Arsenal put on a display of wasteful finishing as Tottenham Hotspur did the exact opposite on Wednesday night, with Unai Emery’s side losing 2-0 to crash out of the League Cup.
After a convincing victory over the same opposition in the same stadium earlier in the month, Arsenal fans were confident of a similar performance in the midweek League Cup quarter-final. However, despite a number of first-half chances falling Arsenal’s way, they failed to take a single one, and they ended up 1-0 down at the break.
It was the same story in the second half, with chances falling Arsenal’s way only for Spurs to double their lead with pretty much their only big opportunity. After that, the game was dead, and the Gunners’ efforts to get back into it were half-hearted at best.
Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the fixture.
4Substitutes
Laurent Koscielny 5
Koscielny still hasn’t found his feet defensively. He played Alli onside for the second goal and unintentionally controlled the ball for a Tottenham player later in the half, for another big chance.
On the other hand, his brief appearances since returning have already shown how much more capable he is on the ball than his defensive teammates. He distributes quickly and accurately, and it’s just a shame he’s clearly still not at the races without possession.
Alexandre Lacazette 6
Lacazette had a decent cameo appearance in a difficult period of the game. Arsenal had pretty much given up a minute after he came on and Alli scored, but he was unlucky not to pull one back immediately.
The striker hit the post with a weak-foot shot that was played to him a little behind where he’d want it. After that, he had some good touches, but not enough of them. He should’ve started the match.
Eddie Nketiah 5
Nketiah saw a little more of the ball than Lacazette, despite coming on after the Frenchman, but he couldn’t make anything substantial happen.