Arsenal ended their three-year wait for a win over Tottenham Hotspur in style as they clinched a comfortable 2-0 victory. Arsene Wenger’s side dominated proceedings from the first minute of the game, and this pretty much caught Spurs off guard, with number of key players including Harry Kane and Dele Alli – looking off the pace after recovering from respective niggles.
Shkodran Mustafi opened the scoring with a fine judged header while Alexis Sanchez made it 2-0 scoring from point-blank range in the first period. The second-half saw Spurs pushing for a goal of their own but goalkeeper Petr Cech kept his awareness to make an acrobatic save of an Eric Dier header which was Spurs’ best effort on target.
Here are three things we learned from the encounter……
Mesut Ozil capable of producing an A+ performance: Much has been talked about Ozil’s workrate this term. Despite his languid body language, the German is capable of putting in standout performers like the one on Saturday, where he was crystal clear with his movement. Ozil for Germany normally does the hard yards when not on the ball, and he displayed a similar performance versus Spurs where he made a couple of key interceptions at the back.
Shkodran Mustafi – Potentially world-class: Mustafi put in a performance to remember last weekend, but this would not have happened if the Gunners sold him in the summer. The World Cup winner came on the cusp of joining Inter Milan, but his valuation fended off the interest. Coming after a thigh strain, Mustafi put in a solid performance with a goal and countless number of headed clearances to keep Harry Kane at bay. With Laurent Koscielny to nurture him, he could become a world-class centre-half in the future.
Alexandre Lacazette must start in the big games: It has come as a surprise this season when Arsene Wenger has benched the Frenchman for the big outings. Saturday was different, however, with Wenger going with the striker’s form, and he did not disappoint as he combined exceptionally well with Sanchez and Ozil upfront. The 25-year-old could not quite find the scoresheet, but he helped Sanchez with a lovely assist for the second goal. Lacazette’s £46.5m fee now seems a bargain with a goal in every other league game.
Image – Getty
