A resounding victory for Arsenal in the north London drizzle, as goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez were enough to see off Tottenham.
Petr Cech
One strong-handed stop from an Eric Dier aside, a virtual spectactor. FFT rating: 6.
Hector Bellerin
A standard Bellerin performance: aggressive going forward and continually gashed Tottenham down their weak side. Also looked encouragingly composed without the ball. FFT rating: 8.
Laurent Koscielny
Not a stand-out performer in his own right, but was the cornerstone piece in a defence which gave up few opportunities. FFT rating: 7.
Shkodran Mustafi
Was part of a home defence which was rarely troubled and produced the game’s definitive moment, towering above Vertonghen and Dier to send a looping header over Lloris. Also made an excellent second-half block from Kane. FFT rating: 8.
Nacho Monreal
Inseperable from the peformances of Koscielny and Mustafi, both of whom were excellent. FFT rating: 7.
Sead Kolasinac
Solid. Nothing spectacular and certainly didn’t provide the same kind of outlet that Bellerin did on the other side of the pitch, but a competent performance which kept Trippier’s crossing threat at bay. FFT rating: 7.
Granit Xhaka
A couple of clumsy tackles - and rightly booked for one - but succeeded, alongside his fellow midfielders, in cutting off the supply to Harry Kane. FFT rating: 7.
Aaron Ramsey
Produced the ball of the first-half to play in Hector Bellerin. He certainly faded as an attacking presence as the game wore on, but remained a worthy part of an admirably compact midfield. FFT rating: 7.
Mesut Ozil
Not spectacular, but certainly a performance which was close to his bewitching best. His receiving of the ball and his capacity to twist out of trouble kept Spurs continually off-balance. FFT rating: 8.
Alexis Sanchez
Better. Much better. Had a couple of flouncy moments in the first-half, going into his usual routine, but took his goal well and “won” the free-kick for Arsenal’s first. FFT rating: 7.
Alex Lacazette
Started the game in lively fashion and provided plenty of movement at the top of the pitch. He was eventually replaced in the second-half, but only after giving one of his liveliest performances in a big game to-date. FFT rating: 7.
Sub: Alex Iwobi
A late replacement, brought extra energy with the game already won. FFT rating: 5.
Sub: Francis Coquelin
Came on late to stiffen the home midfield and continue the stiffling of Dembele and Eriksen. FFT rating: 6.
Arsene Wenger
A vindicated selection, with the Ozil/Sanchez/Lacazette triangle working particularly well. Timely substitutions kept Arsenal's foot on Tottenham's neck. FFT rating: 8.
Hugo Lloris
Blameless for both goals and not as involved as Arsenal’s share of possession might have made him. Made two excellent saves from Sanchez late on. FFT rating: 7.
Kieran Trippier
Had very few opportunities to deliver those telling final balls, but competent enough in his own half. FFT rating: 6.
Ben Davies
Left very little impact on the game in an attacking sense and was part of a left-hand side which looked perilously weak throughout. FFT rating: 5.
Davinson Sanchez
Can feel hard done by. Penalised - wrongly - for the free-kick which led to Arsenal’s opening goal and was arguably the most stable of the visiting defenders. FFT rating: 7.
Jan Vertonghen
Beaten in the air by Mustafi for the first goal and look uncharacteristically panicked. Possibly also at fault for the second goal. FFT rating: 4.
Eric Dier
Started at centre-half in Toby Alderweireld’s absence. Spent most of the game on the back-foot, but made one superb clearance from an Ozil cross. FFT rating: 6.
Christian Eriksen
Lacked the touch he showed on international duty and was part of an attacking unit which looked short on chemistry. Hit the post in the first-half. FFT rating: 5.
Mousa Sissoko
Another curious performance. Occasionally penetrative, but too often imprecise with his passing and clumsy in possession. FFT rating: 6.
Mousa Dembele
Another who seems to have suffered with a succession of injuries. Not nearly as confident on the ball as Tottenham’s fans have come to expect. FFT rating: 5.
Dele Alli
Had only just returned from a hamstring injury and certainly looked rusty, but his use of the ball was still terribly wasteful. Left no impression whatsoever on this game. FFT rating: 4.
Harry Kane
Evidently not quite match fit. Plenty of endeavour, but a little clumsy in close quarters and hesitant with his meagre opportunities. FFT rating: 5.
Sub: Fernando Llorente
A late replacement for Harry Kane; no impact made. FFT rating: 5.
Sub: Heung Min Son
A difficult omission to rationalise, given how his pace has troubled Arsenal before. Introduced too late to make a difference, albeit in time to screw a difficult chance over the crossbar. FFT rating: 6.
Sub: Harry Winks
His passing brought some much needed verticality to Spurs' midfield, but he too appeared too late to make a difference. Likely not match-fit, so Pochettino gets a pass on that selection. FFT rating: 6.
Mauricio Pochettino
Injuries provide an asterisk to an extent, but Pochettino's team were hopelessly disjointed for most of the game and seemed completely unprepared to face Wenger's attacking-three - and all three subs came too late to be relevant. FFT rating: 4.
Seb Stafford-Bloor is a football writer at Tifo Football and member of the Football Writers' Association. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making.
