Arsenal's derby masterclass! Winners, losers & ratings as Odegaard inspires Gunners to HUGE derby win over Spurs

The Gunners produced another fantastic display to beat their arch-rivals 2-0 and move eight points clear of champions Manchester City.

Arsenal opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a dominant victory against Spurs in the north London derby.

Mikel Arteta's side took full advantage of Manchester City's defeat at Manchester United 24 hours earlier, cruising past their local rivals to claim a first league win at Tottenham since 2014.

It was superb display from the visitors, who went in front when Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris palmed Bukayo Saka's cross into his own net after just 14 minutes.

And then they took full control when captain Martin Odegaard drilled in his eighth goal of the season to double the lead before the interval.

Tottenham were woeful, with Harry Kane left frustrated in his attempt to become his club's all-time record goalscorer. Kane went into the game one goal behind Jimmy Greaves' longstanding record, but was kept largely quiet throughout – with Aaron Ramsdale denying him twice when he did get a sight of goal.

Frustrations got the better of the home side after the final whistle, with Richarlison hitting out at Ramsdale before a supporter jumped onto the advertising hoardings and aimed a kick at the Arsenal keeper.

It was an ugly incident that will no doubt lead to an investigation by the Football Association and the police, but Arsenal will not worry about that as they continue to set the pace in the title chase.

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    The Winners

    Winner: Oleksandr Zinchenko

    The Ukrainian was exceptional for Arsenal, causing Tottenham all sorts of problems with his quality and movement. As he always does in Arteta's 4-3-3 system, he drifted inside from the left-back position whenever Arsenal were in possession, consistently causing an overload in the central midfield area which allowed the visitors to control the majority of the game. This was a game that perfectly highlighted why Zinchenko is now preferred to Kieran Tierney when he's fit.

    Winner: Martin Odegaard

    It's getting hard to find the superlatives to describe Arsenal's captain, who enjoyed another superb performance for the league leaders. Fresh from picking up the Premier League's player of the month award for December, Odegaard was pulling the strings again in the final third, especially in the first half when Arsenal were so dominant. His goal was expertly taken and takes his tally for the season to eight. He is also the first Arsenal club captain to score an away goal in a north London derby since Patrick Vieira in 2004. Not bad company to keep.

    Winner: Aaron Ramsdale

    When Arsenal needed their goalkeeper, he delivered. His save in the first half to deny Son Heung-Min was huge as it came moments after Arsenal had got themselves in front and then he produced a vital stop just before half-time to deny Kane a goal that would have given the hosts a huge boost going into the interval. It was a similar story from Ramsdale in the second half, with the Gunners keeper making more big stops from Kane and Ryan Sessegnon.

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    The Losers

    Loser: Hugo Lloris

    The Spurs goalkeeper made a huge error to gift Arsenal the opening goal which allowed them to take such a foothold in the game. Bukayo Saka's cross might have taken a slight deflection off Ryan Sessegnon, but that is no excuse for Lloris, who managed to palm the cross into his own net. He did make amends with a fine save to deny Eddie Nketiah in the second half, but that error to hand Arsenal the early advantage was absolutely crucial.

    Loser: Mykhailo Mudryk

    The Ukrainian has been keeping a close eye on Arsenal's games in recent weeks, so it would be no surprise if he was watching from somewhere inside Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Mudryk may have just got himself a huge contract at Chelsea, but it's tough to imagine he would not have seen this Arsenal performance and not been slightly envious at being unable to play a part in Mikel Arteta's increasingly impressive project in north London.

    Loser: Antonio Conte

    This was another big game Conte has failed to win and another game that highlighted how far off Tottenham are from the top teams in the Premier League this season. Conte talks at length about his desire for new additions, but the fact is Tottenham have spent a lot of money since the Italian was appointed, and they do not seem to be getting any better. Conte continues to set his team up negatively which is something you can get away with if you win trophies, but if you don't then it gets increasingly difficult to justify.

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    Arsenal Ratings: Defence

    Aaron Ramsdale (9/10):

    Excellent save to deny Son in the first half and Kane after the interval. Solid.

    Ben White (8/10):

    Linked up really well with Saka, was always providing an overlap.

    William Saliba (8/10):

    Best he's been since the World Cup.

    Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10):

    Continued his excellent recent form.

    Oleksandr Zinchenko (9/10):

    Was all over the pitch. Superb performance.

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    Midfield

    Thomas Partey (8/10):

    Pulled the strings from deep. Outrageous volley that hit the post.

    Granit Xhaka (7/10):

    Another fine display. Tottenham struggled to pick him up.

    Martin Odegaard (9/10):

    Brilliant performance, capped with another goal.

Who are France's best players? Key World Cup 2022 performers to watch in knockout rounds

As expected, Les Bleus find themselves at the knockout stage of the World Cup. GOAL takes a look at their key players.

France progressed to the 2022 World Cup knockouts by virtue of topping Group D.

Les Bleus are the defending champions and head coach Didier Deschamps will hope that his troops can become the third nation to win successive championships after Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962).

Les Bleus dispatched Australia 4-1 in their opener, edged out Denmark courtesy of a brace from Kylian Mbappe, but went down to Tunisia on matchday three.

GOAL takes a look at the best France players at Qatar 2022.

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    Kylian Mbappe | PSG | FW

    Mbappe is undoubtedly their key player. He has already impressed at the tournament with three strikes to his name and will be looking to add more to his tally against Poland.

    The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the difference-maker against Denmark as he single-handedly steered Les Bleus to the three points.

    He has had nine more shots (16) and five more shots on target (7) than any other France player at the 2022 World Cup, which shows his importance to the squad.

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    Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | FW

    Antoine Griezmann provides the creative spark in this French team playing in a typical number 10 role. He pulls apart defences and has the calibre to make those incisive passes in the attacking third.

    He has created more chances than any other France player at the 2022 World Cup (11). Indeed, the only player to create 10+ in either of the last two World Cup tournaments for France has been Griezmann, while he’s already surpassed his total from 2018 when Les Bleus lifted the trophy (10).

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    Olivier Giroud | AC Milan | FW

    The AC Milan forward is ageing like fine wine. In the absence of Karim Benzema, Giroud has stepped up his game and scored twice against Australia. With that, he matched Thierry Henry's all-time international goalscoring record of 51, although Giroud has hit the number in nine fewer appearances than his counterpart.

    The 36-year-old forward offers France a focal point in the penalty box, has the ability to hold up the ball and can tee up his teammates which makes him lethal. He was integral to the team that lifted the World Cup in 2018 and remains important four years later.

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    Adrien Rabiot | Juventus | MF

    The Juventus midfielder has always divided opinion but this season Adrien Rabiot has been in the form of his life. He has been thriving in Turin with some great displays and against Australia, he showed that he can contribute with his goals too as he headed home the equaliser.

    Rabiot then created the second after nicking possession and leaving Giroud with a simple tap-in. He could have scored against Australia as well but was denied by a defiant Kasper Schmeichel.

    Definitely one to watch against Poland.

Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts reveals his men’s GOAL50 top 10

Fans will decide the order of this year’s GOAL50 lists but our correspondents are also sharing their picks during the voting period

With voting under way in this year’s GOAL50, fans around the world are having their say on which men’s and women’s players had the best 2021. 

Our team of correspondents are also getting involved, revealing their top 10s this week. 

Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts has now compiled his list, which you can see below. 

Remember, though, you can still cast more votes. The polls are open until November 16!

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    10Erling Haaland

    What a talent! A goalscoring machine whose numbers speak for themselves. Haaland has been sensational for Dortmund and Norway, and that big move to one of the biggest clubs in the world must now be just a matter of time.

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    9Cristiano Ronaldo

    What more can you say? He may be 36, but Ronaldo is still showing everyone else how it is done. Whether it be for Juventus, Portugal or Manchester United, he is still scoring goals at an incredible rate. It's been another amazing year for one of the best of all time.

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    8N’Golo Kante

    Jorginho has been getting almost all the credit when it comes to the Chelsea midfield but, for me, Kante remains the best out there. Now a Champions League winner, the Frenchman has been integral to Chelsea's success once again.

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    7Karim Benzema

    A striker who seems to be getting better with age. Benzema has been in the form of his life for Madrid during the past year and is now back scoring goals for France. He's showing no signs of slowing up just yet.

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Gignac, Lainez & more: Goal's Liga MX Team of the Apertura

After America's title victory, Goal names its Best XI of the season, with the Tigres star and the America prospect both finding a spot

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    Jesus Corona | GK | Cruz Azul

    While the season didn't end well for him, Corona had an excellent Apertura overall. The 37-year-old goalkeeper was the anchor of a defense that allowed just 13 goals in the regular season and led the league in clean sheets with 10 between the regular season and the Liguilla.

    Honorable mention goes to Queretaro's Tiago Volpi and Santos Laguna's Jonathan Orozco. 

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    Rodrigo Salinas | RB | Toluca

    Salinas is the best player at a position that's very thin throughout the league. This campaign he chipped in with a pair of goals and several chances created for the Toluca attack. He also was difficult to get by for attackers, with Opta numbers showing he wasn't responsible for a single error that led to a shot, much less a goal. 

