Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Arsenal came from behind to beat 10-man Tottenham in a heated north London derby as the Gunners moved ahead of their neighbours and into the Premier League top-four.
A fiery atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium was echoed on the pitch as quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Lucas Torreira settled the contest 4-2 in favour of the hosts.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had given Arsenal the lead from the penalty spot before drawing them level after an Eric Dier header and a controversial Harry Kane spot-kick had turned the game around.
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, having conceded the first penalty, was dismissed in the latter stages after picking up a second booking for a foul on Lacazette.
There were a number of minor flashpoints, with the biggest furore following Dier's equaliser, as Unai Emery got the better of his close friend Mauricio Pochettino to take Arsenal up to fourth - ahead of Spurs on goal difference - and extend their unbeaten run to 19 matches in all competitions.
Spurs have had the best of this fixture in recent seasons, this was only Arsenal's second derby win in their last nine attempts, but the hosts were good value for their victory over a frenetic 90 minutes.
So how did the two teams fare? See the gallery below for our player ratings.
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratingsShow all 22 1 /22Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Bernd Leno - 5/10 Has been really good since replacing Petr Cech in net but today won’t be a day he looks back on fondly (on a personal level anyway). He should’ve done much better with Spurs’ equaliser and that goal cost Arsenal their momentum in the game. He did make some good stops, mind.
AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Shkodran Mustafi - 6 An uncomfortable performance from Mustafi. Always looks like he’s going to score a goal going forward but his defending is suspect and got too tight to Kane quite often.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 7 A slightly better performance than his central defensive partner but there’s not much in it, really.
PA
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Rob Holding - 5 Much improved player but like Leno, a huge error in decision-making cost his side a goal. Slid in on Son for the second goal and despite the limited contact, it was a ridiculous tackle to make.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Hector Bellerin - 7 A threatening performance going forward and can’t really blame himself for anything defensively in the game.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Lucas Torreira - 8 He’s certainly what Arsenal have been missing for the last few years with a bit of grit and determination in the heart of midfield. Scored the fourth goal of the game which was an absolute beauty.
AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Granit Xhaka - 7 Strangely enough, Xhaka was a bit of a passenger and that’s unusual for him as he’s normally involved, one way or another. Didn’t make any errors either though so that’s got to be considered a good day.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Sead Kolasinac - 8 The Bosnian full back, like his Spanish counterpart on the right hand side, was fantastic. A constant menace to that Spurs back line and sent in some delightful crosses.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 7 He was one of the key reasons Arsenal came storming out of the blocks early in the first half but he slowly laboured and lost his impact on proceedings and was replaced at half time.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 9 Scored the penalty that gave Arsenal the lead and chased a lot of causes down both wings. Will be remembered for his second goal which was a little bit special. The curl on the ball and the way Lloris stood to watch it fly past was glorious. Assisted the fourth goal with a classy pass to put the icing on the cake.
Action Images via Reuters
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Alex Iwobi - 5 The least threatening of the forward players and his decision making often let him down, too slow to react to potentially promising situations. Replaced at half time by Lacazette.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Hugo Lloris - 7 Made some crucial saves during Arsenal’s early onslaught and was quick to come off his line at the key times. Conceded four times but didn’t really deserve it.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Serge Aurier - 6 Was a physically distressed figure after the first 20 minutes and was taken apart on Arsenal’s left hand side. Improved as the match went on but always seems to be playing games on the edge.
AP
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Juan Foyth - 5 Not brilliant himself and has been another player who plays on the edge, and always looks like making a rash decision. Nothing particularly bad this afternoon but the first 20 minutes were enough to wobble any defender. Improved in the second half with some key interceptions.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Jan Vertonghen - 4 Has reason to be rather unhappy with his return to the starting line up, giving a penalty away for a needless handball and simply being rather unnerving to watch at the back. Unusual for him. Arsenal rampant against him. Shown a red card with 5 minutes to go to top off a bad day.
REUTERS
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Ben Davies - 6 Not a particular threat going forward but nor was he ripped to shreds like his fellow full back partner. Didn’t add too much to proceedings though, either. Taken off for Rose in the latter stages.
AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Eric Dier - 7 A typically gritty performance from Dier who received his customary yellow card but also scored a goal to silence to the Emirates. Sadly for him, it didn’t last.
AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Moussa Sissoko - 5 He’s one of Spurs’ most improved players recently but today wasn’t his finest. Struggled to dominate the midfield.
Action Images via Reuters
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Christian Eriksen - 7 Set up the equaliser with a fabulous free-kick, curled in perfectly and low. Otherwise played some neat passes in key areas but fpund himself on the back foot for a lot of the game.
PA
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Dele Alli - 5 Like Eriksen, struggled to really impose himself on the game, and unlike Eriksen, didn’t make a meaningful difference to proceedings but did get himself a yellow card.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Harry Kane - 6 Scored the penalty and potentially had a good 5 minutes in the game but rarely threatened the Arsenal goal.
Getty Images
Arsenal vs Tottenham player ratings Son Heung-min - 7 Won the penalty to give Spurs the halftime lead, as well as winning the free-kick that enabled them to equalise. However, he squandered a number of chances, too.
Action Images via Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies