Football London

Here are our Tottenham player ratings following their defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League's first North London Derby of the season on Sunday

Tottenham slumped with a whimper to a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Spurs head coach Thomas Frank had tasted victory against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team in a summer friendly in Hong Kong but this was his first competitive North London Derby of the season and it came at the Gunners' home. Frank went with three at the back with Kevin Danso coming in alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero and he had Mohammed Kudus back from injury and into the attack with Wilson Odobert and Richarlison.

After a scrappy opening half hour with little in the way of chances, the hosts opened the scoring when Mikel Merino floated a ball over the top and Destiny Udogie played Leandro Trossard onside and the Belgian took a touch, turned and rolled it into the net.

The Gunners doubled their lead before the break. Spurs failed to get the ball away properly on a couple of occasions and it came back to Eberechi Eze, and the England international, who was close to joining Tottenham in the summer, took a touch and struck a low shot that Vicario could not keep out.

Within a minute of the second half starting it was 3-0 as Eze fired a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net from the edge of the area.

Richarlison then hit a wonderful goal back for the visitors. Joao Palhinha made a great sliding tackle on Martin Zubimendi and the Brazilian clipped an inch-perfect shot from just past the centre circle over the back-peddling David Raya.

It was Arsenal who scored next though when Eze completed his hat-trick with a shot into the bottom corner to seal a rout that was fully deserved.

Here are our Spurs player ratings after that heavy defeat:

Guglielmo Vicario

Got behind Rice's early volley and palmed away Saka's free-kick after the half hour mark. Couldn't get anything on Trossard's rolling shot. He did get a hand to Eze's shot despite bodies in front of him but couldn't keep it out. Nowhere near Eze's second effort but did save Saka's curling shot with 20 minutes to go. Couldn't get near Eze's hat-trick goal but did make a good save to stop him getting a fourth. Could have been worse but for the Italian. 6

Kevin Danso

On the right of the back three but couldn't stop Trossard's shot rolling behind him. Taken off at the break with Spurs 2-0 down. 3

Cristian Romero

The captain brought little to the party and his passing was off the mark at times as well. 4

Micky van de Ven

Had a couple of good defensive moments in amongst the mess that was Spurs' performance, but that's not saying much. Played Merino onside for Eze's third goal. 5

Djed Spence

Had a tough night with Trossard down his flank and never looked in control. 3

Rodrigo Bentancur

Struggled to get a foothold in the midfield battle and looked off the pace at times. Picked up a yellow card in the first half. 3

Joao Palhinha

Looked to be the only player who understood it was a derby and he's only been at the club for a handful of months. Tried to make an impact in the middle of the pitch against his Arsenal counterparts and did with the sliding tackle that led to Richarlison's goal. 6

Destiny Udogie

Caught out of the defensive line to play Trossard onside for the Belgian's first half goal. Saka caused him problems almost every time he got forward. 3

Mohammed Kudus

Looked like a player who has been out for a few weeks. Some nice touches but never really got anywhere with the ball. 5

Wilson Odobert

Played as one of the 10s behind Richarlison but wasn't strong enough for a derby battle. Barely contributed anything of note. 3

Richarlison

Had so little of the ball in the first half and struggled when he did get it other than on a couple of occasions. He did give Spurs a lifeline though with a wonderful effort from near the centre circle that was sent perfectly over Raya as he sprinted back. Gets three extra points for the quality of the goal. 6

Subs

Xavi Simons

Brought on for the second half. Looked to make things happen and sent a shot at Raya after the hour mark and another wide. Offered more than anyone else. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Added some legs to the midfield but no extra quality. 4

Randal Kolo Muani

Came on down the left but didn't see much of the ball. 4

Pedro Porro

Replaced Spence for the final minutes but found the going tough. N/A

Brennan Johnson

In the summer transfer window, Eberechi Eze snubbed Tottenham Hotspur to sign for Arsenal - and he hasn't looked back since - scoring a brilliant hat-trick in the North London Derby.

Thomas Frank aimed a cheeky dig at Eberechi Eze ahead of the North London Derby, but the Tottenham Hotspur boss was left with egg on his face when the Arsenal star netted a hat-trick.

Eze, who snubbed the Lilywhites to join the Gunners at the end of the summer transfer window, showed Frank exactly what his side missed out on. The 27-year-old midfielder fired Mikel Arteta's side to victory at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening, scoring two goals in quick succession before the break.

He later on completed his hat-trick with a quarter of an hour to spare. Speaking to reporters at Hotspur Way on Friday, the Dane was asked about Eze's controversial move to the Emirates Stadium.

