Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Winners and Losers from North London Derby
An unlikely hero powered Arsenal into the Capital One Cup round of 16 on Wednesday against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Mathieu Flamini struck for goals in the 26th and 78th minutes to send the Gunners into the next round of the competition with a 2-1 win over their most hated rival.
Spurs were able to level the contest through a Calum Chambers own goal in the 56th minute, but last season's runner-up to Chelsea failed to take advantage of the momentum gained from the goal in front of their home fans.
Arsenal will face Sheffield Wednesday in the next round of the competition, while Spurs must rebound in time for a Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Arsenal's win in the first north London derby of the season.
Winner: Mathieu Flamini
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Flamini came out of nowhere to score a brace and break Arsenal's two-game losing streak in all competitions.
The Frenchman capitalized on a mistake by Spurs goalkeeper Michel Vorm in the 26th minute to open the scoring. The goal came in Flamini's first appearance in the Capital One Cup in 3,164 days, per Opta, and the last one also came against Spurs.
In the 78th minute, Flamini delivered a brilliant-volleyed strike into the bottom-right side of the net to quiet the crowd at White Hart Lane and send the Gunners into the round of 16.
Just how surprising was Flamini's brace on Wednesday night? He scored two goals in his last 58 appearances for Arsenal, per WhoScored.
"He's a fighter and winner as well. I told him at start of season it might be different for him, but he decided to stay," Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said, per ESPN's Miguel Delaney.
Loser: Michel Vorm
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Vorm was the man to blame on Arsenal's opener as he spilled an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shot in front of the goal, where Flamini was waiting to strike.
The error did not help the Dutch goalkeeper's reputation among the Tottenham faithful, as he has been far from stellar when he earns the chance to start ahead of Hugo Lloris.
With the important league match with Manchester City ahead on Saturday, Vorm had an opportunity to impress while Lloris received a break.
Instead, he made a case for himself to remain on the bench as much as possible thanks to a play on which he should've made an easy stop.
"It's not a good feeling. We feel bad, but we have to take the positives and move on to Saturday," Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said after the match, per the club's official Twitter account.
Winner: Kieran Gibbs
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Kieran Gibbs made the best defensive play of the match for the Gunners in the 66th minute.
The defender held his ground at the right post on a Tottenham corner, and he cleared a Harry Kane shot off the line with his head to keep the match level at one goal apiece.
The replay showed the ball just barely missed clearing the line before Gibbs nodded it away from danger. The clearance seemed to suck some of the life out of the Tottenham attack that displayed plenty of creativity at the start of the second half.
Twelve minutes after Gibbs' vital clearance, the Gunners moved back into the lead thanks to Flamini's second strike.
If Gibbs did not get to the ball in time, Arsenal may have been looking at a three-game losing streak in all competitions for the first time since April 2010.
Loser: Federico Fazio
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Just like Vorm, Federico Fazio failed to impress in a rare start for Tottenham.
The center-back made crucial mistakes in the buildup to both Arsenal goals that left negative memories in the head Pochettino.
On Arsenal's first goal, Fazio did not close down the space in front of Oxlade-Chamberlain before the Arsenal man powered a shot in the direction of Vorm.
Fazio's errant clearance in the 78th minute allowed the ball to drop to Flamini, who volleyed in a terrific shot with no defenders around him.
Due to this pair of defensive mistakes, Fazio did not hand Pochettino any reasons to start him again in the near future, which means he could be relegated to a reserve role for quite some time.
Winner/Loser: Harry Kane
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If there is any good news to come out of the contest for Spurs, it is the confidence Kane showed in the final third.
However, the Englishman could not strike the back of the net for the first time this season. Although zero goals to start the campaign is a concerning number, Kane displayed signs on Wednesday that a goal is coming sooner rather than later.
Kane's best opportunity came in the 66th minute as he showed tremendous skill on a shot from the left side of the box off a corner. But unfortunately, Gibbs was standing at the right post ready to make a clearance off the line.
If he replicates his performance from Wednesday on Saturday against Manchester City, Kane should be able to break his scoring duck in an important match for Spurs.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
