Tottenham Player Ratings from Disappointing north London Derby

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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 14: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal battles for possession with Tanguy Ndombele of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Nick Potts – Pool/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Midfield Ratings

Tottenham was absolutely overrun in the midfield pretty much the entire match. Tanguy Ndombele was active but Pierre-Emile Højbjerg just kind of ran around. The pair never seemed to sync throughout the match as Tottenham needed another passer which bringing on Moussa Sissoko did not provide.

Tanguy Ndombele – 6

Tanguy Ndombele was active and was looking to get on the ball frequently. The problem was the Arsenal players draped all over him made it difficult for the Frenchman to be in full effect. One really has to start wondering aloud about the lack of calls Tanguy gets, as he tries to play through the contact and is NOT awarded for it. Even more worrisome for Tottenham is the fact that Ndombele could be seen reaching for his hamstring at multiple moments in the match, which is never a good sign. He was eventually replaced by Dele Alli.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 3

Tottenham has had games this season where Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was the best player on the pitch and was a major factor in Tottenham winning. On Sunday in his second north London Derby, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was battling with Matt Doherty as the worst Spurs player on the day. Højbjerg was an absolute ghost in the first half leaving Ndombele to do all the work on the ball. In the second half, we saw why Højbjerg was a turnover machine, continuously giving the ball back to the opposition. Outside of one play to start the second half, Højbjerg just looked lost the entire day in a way Spurs fans have never seen but Southampton is likely quite familiar with, as Arsenal passed around the Dane like a cone.