The England international had been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham, and he looked set to join. Then, at the 11th hour, Arsenal swooped in and secured his signature - paying Crystal Palace an eye-watering £67.5million. With a straight face, Frank said: "Who's Eze?"

After a brief awkward silence, the Spurs boss broke the ice and added: "Very good player. He plays for Arsenal - a team we want to beat on Sunday."

Frank's remark has come back to bite him, now, with Eze leading Arsenal to a routine victory against Tottenham. It wasn't the first time that the Dane had spoken about the Englishman.

Back in August, he was pressed on Spurs' misfortune in the summer transfer window, having first missed out on Morgan Gibbs-White and then Eze. Frank said: "In general, of course, you know I don't speak about specific players unless they are at our fantastic club, and I'm more than happy to speak about all our players.

"So that's one thing. Secondly, and there's been a lot of rumours linking us with a lot of players. Also players where I think; 'Oh, he's been linked with us? Interesting'.

"But a lot of times where it's definitely nothing in it, that's part of the business we talked about before. There must be someone out there that thinks it's good fun to put the rumours out there.

"But anyway, there'll be a lot of links. There has been a lot of links. There'll a lot of links in the future."

Taking aim at Eze, Frank went on: "And just to generalise that, to make it very, very clear, I don't want any players that don't want to come to the club. Who don't want to come to the club and wear this fantastic badge - we don't want them here.

"I think that's very clear, and also pretty sure that the fans will feel the same if they don't want to put the fantastic shirt over their head. Play for the badge, play for the club. Really enjoy it.

"No problem, then we don't want them there. I think that's a key message..."

That's a good one. Enjoyable day. Happy to help the team and get the win.

"It's special. It's what I prayed for. I prayed for my hat-trick and I got it.

"All my family are here which makes it more special to do it in front of them."

On potentially being a Tottenham player had things been different:

"Let's not talk about that."

Arsenal's second goal against Spurs was a controversial one with Eberechi Eze's strike being checked by VAR

Les Ferdinand was left aghast by the decision not to disallow Arsenal's second goal against Tottenham Hotspur. Ebere Eze doubled the Gunners' lead on the stroke of half-time after dancing through the Spurs defence before firing beyond Guglielmo Vicario.

The England international drilled home despite the challenge from two Spurs defenders but there were complaints over whether the goal should have stood. Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi and Leandro Trossard were all in an offside position and Ferdinand was left confused by the decision for the goal to stand as he raised complaints over Vicario's sight being obstructed by the trio.

The rule has come under immense spotlight in recent weeks after Virgil van Dijk's header against Manchester City was ruled out due to Andy Robertson's role in standing in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

This weekend, Liverpool were left equally aggrieved when Murillo's goal was allowed to stand despite Nottingham Forest having a player in an offside position and in front of Alisson Becker.

The Premier League clarified the decision around he goal where they revealed that the VAR checked it but felt that there was no infringement on the Italian.

The X post read: "The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that there were no Arsenal players in the line of vision of the goalkeeper, and they made no movement to impact an opponent while in an offside position."

Ferdinand argued: "I don't understand. I need someone to explain to me how this doesn't affect the goalkeeper's sight.

"I don't understand. I don't understand how that's not looked at and seen that these players are blocking the goalkeeper's view of it. I really don't."

Some 45 seconds after the restart, it went from bad to worse for Thomas Frank's side after Eze got his second of the evening.

The 27-year-old turned down a move to Spurs in order to join Arsenal and his decision came back to haunt Spurs.

He found himself in space in the 18-yard box and curled into the bottom corner to extend the Gunners' lead.

After City failed to beat Newcastle United, and return to second in the Premier League table, a win over Spurs would see them move six points clear at the summit of English football.

Spurs had kept their North London rivals at bay for 36 minutes but their stubborn rearguard was broken when Trossard squeezed the ball home.

Five minutes later, it was two for Mikel Arteta's side when Eze drilled home. Gary Neville slammed both the defensive display and general game plan from Frank's side as they failed to lay a glove on their rivals, registering no shots on goal in the first half.

The former Manchester United defender said: "It's mayhem - North London delight for Arsenal! I'm happy for them, they deserve it. And so do Tottenham for what they've done... those white shirts are like mannequins.

"To me, that's game over unless Thomas Frank does something remarkable."

There was a glimmer of hope for Spurs when Richarlison reduced the arrears. The Brazilian found the back of the net with their first shot of the game when he spotted David Raya off the line, lifting the ball over the Spaniard from 30 yards out.

Arsenal were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze in the North London Derby at Emirates Stadium

Gary Neville has unleashed a scolding assessment of Tottenham Hotspur's collapse against Arsenal. The former Manchester United defender slammed Spurs for their display at the Emirates Stadium, where they trailed by two goals at the break.

Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock as he squeezed the ball home before Ebere Eze doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time. Thomas Frank's side had kept their north London rivals at bay for most of the first-half but Arsenal's pressure eventually told.

Neville launched a scathing criticism of the Spurs display, in particular for the second goal as he slammed the abject defensive work.

He said: "Spurs have to have some courage on the ball. They've showed nothing in these 40 minutes, it's been basic. Maybe the goal will kick them into action.

"It's a goal for those who like teams who play football the way Arsenal have. They've popped it through the lines. It's a wonderful pass [for Trossard] from Merino... he drifts it into the space and Tottenham's back five are disconnected. It's what Arteta's men deserve. They've been by far the better team.

"It's mayhem - North London delight for Arsenal! I'm happy for them, they deserve it. And so do Tottenham for what they've done... those white shirts are like mannequins. To me, that's game over unless Thomas Frank does something remarkable."

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka had the best chances in the opening exchanges. Rice saw his close-range volley well blocked by Guglielmo Vicario.

The Italian was on hand to make a superb save from the England winger's free-kick as his stinging effort evaded the red shirts in the box before the shot-stopper beat away the danger.

Spurs failed to land a single glove on their rivals and they managed no shots on goal in the first-half. The visitors didn't deserve anything out of the first-half and went deservedly in at the break behind.

Their last win in the red half of north London came in 2018 when they beat Arsenal 2-0 to progress to the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Meanwhile, their last triumph in the league at the home of their fierce rivals came 15 years ago when a Younes Kaboul effort four minutes from time completed the comeback in a 3-2 win.

The Danish tactician made five changes for the first North London Derby of the season but the alterations proved to be futile as Spurs failed to put the Premier League leaders under any pressure.

Kevin Danso was brought in alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristiano Romano. But they couldn't stop Trossard or Eze in finding the target as Arsenal struck twice in a five-minute salvo on the stroke of half-time.

Frank will need to desperately find answers with Tottenham approaching one month without a win in the Premier League, last tasting victory away at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after their 3-0 win over Everton.

But since then, they have been dispatched by Newcastle and Chelsea before squandering their lead against Manchester United during a dramatic draw in North London on the eve of the international break.

"He [Gabriel] is a big loss. When you see those two at the back, straight away you're thinking that there's not a lot going to happen attacking wise for the other team.

"Put the goalkeeper on top of that. The full-backs and the midfield protection. They are a formidable outfit defensively and he is a big part of that.

"They have to step up. No one is going to buy into 'we haven't got Gabriel, that's why we dropped a few points. That's why we lost the league.'

"I'm sorry, this has been going on for four years now. You have to live without your best players sometimes. Mosquera as done a very good job. He's good, he's solid. Go keep a clean sheet without Gabriel. That's the job today."

Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has discussed his dislike for Tottenham Hotspur - plenty of years on from featuring for the Gunners in the North London Derby against the side.

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has revealed he still doesn't like Tottenham Hotspur, nearly 20 years on from his final appearance against their rivals in North London Derby. The French striker had plenty of memorable moments for the Gunners, with a fair few of them coming in the local clash.

Many will remember Henry's iconic solo goal against Tottenham in 2002, with the knee slide celebration going down in history - so much so that it is the inspiration for his statue outside the Emirates Stadium. Then there was more joy in 2004, when Arsenal won the Premier League at White Hart Lane, with the star leading the celebrations in front of their fiercest rivals.

Plenty of those displays were fuelled by a simple dislike for Spurs, which Henry has revealed he still has all these years later. The 48-year-old was discussing the rivalry before Arsenal's clash with Tottenham in the North London Derby, and outlined his reasons for it.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "They don't like me, I don't like them.

"And that's about it. We're talking about sport, it's nothing. I have [speak to] a lot of Tottenham fans, but when the game is on, it isn't about being friendly with them."

Henry was then asked if Sol Campbell's controversial move from Tottenham to Arsenal fuelled some of that dislike, which he went on to explain. He said: "You know what, when Sol came, I said to him 'Are you mad, or are you mad'? I said 'What did you do'?

"I was happy because I didn't have to play against him anymore, but at the very beginning I was like 'Did he actually realise what he did'? You know, and I'm happy that he did, I'm not judging what he did, I wouldn't have done it."

Over his whole Arsenal career, Henry ended up facing off against Tottenham 11 times - winning seven matches, drawing four and not losing a single one. The Frenchman's personal record was decent, with five goals and two assists in the North London Derby.

