The Belgian made most dribbles and had highest pass accuracy, as Spurs held their rivals in the North London derby on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur kept their unbeaten league run intact this season on Sunday, as the Lilywhites held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the North London derby.
Mauricio Pochettino’s fluid system stifled The Gunners not for the first time, but once again midfielder Mousa Dembélé was the thorn in Arséne Wenger’s side.
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
As Spurs rolled out a risky 3-5-2 formation in N5, both the Belgian and Victor Wanyama marshaled the midfield with aplomb, as the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Theo Walcott were deprived of space in the final third.
Instead, the wing-back system Pochettino employed troubled a nervous Gunners side on Sunday lunchtime.
As Kyle Walker and Danny Rose pushed further forward in the wide areas, the central areas were squeezed by Tottenham’s midfield.
Tottenham’s Kevin Wimmer scores Arsenal’s first with an own goal
Dembélé was instrumental in that role. Only a disputed Kevin Wimmer own goal broke through the Spurs defence, once more via Mesut Özil’s set-piece wizardry.
As the visitors went into the break 1-0 down, it was the Belgian’s industry that forged Spurs’ path back into the game.
Felled by Laurent Koscielny just inside the area, Dembele’s assist was key in the result. As were his numbers on the day.
As per WhoScored, Mousa Dembélé’s 47 passes equated into the highest pass success rate of any man on the field at The Emirates, with 89.4%.
Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
Albeit attempting 12 more passes, Jan Vertonghen fell over 6% shy of his midfield teammate. Only Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin came close to Dembéle, with a ratio of 83.3.
To go with his distribution stats, the Belgian also made the most dribbles of all 22 men on the field, one more than Özil’s five, with six successful forays into Gunners’ territory – one of which led to Harry Kane’s penalty.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane scores their first goal from the penalty spot
Dembélé was also on-point in the defensive department, making three tackles. Only Danny Rose made more for Spurs, with four successful interventions.
Since making the switch across London from Fulham in 2012, the 29 year-old has become a vital cog for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and with stats like this, Tottenham fans will be hoping that Dembélé can keep their unbeaten run going this term.
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