Tottenham were slammed by Sky Sports’ punditry team after their woeful first-half display against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners established a two-goal lead in the North London Derby thanks to Hugo Lloris’ sloppy own goal and Martin Odegaard’s wonderful strike. Tottenham tried to respond after the break, but Arsenal held on for a convincing 2-0 victory on the road.
Paul Merson was perplexed by Antonio Conte’s tactics during the first half. He was particularly staggered by Tottenham’s failure to stop Thomas Partey from dictating the pace of the game. The Arsenal legend said: “They [Tottenham] have been really bad.
“Arsenal have been great and they’ve had two good chances, or one and a half good chances. For me, you’re talking about one of the greatest managers about in Conte, he hasn’t changed it and let that team go out there and get absolutely ripped to shreds.
“He had to change it. If I’m being completely honest anyone could go out there and play where Partey is at the moment, no one’s got near him. I can’t believe how a manager of that quality has not tried to nip this in the bud – it’s pretty embarrassing.”
Merson’s fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp also provided a scathing analysis of Tottenham’s first-half display. The former Spurs captain even claimed it was the most “one-sided” derby he had ever witnessed. He said: “I can’t remember – not just a North London Derby – but 45 minutes of any derby that has been as one-sided as this.
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“Arsenal have been magnificent, looks like they’ve had 12 men on the pitch. They’ve just completely outplayed Tottenham who’ve not got near them. They’ve been a class apart in that 45 minutes, been magnificent from their point of view.”
Arsenal will be delighted with Sunday afternoon’s result. Mikel Arteta’s side have moved eight points clear of champions Manchester City, who lost 2-1 at bitter rivals Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, at the top of the Premier League table.
Meanwhile Tottenham are in serious danger of missing out on Champions League football next season. Conte’s side remain fifth in the Premier League table but are now five points behind Man Utd in fourth having played a game more.
Tottenham also find themselves 14 points behind Arsenal. The Gunners have not finished above Spurs in the Premier League table since Leicester won the title seven years ago.
Ex-Premier League striker Clinton Morrison also slammed Tottenham’s performance in his half-time analysis. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s been one-way traffic, it has been brilliant from Arsenal. Sensational. They have been on the front foot.
“It is a North London Derby, but Spurs haven’t played it like a North London Derby. They’ve sat back, haven’t gone and put a tackle in. They didn’t press until the last minute. It’s comfortable from Arsenal, they’ve been brilliant. Hard team talk for Conte.”