    America's Paul Aguilar also was in the mix.

  • Bruno Valdez | CB | Club America

    Valdez's defensive contributions might have been enough to get him on the list. The Paraguayan is a solid player at the back, averaging just under four clearances a game and more than three interceptions each match. 

    His contributions going forward really shore up his place in the team, though. Valdez somehow led America in scoring with seven goals. Five of those came from headers. He also chipped in an assist. 

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    Pablo Aguilar | CB | Cruz Azul

    One of the more influential players in the tournament, Aguilar arrived in the summer and showed no drop-off from previous Liga MX tournaments with Tijuana or America. 

    The 31-year-old made 4.4 clearances per match, won five duels a game and overall took a unit that was average last season and helped turn it into the best in the league.

Ex-Blades man makes big manager claim

Former Sheffield United star Keith Gillespie insists that the club need a British manager to replace Chris Wilder, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The former Blades boss left the club earlier this month, with relegation almost certain.

Sheffield United are currently rock-bottom of the league table, taking 14 points from 29 games.

They are 14 points off safety with nine games of the season remaining, and they have won just one of their last five games.

The club have yet to replace Wilder but Sky Sports News have revealed that former Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is one of the club’s top choices to replace Wilder.

But Gillespie believes that a British manager should be the target for the club, as they look to appease the club’s supporters.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “When you have managers that do have experience, you’ve certainly got to sit up and take notice. I’m a believer that a British manager would probably be best in a club like that because they know the club.

“I might be completely wrong, I’d probably say that most Sheffield United fans would probably want a British manager to come in there.

“But if a name becomes available and it’s somebody the board think is viable and will hopefully make things work, then you have to look at it.”

Sheffield United have never had a foreign manager, with their last five bosses being English, with the club also having five Scottish managers, a Welshman, and a Northern Irishman since their founding.

Hazard leads Premier League Team of the Week after helping Chelsea to Champions League

The Belgium international may not have found the net, but he was nevertheless pivotal in the victory that sealed a top-four spot for the Blues

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    1Eden Hazard | Chelsea

    The Belgian provided the assist for two of Chelsea's three goals in their win against Watford, which clinched a spot in next year's Champions League. 

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    2Marko Arnautovic | West Ham

    Arnautovic netted a brace from two shots on target against Southampton.

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    3Ryan Fraser | Bournemouth

    Fraser created nine chances against Spurs, more than twice as many as any of his Bournemouth team-mates.

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    4Morgan Schneiderlin | Everton

    Schneiderlin made eight tackles and nine recoveries of possession against Burnley; both the most of any Everton player.

Fabregas, Morata & Spain's all-star XI who will miss World Cup 2018

Julen Lopetegui has named a 23-man party packed with talent to take to Russia, but he has also left out players who would walk into most squads

Spain have such an abundance of talent that their second string team would compete to be World Cup winners. Some of the best players in the world don’t even make it into Spain’s squad.

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    Sergio Asenjo | GK | Villarreal

    Asenjo has been one of the best keepers in La Liga this season and his omission from the Spanish squad could have gone either way with Pepe Reina getting the nod over him.

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    Sergi Roberto | DF | Barcelona

    Sergi Roberto has been an important player for a double-winning Barcelona team and is perhaps a surprising omission from the Spain squad due to his versatile and talent. Roberto has made three appearances for Spain since making his debut in 2016.

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    Marc Bartra | DF | Real Betis

    Marc Bartra has been impressive since joining Real Betis in January but, when Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos have been such an incredible partnership for years, it is hard to find a place in the squad.

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    Javi Martinez | DF | Bayern Munich

    Martinez's ability to play at centre-back and in defensive midfield makes him a valuable player for Bayern Munich, but it has not been enough to secure a place in Spain's squad.

EFL Trophy: Sunderland Predicted XI v Tranmere

The last few weeks have been a triumphant affair for Sunderland. Lee Johnson’s team are now fourth in the League One table and are unbeaten in their last eight matches, winning seven in that time frame.

It would seem that promotion could finally be on the cards for the Black Cats this season.

Before they prepare for the run-in, however, they face Tranmere in the Papa John’s Trophy final. The Mackems travel to the capital and Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon to face the League Two opposition in what should be a comfortable win on paper.

That being said, all form goes out the window when you play in a final. Sunderland have been at this stage before but tasted defeat to Portsmouth in 2019; they know they cannot afford any slip-ups.

With such a crucial match ahead, Johnson will have plenty of dilemmas to mull over in terms of his team selection. Here’s the XI we’re predicting him to pick.

Life at the Stadium of Light is never simple and that has been evident this week.