Henry's last appearance against Tottenham came in April 2006, where he bagged an 84th equaliser during their 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium. While it's been almost 20 years since his last match against Spurs, the former Arsenal man hasn't been shy when it comes to poking fun at his old rivals.

Henry recently made his first visit to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while attending a high-profile boxing event, where he would take a chance to aim another dig at the Lilywhites. He told DAZN: "Weird. I never came to the new stadium, I used to come to the old one and win a lot - but it's nice."

Even all these years later, it's become clear just how much the North London Derby meant to Henry, with that dislike carrying over beyond his playing career.

Here's the Tottenham Hotspur team that Thomas Frank has selected to face Arsenal in his first competitive North London Derby on Sunday

Thomas Frank has made five changes to his Tottenham team to face Arsenal for the short trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams have players back and available and for Spurs, in his press conference ahead of the game Frank revealed that back in training were attackers Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani, with a face mask to protect his fractured jaw, as well as midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray and defenders Ben Davies, Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin, who played 45 minutes in an under-21s friendly last week against Leyton Orient.

The Spurs head coach has tasted victory against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team in the summer friendly in Hong Kong but this will be his first competitive North London Derby of the season and it comes at the Gunners' home.

Frank has gone with three at the back with Kevin Danso coming in alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero and Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie as his wing-backs with Pedro Porro on the bench.

Xavi Simons finds himself on the bench while Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha take to the centre of the pitch with Kudus back in the side with Wilson Odobert behind Richarlison.

Kolo Muani, Gray and Bergvall are all back on a strong bench with Xavi.

Here's the Tottenham team Frank has selected to face the Gunners:

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been targeting a comeback from injury ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham, and has sent a message to fans for the big clash

Martin Odegaard has revealed he is "getting closer" to a return from injury ahead of Arsenal's clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners will host Spurs in the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium, as they aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal have a three-point lead over Chelsea in the Premier League table, and it remains to be seen if Odegaard will make his return from the injury against Tottenham.

The Norway international has returned to training for the first time since picking up the injury in recent days, with Odegaard having missed each of Arsenal's last seven matches across all competitions.

Ahead of the clash against Tottenham in the North London Derby, Odegaard has offered an update on his recovery from the injury to give encouragement that a return is not too far away.

"This week I’ve been working really hard on my rehab – it’s going very well. I can feel I’m getting closer every day and getting towards the final stages where it's a lot more exciting," said Odegaard in his programme notes for Sunday's North London Derby.

"I’ve been doing some pitch work and training, so I really feel like I'm getting there. That's the best part of the rehab, when you're getting closer to joining the team, you can do a lot more on the pitch and you can be more aggressive in the rehab.

"I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger. I can't wait to be back now, we're on a good path and it's looking good. I'm really excited.

"I guess that's one of the good things about being injured. You get hungrier and more excited to play football again. That's the good part of it, I’m desperate to get going again."

Arsenal will still have some injury concerns to deal with when they take on Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.

Gabriel Magalhaes suffered an injury over the international break during a friendly match with Brazil. Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are also on the injury list for Arsenal.

Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Riccardo Calafiori could also make their returns from injury for the clash against Tottenham.

Here's the Tottenham Hotspur team that we reckon Thomas Frank will select to face Arsenal in Sunday's North London Derby

It's North London Derby day and Thomas Frank finally has some options to choose from as Tottenham make the short trip to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs entered the international break with 12 players unavailable for this fixtures only for Frank to reveal at his press conference on Friday that eight of them are now back in training. That means the Dane can call upon attackers Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani, complete with a face mask to protect his fractured jaw, as well as midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray and defenders Ben Davies, Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin, who played 45 minutes in an under-21s friendly last week against Leyton Orient.

That means options galore for the Spurs head coach to select on his team and bench to take on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team in the first competitive North London Derby of the season after the summer friendly in Hong Kong.

Spurs also enjoyed an international break in which most of the Tottenham players either played just the one game for their country or in some cases neither, meaning a fresh squad for the first of a series of big matches that come in quick succession with a trip to Paris to face PSG in the Champions League coming in midweek.

On Sunday, the main choice for Frank in the defence comes at left-back between Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie with both having done well against Bukayo Saka in recent seasons. In central midfield, Sarr, Bergvall and Gray may not be fit enough to start and the choice for the head coach lies in whether Xavi Simons does alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha or whether the Dutchman, who scored for his country in the week, plays on the left of the attack.

Frank will be hoping Kudus is fit enough to start, and then he must choose between Richarlison and the masked Kolo Muani up front or even the in-form Mathys Tel and he will also have to decide if Kudus does start whether Brennan Johnson, Xavi or Wilson Odobert takes the spot on the left.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Frank will select to face the Gunners: