Tottenham took the early lead in the first half due to Naho Monreal and Granit Xhaka’s woeful defensive marking. The duo was clueless as Son-Heung Min snuck in behind them off of a glorious pass by Dele Alli. The South Korean found himself open on goal and calmly slotted the ball past Petr Cech.
Out of the two, Monreal has received a considerable amount of criticism from the Arsenal faithful. Admittedly the Spaniard was not at his best last night but the recurring injuries are not helping him either.
Arsenal have been vulnerable in defence for the entire season and adding Xhaka into the back four will always spell disaster. Spurs scored their second goal in similar fashion as Arsenal tried to push for an equaliser. Christian Eriksen found the ball in the middle of the pitch with every Gunners defender out of position.
The Dane lobbed in a perfectly weighted ball to Alli, who in turn chipped it over Cech. Laurent Koscielny had no chance of catching the Englishman.
Overall, there was not a lack of effort by Arsenal at any point of the game but we can all agree that they were considerably weaker in defence. Ainsley Maitland-Niles did decently well to cover Hector Bellerin’s spot and Sead Kolasinac had an improved showing as well.
While a comeback will be difficult with a 2-goal disadvantage, all is not lost just yet for Arsenal.
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