LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal celebrates during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 15, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
3 standout players from the North London Derby triumph at Tottenham
by Toby Hill
Arsenal’s convincing win against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur was a result of top performances all over the pitch. The Gunners were dominant for most of the match and always looked to be in control. It was a display worthy of being eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
An own goal from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris handed Arsenal the advantage in the derby before Martin Odegaard’s long-range effort secured all three points in the opening period. If there were any doubters of Mikel Arteta’s regime left, this surely put an end to that.
It was the match that Arsenal, who haven’t won away at Spurs since 2014, had to win – and they claimed victory in style.
3 standout players from the North London Derby triumph at Tottenham
Here are the three standout players from Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Spurs.
1. Aaron Ramsdale
🥇 Our north London derby Player of the Match…
🧤 Aaron Ramsdale
😍 How much love for Aaron yesterday, Gooners? pic.twitter.com/uPtD8CB9rz
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 16, 2023
Perhaps his best game in an Arsenal shirt, Ramsdale was faultless when called upon. It didn’t happen often, but when he was needed, he bailed out his team. Firstly, he was quick off his line to deny Son Heung-min towards the end of the first half before he kept out Harry Kane’s smart header at his near post.
These weren’t exactly the hardest saves Ramsdale will have to make in his career, but the timing and essentiality of them are what proved crucial in the match. However, not only did he make important saves when he needed to, he claimed the crosses that were being sent into his box from the Spurs wing-backs too. It was everything that was needed from a keeper in a North London Derby.
His composure on the ball, something which we have become so accustomed to seeing, was just an added element to his performance. In a match where Lloris caused problems for his defence, the calmness from Ramsdale to help his team around the oncoming press just further showed the difference in confidence between the two sides.
Continued on the next slide…
pic.twitter.com/uPtD8CB9rz
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/16/3-standout-players-arsenal-tottenham/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1614903961827348482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Perhaps his best game in an Arsenal shirt, Ramsdale was faultless when called upon. It didn’t happen often, but when he was needed, he bailed out his team. Firstly, he was quick off his line to deny Son Heung-min towards the end of the first half before he kept out Harry Kane’s smart header at his near post.</p>
<p>These weren’t exactly the hardest saves Ramsdale will have to make in his career, but the timing and essentiality of them are what proved crucial in the match. However, not only did he make important saves when he needed to, he claimed the crosses that were being sent into his box from the Spurs wing-backs too. It was everything that was needed from a keeper in a North London Derby.</p>
<p>His composure on the ball, something which we have become so accustomed to seeing, was just an added element to his performance. In a match where Lloris caused problems for his defence, the calmness from Ramsdale to help his team around the oncoming press just further showed the difference in confidence between the two sides.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/16/3-standout-players-arsenal-tottenham/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>2. Thomas Partey</h2>
<div id="attachment_131755" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-131755" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/16/3-standout-players-arsenal-tottenham/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1456597149.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1456597149.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1456597149-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Imagine… (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>Arsenal’s three in midfield, in comparison to Spurs’ two, helped them break through the press, and Partey was key in doing so.</p>
<p>He seemed to always be a few seconds ahead of the opposition players. When receiving the ball, he would turn and progress forward or play it back and away from danger. It was the perfect mix of progression and patience.</p>
<p>His performance was most notable for Odegaard’s goal. After Lloris was forced long, the second ball fell to Partey and, even when under pressure from three Tottenham players, he found Bukayo Saka who assisted Odegaard to double the lead.</p>
<p>The Ghanaian is the only player in the side who can do what he does to the level he does. The drop-off in quality when Sambi Lokonga of Mohammad Elneny play is clear. Partey is vital to Arsenal’s success and an injury would be extremely damaging.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/16/3-standout-players-arsenal-tottenham/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>3. Oleksandr Zinchenko</h2>
<div id="attachment_131756" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-131756" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/16/3-standout-players-arsenal-tottenham/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1456668510.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1456668510.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1456668510-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">A calming influence. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>When compared to how Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cedric Soares played last season in this fixture, Zinchenko was on a different level. We have become so used to seeing him drift in from the left into midfield, but for the opening 15 minutes, he stuck strictly to the left. The potential of Dejan Kulusevski pushing forward with Matt Doherty on the overlap caused concern.</p>
<p>However, as the game grew, Zinchenko started to drift inside. He set the tempo of the game. Just like Partey, his control of the match was almost undeniable. When Spurs pressed, Zinchenko played the ball around them with perfect timing – this opened up the space for the Arsenal attackers, in particularly Odegaard, to drive forward and attack the defence.</p>
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<p>It was everything that Arteta would have wanted to see from his full-back.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
