spurs often looked to exploit Alexis' lack of cover, Monreal held firm in the face of adversity, once again proving just how consistent a performer he is in Wenger's current set up.
The star of the show, though, came in the form of Mesut Özil, who was at his creative best once more. Like Alexis, he too played the full match in Germany on Wednesday night, but did not let that affect his performance, with the Gunners' creator-in-chief gaining the WhoScored man of the match award with a rating of 8.13. Özil played more key passes (7) than any other player on the pitch. To put that into context, Spurs, as a whole, created 9 chances over the 90 minutes. His assist for Gibbs' equaliser - a wonderfully lofted cross to the back post - was his 10th of the campaign, more than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues this season.
For Spurs, it was another midfielder who shone at the Emirates, with Mousa Dembélé their star performer, gaining a WhoScored rating of 8.09. The Belgian has come back into the side with aplomb and provides some much-needed composure in a vastly inexperienced midfield. With the pressure on, Dembélé remained calm, effortlessly drifting past the opposition. He completed as many successful dribbles (5) as the entire Arsenal team combined.
It wasn't just Dembélé's on the ball showing that impressed, with the Belgium international carrying out his necessary defensive duties over the 90 minutes. Mauricio Pochettino has instilled a high-pressing game plan since taking charge at White Hart Lane 18 months ago and while Dembélé could have fallen by the wayside, the 28-year-old has adhered to the demands of the Argentine and it showed today. Only Mathieu Debuchy (9) and Erik Lamela (8) made more tackles than Dembélé (7) in the 1-1 draw as the surprisingly fleet-footed midfielder excelled both on and off the ball once more.
While both sides had their chances to secure maximum points, overall the draw was a fair result, which both managers agreed in their respective post-match press conferences. Wenger and Pochettino expressed their disappointment at not winning, but the stalemate was a boost to both sides on a day where results went Arsenal and Spurs' way.
Do you think a draw was a fair result in Sunday's North London Derby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
