Arsenal’s bid to secure a top-four berth took a real dent on Thursday evening, as Mikel Arteta’s side succumbed to a brutal 3-0 North London Derby defeat following an error-strewn display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Heading into the mammoth midweek encounter, the Gunners knew that a win would secure a much-coveted return to Champions League football for the first time since 2017, although a frantic first half saw Harry Kane net twice – including once from the spot – before partner-in-crime Heung-min Son added a third just after the interval to rub further salt in the wounds and fire the hosts back into contention for fourth spot.
That dismal outing for the away side was in part caused by a headline-grabbing display – for all the wrong reasons – from centre-back Rob Holding, with the Englishman seeing red inside 33 mins following two rash and needless bookable offences, while fellow defender Cedric Soares was also culpable for his clumsy foul that led to the home side’s early spot-kick.
However, one man who was also far from at his best on the night was in-form striker Eddie Nketiah, the 22-year-old failing to build on his recent brace against Leeds United after putting in a frankly anonymous display in attack.
While inhibited by his teammate’s early dismissal, which largely left the youngster chasing shadows in the forward line, the £9m-rated man did little to impress regardless, notably producing an almost laughable dive in the opening exchanges in an attempt to win a penalty, while he also failed to track the run of compatriot Kane at the back post as Antonio Conte’s men grabbed a second.
The statistics also make for grim reading for the out-of-contract man, as he made just 19 touches in his 73-minute outing –
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