Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from North London Derby
Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to defeat Arsenal, 2-1, in the north London derby in the Premier League on Saturday.
A very exciting match saw Mesut Ozil score an early effort against the run of play before a second-half double from Harry Kane turned the match in Spurs' favour.
Here are our winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Ryan Mason
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Ryan Mason patrolled the centre of the park in the north London derby with everything his side needed: aggression, power, pace, drive and no shortage of quality on the ball.
He missed a few challenges, which may have been a problem on another occasion, but his recovery in positioning, his non-stop work and willingness to take the ball off his team-mates in good areas made him a vital part of the team.
Mason also attempted the odd shot from range to test David Ospina.
Loser: Santi Cazorla
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After a few weeks of showing his quality and how key he is for Arsenal, Santi Cazorla was anonymous in the extreme against Tottenham.
He could barely get a touch in the first half, as Arsenal spent most of the time defending. Even when he did, his touch was hurried, ineffective and too slow for the pace of the game.
It wasn't much of a surprise he was subbed at 68 minutes.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino
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Mauricio Pochettino sent his team out to attack relentlessly, and that message didn't change from the first minute to the last. Even when his team went a goal down, they were the better, more progressive side, and he kept faith in that style.
Moving the full-backs up the field quickly gave Spurs the option of stretching and switching play, while rapidly closing down Arsenal in their own half meant further chances fell their way.
Pochettino was positive throughout and will feel the result vindicates his style, choices and selections.
Jamie Trecker of Fox Sports wrote: "For Mauricio Pochettino, this victory will be seen as a vindication. This Spurs side is hardly vintage, filled with some young talent – alongside some very high-profile flops."
Loser: Martin Atkinson and His Soft Yellow Cards
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Referee Martin Atkinson didn't have a terrible game, getting most of the big calls right for fouls and non-penalties and such, but his awarding of cards left a fair amount to be desired.
Two carbon-copy bookings at the end of the first half saw Arsenal players Danny Welbeck and Nacho Monreal carded for extravagant-looking falls from Spurs players under little contact, while Olivier Giroud was booked later on after barely touching Ryan Mason.
Spurs got their share of cards too, meaning a very much non-aggressive game saw a total of eight yellows—totally unnecessarily.
Winner: Harry Kane
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The unstoppable Harry Kane machine just keeps rolling right on.
Two more goals, in a north London derby, to seal a comeback victory? It's fairy-tale stuff, but he has become a genuine hero for Spurs this season, now having netted 22 goals in all competitions.
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino was quoted by the London Evening Standard as saying of Kane: "His quality and his potential is massive, he can improve more."
The forward showed tremendous work ethic, composure and relentless drive all game long and got his rewards once more. There's no stopping him at present.
