Despite some scares in the second half, Arsenal managed to secure an important three points in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday.
The Gunners took a 3-0 lead in the first half of Sunday’s north London derby. Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and an own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave them a seemingly unassailable lead before half-time.
However, in the second half, a mistake by David Raya meant Cristian Romero made the final score 3-1, and a foul by Declan Rice gave Heung-min Son the goal from the penalty spot to make the final score 3-2.
Despite Spurs’ continued pressure, Arsenal were able to record an important win.
Here are Arsenal’s best and worst players from the north London derby win, courtesy of 90 minutes Estimated Player Ratings:
Kai Havertz: 9/10
After a disappointing first few months in north London following his £65million move from Chelsea, Kai Havertz has found his mojo again in 2024.
The German followed up with an impressive brace against his former club on Monday and put in an equally impressive performance against Tottenham on Sunday.
Havertz was deployed in his preferred ‘false nine’ role and caused a number of problems for Tottenham’s defensive line – particularly in the first half of the game. His clever pass to Bukayo Saka set up Arsenal’s second goal and his header in the final minutes of the first half proved to be the game-winner for the Gunners.
Havertz is surprisingly proving to be one of the Premier League’s new signings of the season.
There aren’t many people who would have predicted this a few months ago.
Honorable mention
Bukayo Saka: 8/10
Arsenal’s ‘Starboy’ became the first English player to score 15 Premier League goals in a season for the club since Ian Wright achieved the feat in 1997.
This is some pretty damn impressive stuff from Bukayo Saka.
The wide striker showed his electrifying and confident game in north London on Sunday when he curled a trademark left-footed shot into the bottom corner in the first half of the game.
David Raya: 4/10
In short: Tottenham couldn’t pull off a comeback in the second half if it hadn’t been for David Raya’s glaring mistake in the build-up to Romero’s goal.
The goalkeeper, brought to the club by Mikel Arteta for his ball control, passed straight to Romero in the 64th minute, allowing the defender to score and give his side a shock lifeline in the game.
Ultimately, Arsenal would hold out, but they cannot afford to see their goalkeeper make similar mistakes until the end of the season.