Sunderland defeated Portsmouth but, as the week drew to a close, it became apparent that injuries were going to bite them once again.

They are already missing a number of players including Denver Hume and Bailey Wright, but Jordan Jones is now a major doubt to play after suffering a minor injury. Both he and Aiden O’Brien are set to face late fitness tests but Johnson claims O’Brien is far more likely than Jones to play.

That being said, we suggest both could miss out. Consequently, Sunderland may make as many as four changes from the Pompey clash. Chris Maguire comes into the side for O’Brien while Conor McLaughlin, fit again after hernia surgery, is in for Jones.

He shifts into a central area in defence, with Max Power preferred at right wing-back in a five-man backline.

Wright is set to miss out while Dion Sanderson is cup-tied, having already played for Wolves under-21s in this competition. Fortunately, they have Tom Flanagan back, who can take the place of Sanderson.

The final replacement is in the middle of the park, where Carl Winchester has to sit out. The midfielder has already played for Forest Green in this year’s competition so, like Sanderson, he is cup-tied.

Johnson revealed that Grant Leadbitter is set to return from a dislocated shoulder, so he slots in for Winchester.

AND in other news, Dreyfus may be on the verge of repeating one of Donald’s biggest SAFC mistakes already…

Predicted Man City XI vs Swansea

Manchester City return to FA Cup action on Wednesday night as they take on Championship side Swansea City away from home.

Pep Guardiola’s side have now won 14 games on the bounce following their 4-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield at the weekend, and will be full of confidence ahead of the trip to the Liberty Stadium.

However, the Swans are also in strong form, as they sit third in the Championship table and also thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-1 to seal their place in the fifth round.

Guardiola rotated heavily for the game against League Two Cheltenham Town in the last round and was nearly caught out, so may go with a stronger side for the game against Steve Cooper’s side.

The Citizens do face Spurs in their next Premier League fixture, however, so changes seem likely with that in mind.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to set his side up for the game against Swansea, with six changes from the team that started at Anfield…

Zack Steffen reclaims his place in goal after impressing in Ederson’s absence earlier in the season.

There are two changes in defence, as Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte come in for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ruben Dias, who are both rested.

Fernandinho will provide an experienced head in midfield, as he replaces Rodri, with Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan keeping their place after impressive displays against Liverpool.

Riyad Mahrez starts on the right but can interchange with Ferran Torres throughout the game, whilst Gabriel Jesus starts up front, leaving Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva on the bench.

And, in other news… Man City can sign “exciting talent” who only scores screamers

Man Utd Predicted XI vs Everton

Manchester United play host to Everton in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday night, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side set to play their first league game since they humiliated Southampton at home.

The Red Devils ran riot over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, putting nine goals past the nine-man Saints, with Anthony Martial ending his eight-game goal drought after the Frenchman bagged a brace in the second half.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer, it wasn’t all rosy, as both Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw were substituted at half-time having struggled with injuries, with Eric Bailly a doubt ahead of the game against the Toffees.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how United may line up for tonight’s action, which sees Solskjaer make three changes to the team that thrashed the Saints.

Solskjaer’s side are currently second in the table, just three points behind Manchester City, who have built up a tremendous head of steam.

In defence, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka should start as usual, with Victor Lindelof and Alex Telles making up the rest of the numbers.

This game may come too soon for Shaw after he appeared to suffer a knock against his former club, so it’s likely Telles will slot into place alongside the club captain instead.

Paul Pogba is likely going to return to the midfield, which means Scott McTominay will be forced to settle for a spot on the bench.

After a goal drought stretching to 12-and-a-half hours, Anthony Martial ended it with a double against the Saints, and his return to form was warmly welcomed by manager Solskjaer.

As such, Solskjaer will have to decide whether to opt for experience and go with the £49.5m-rated Martial and Marcus Rashford out wide or the fresher, younger option in Mason Greenwood on the right wing.

With Cavani expected to be fit to face the Toffees given Solskjaer’s pre-match press conference, the United boss could start the Uruguayan, drop Martial and have Greenwood to his right and Rashford on the left.

It would certainly be a bold call to move Martial to the bench given his double against the Saints, but that was against a side who ended up going down to 9-men.

Solskjaer will recognise that an Everton side who beat Leeds away from home last time out will surely prove a sterner test of their title credentials, and will need his most reliable and consistent players on the pitch, and Cavani has delivered him for whenever he’s played – the Uruguayan has bagged five goals and provided two assists in just 663 minutes of Premier League football.

Predicted XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles; Pogba, Fred; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani.

AND in other news, Man Utd can find perfect Harry Maguire partner in Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane…

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