Who most lived up to their pre-match hype?
YOU would really have to say Gareth Bale.
The high-speed Spurs man was not at the scintillating best he produced at West Ham last Monday.
But he still popped up with a goal. And what’s more it was the crucial opener to break the deadlock.
After the break, he made a couple of sublime passes — the pick of which was a crossfield ball to Jermain Defoe.
Meanwhile, Theo Walcott had a quiet game, with only a free-kick assist to his name.
Who tormented their opposing defenders?
NEITHER star had an explosive afternoon at White Hart Lane.
Bale left Arsenal’s defence standing to spring the offside trap and put Spurs in front.
But there were few of his blistering runs down the left as he played inside.
Likewise, Walcott never got at nor past his markers.
Both sets of defenders would have gone home fairly happy with how they handled the opposing dangerman.
It would have even better for Arsenal had they not had their first-half blips.
Who had the most influence on the game?
YOU cannot deny that Bale had more influence on this game than Walcott.
Even if the Welshman was not as instrumental in this Tottenham victory as he has been in previous ones.
He was having a relatively quiet afternoon until the 37th minute.
Then he burst on to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass to fire the hosts into the lead.
But the 23-year-old still had more impact than Walcott.
The England winger was anonymous for most of the match.
Do either deserved to be called ‘world class’?
NOT on this display, no.
But it is impossible to argue that Bale’s sensational recent showings have not been “world class”.
He had a quieter afternoon yesterday and yet he was still on hand to turn a hugely important match in his team’s favour.
Is one of the attributes of a world-class player not someone who can influence a game even when they are not at their best?
As for Walcott, has he ever been considered “world class”?
YOU would really have to say Gareth Bale.
The high-speed Spurs man was not at the scintillating best he produced at West Ham last Monday.
But he still popped up with a goal. And what’s more it was the crucial opener to break the deadlock.
After the break, he made a couple of sublime passes — the pick of which was a crossfield ball to Jermain Defoe.
Meanwhile, Theo Walcott had a quiet game, with only a free-kick assist to his name.
Who tormented their opposing defenders?
NEITHER star had an explosive afternoon at White Hart Lane.
Bale left Arsenal’s defence standing to spring the offside trap and put Spurs in front.
But there were few of his blistering runs down the left as he played inside.
Likewise, Walcott never got at nor past his markers.
Both sets of defenders would have gone home fairly happy with how they handled the opposing dangerman.
It would have even better for Arsenal had they not had their first-half blips.
Who had the most influence on the game?
YOU cannot deny that Bale had more influence on this game than Walcott.
Even if the Welshman was not as instrumental in this Tottenham victory as he has been in previous ones.
He was having a relatively quiet afternoon until the 37th minute.
Then he burst on to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass to fire the hosts into the lead.
But the 23-year-old still had more impact than Walcott.
The England winger was anonymous for most of the match.
Do either deserved to be called ‘world class’?
NOT on this display, no.
But it is impossible to argue that Bale’s sensational recent showings have not been “world class”.
He had a quieter afternoon yesterday and yet he was still on hand to turn a hugely important match in his team’s favour.
Is one of the attributes of a world-class player not someone who can influence a game even when they are not at their best?
As for Walcott, has he ever been considered “world class”?
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