Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Winners and Losers from the North London Derby
Arsenal came from behind to earn a draw in a north London derby they dominated and, but for more incisiveness, might have won easily.
Nacer Chadli opened the scoring for Tottenham Hotspur against the run of play in the 56th minute, but the guests were unable to hold the lead as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain equalised in the 74th.
Referee Michael Oliver presented nine yellow cards over the course of the match, which also included injuries to a pair of Gunners—Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey.
Following are some of the winners and losers from an entertaining evening at Emirates Stadium.
Winner: Nacer Chadli, Who Scored a Surprise Opener
1 of 6
Tottenham Hotspur had spent much of Saturday’s north London derby pinned back in their own half of the pitch when Nacer Chadli opened the scoring against the run of play.
After stripping the ball off Mathieu Flamini, Christian Eriksen passed to Erik Lamela, who set up Chadli for a well-placed finish inside the far post.
The Belgian’s shot represented just his 19th touch of the encounter, although until his withdrawal in the 80th minute he also helped his side soak up the considerable Arsenal pressure.
Loser: Mathieu Flamini, Whose Giveaway Cost His Side a Goal
2 of 6
Mathieu Flamini started Saturday’s derby among the substitutes, but Mikel Arteta’s injury just prior to the half-hour mark forced his early introduction.
In general, the Frenchman put forward a tidy, efficient performance, but his error in the 56th minute gifted Spurs the opening they needed to find the back of the net.
Caught in possession just in front of the Arsenal box, the 30-year-old was dispossessed by Christian Eriksen, who began the short attack that culminated in Nacer Chadli’s opener.
Winner: Hugo Lloris, Who Was Spectacular in Goal for Spurs
3 of 6
But for the heroics of Hugo Lloris, Spurs wouldn’t have come close to sneaking a point from the Emirates on Saturday.
The France number-one made five saves during the 90 minutes—many of them spectacular.
Mere moments after Nacer Chadli had put his side ahead, Lloris had to be alert to stop Per Mertesacker’s header on the goal-line.
Lloris also made an important save on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain late in the first half.
Loser: Michael Oliver, Whose Display of Refereeing Was Disappointingly Poor
4 of 6
The physicality of Saturday’s derby meant that yellow cards were always going to be presented, but referee Michael Oliver lacked consistency in his officiating and made a handful of poor decisions.
He should never have booked Nacer Chadli for over-exuberance following the Belgium international’s opening goal and the yellow card shown to Danny Rose for a perceived slow substitution was also unnecessary.
But he might have ejected Aaron Lennon for a series of fouls, and after failing to show the Spurs attacker a second yellow for a poor challenge on Calum Chambers, he proceeded to book Chambers for a soft challenge on Lennon just seconds later.
Winner: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Who Was the Game’s Best Player
5 of 6
From start to finish, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the best player in Saturday’s north London derby.
Even before his equaliser the 21-year-old was Arsenal’s most consistently threatening attacker, and he came close to opening the scoring with a low, hard shot to the far corner in the 43rd minute.
He also combined well with Calum Chambers going forward and generally had Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose on the back-foot throughout the match.
Then, with 16 minutes remaining, he took advantage of Danny Welbeck’s miss to smash the ball into the back of the net and restore level terms.
Losers: The Arsenal Therapists
6 of 6
The Arsenal therapists are generally quite busy, and their workload will only increase following Saturday injuries suffered by Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey.
Coming into the match, the Gunners were already without Mathieu Debuchy, Serge Gnabry, Olivier Giroud, Nacho Monreal, Yaya Sanogo and Theo Walcott, and the extra pair of unavailable players will only compound manager Arsene Wenger’s headache over the coming weeks.
Jack Wilshere also tweaked his ankle in the first half against Spurs, although he was able to run off the discomfort.
