Spurs dominated most of the game, but were unable to fashion a second goal that would’ve won the game.
Early on Arsenal looked the better team, but by the midpoint of the first half Spurs had managed to start dominating.
Harry Kane would score the go-ahead goal, courtesy of a defensive mix-up similar to the kind that gifted Lewandowski Bayern’s first goal on Wednesday night.
Arsenal would continually give the ball away, succumbing to the constant pressure that Spurs exerted.
Arsenal came out for the second half and started to create good scoring opportunities, but these came amidst continued dominance by Spurs.
Giroud missed two great chances, one of which hit the post, and there were also chances for Campbell, Alexis, and Gibbs.
Finally Arsenal pulled even. Ozil’s cross found Gibbs at the far post and he managed to beat Lloris.
The goal brought Arsenal finally to life, but they couldn’t fashion any great chances over the last ten minutes.
In the end Arsenal were lucky to escape with a draw and Spurs were left with regrets about not killing the game.
Player Ratings:
Cech 8: He made a number of decent saves, especially the point blank save from Alderweireld. He was lucky when he got trapped out of the box and had to beat Kane.
Debuchy 6: He played reasonably well, but had more problems coming forward.
Mertesacker 6: A mixed bag from Per. Was partially responsible on the goal.
Koscielny 6: Was slow to move upfield, gifting Kane an easy chance. Made a number of plays to prevent conceding a second.
Monreal 6: Offensively, he made a number of good plays and several where a good cross might have made the difference. Defensively, he battled hard to keep Spurs ahead.
Coquelin 6: He had a tough day at the office. Spurs pressed Arsenal hard and their midfield dominated most of the match. Was particularly anonymous in the first half.
Cazorla 5: Was doing okay in the first twenty minutes, but then he had trouble dealing with the number of Spurs players pressing him. On a number of occasions he was stripped from the ball. Wenger said Santi was dizzy and brought on Flamini at halftime.
Ozil 7: One of the few players who battled hard and was essential in the come back. He assisted on the goal and created a number of other scoring chances.
Campbell 6: He had several good runs in the first half, but seemed less supportive when it came time to help Debuchy. Opened the second half with a great chance, but Lloris delivered a big save.
Giroud 6: He had three fine chances in the second. The first hit the crossbar, the second (the best chance of the lot) was headed just wide of the goal, and the third was volleyed over the bar. For the most part he lacked support and a number of his flicks and tricks didn’t come off today.
Sanchez 6: Was hounded and crowded by the Spurs attackers and he made a number of poor decisions. However, he still looked dangeroush whenever he got the ball. He needs a rest right now.
Substitutes:
Flamini 6: He helped to steady the ship in the Arsenal midfield, but they still had trouble getting possession and keeping it. He ended the game playing right back.
Gibbs 7: He had a half chance before he scored from the Ozil cross.
Arteta n/a: Not on long enough.