Tottenham Player Ratings: 'Unconvincing' 4/10 and 'Arsenal Pawn' Gets 5 in Derby Defeat
By Toby Bryant, Senior Sports Journalist. Published 22nd Feb 2026, 18:42 GMT.
Another tough day at home for Tottenham Hotspur, as Igor Tudor's tenure began with a defeat, mirroring the struggles under Thomas Frank. There was initial hope that Spurs could leverage a new manager bounce and Arsenal's midweek wobbles to secure an unexpected victory in the North London derby on Sunday evening. However, this optimism quickly faded as the Gunners dominated, causing serious problems for their bitter rivals.
Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 32nd minute, but Spurs briefly rallied when Randal Kolo Muani equalized just two minutes later. After the break, Arsenal cruised to victory, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a brace and Eze adding a second goal. Here is a detailed breakdown of how the Tottenham players performed in this challenging match.
Tottenham Player Ratings v Arsenal
GK - Guglielmo Vicario, 6
A difficult day for the goalkeeper, with Arsenal applying relentless pressure. He made some crucial saves and claims, but the Gunners managed to score with three of their five shots on target, highlighting the defensive vulnerabilities.
LWB - Djed Spence, 6
Spence appeared eager to battle Bukayo Saka but struggled to gain the upper hand. His influence in attack was limited until late in the game, when he fired a pass to Richarlison, showing glimpses of potential.
CB - Micky Van de Ven, 6
Among the Spurs defenders, Van de Ven looked most capable of handling Arsenal's rapid breaks, yet he was still not at his best. He was caught flat-footed before the third goal, allowing Saka to slip through, a critical error against such a pacey opponent.
CB - Radu Dragusin, 5
Dragusin was heavily involved throughout the match. He improved in his duel with Gyokeres in the first half but became a pawn to Eze's dangerous off-ball movements prior to the Gyokeres goal. While he made some confident interventions, Arsenal consistently threatened to outmaneuver him.
CB - Joao Palhinha, 4
Palhinha's performance was unconvincing. He lacked the speed to keep up with the opposition and was ineffective during both Gyokeres's goal and Eze's second finish. A more lively and assertive presence was needed from him.
RWB - Archie Gray, 6
Gray received a silly yellow card for kicking the ball away and took an early blow to the nose. He was overpowered by Gyokeres in injury time as Arsenal sealed the game with a fourth goal, showing the physical challenges he faced.
CM - Yves Bissouma, 6
Early in the first half, Gary Neville on commentary compared Bissouma to Chelsea star Moises Caicedo. He started with determination, possibly invigorated by the managerial change, but this passion waned as the game slipped away. He was booked for dissent late on.
CM - Conor Gallagher, 7
Gallagher brought drive and covered significant ground for Tottenham, adding energy to the side. However, he needs to translate this intensity into more attacking output to make a greater impact in future matches.
CM - Pape Matar Sarr, 5
Sarr was somewhat anonymous in midfield, where Arsenal dominated possession. Spurs required more from him to win the ball back and control the game, but he struggled to assert himself.
ST - Xavi Simons, 6
Simons made an awful pass early on, and he was fortunate that Leandro Trossard missed the resulting chance. Such simple mistakes are costly at this level. He showed tenacity in closing down opponents but needs to improve his decision-making.
ST - Randal Kolo Muani, 8
Muani took his goal excellently, demonstrating strength to hold off the Arsenal defense and power the ball past David Raya. He was perhaps unlucky to have a second goal disallowed due to a minor push on Gabriel, but he should have avoided any contact. He was substituted with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Substitutes: Richarlison, Mathys Tel, and Dominic Solanke were brought on but had limited time to influence the outcome of the match.
