These are five things we learnt as Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-0.
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Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-0 in the Premier League (AFP)
Arsenal delivered a strong performance to beat hated rivals Tottenham in a north London derby at the Emirate Stadium on Saturday, November 18.
Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez’ first-half goals were enough to get the Gunners’ season on track with a huge win over rivals Tottenham.
These are five things we learnt from the game
1. No power shift
There had been talks of a power shift
since Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-0 at White Hart Lane in April 2017
before finishing above them in the Premier League for the first time in
more than two decades. Arsenal had also not won the north London derby
in the Premier League for over three years.
In those
three years, however, Arsenal have won two major trophies while
Tottenham are still searching for their first trophy since 2008.
This
2-0 win at Emirates puts rest to the power shift conversation.
Tottenham meanwhile has a glowing future under the leadership of their
visionary Daniel Levy but for now, they are still behind their more
successful neighbours.
Mesut Ozil’s unhurried style of football is not well appreciated in England despite his astute reading of the game, passing and assists.
Of
a truth, he has struggled in many big matches for Arsenal but these
were games where the whole team played badly. Ozil doesn't lift his
teammates, he’s simply a player who knits together a solid unit. Like a
blood that requires the heart (the team) to pump so it can circulate the
whole body.
Against Tottenham, Ozil was the blood again,
as Arsenal pumped. He circulated passes and had an assist and was
rightly voted Man of the Match.
Alexis Sanchez was fantastic for Arsenal on Saturday,
Afternoon, reminding the Gunners of his quality. Often times this season
he has looked dispirited and uninterested. But on Saturday, he harried
the Tottenham defence so bad and could have had more than a goal.
He remains class.
4. Pochettino’s Tottenham not good enough for the title
Off
all the good things Tottenham have done in the last two years and the
plaudits that have come with it, they are still not good enough for the
title.
The loss to Arsenal is the third against the top six this season already. There are still a long away from the title.
5. Sanchez, Ozil, Lacazette front trio best for Arsenal
Arsene Wenger started with the front trio of Alexandre Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez and Ozil and they all contributed to both goals.
Ozil assisted the first goal while Lacazette assisted the second scored by Sanchez. With Arsenal out of Champions League this season and Wenger using his second string for Europa League, the rested front trio can deliver consistent good performances in the league this season.
Where Arsenal finish in the league will depend on these three players.
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