Tottenham Hotspur took to the pitch for the first time in two weeks when their local rivals came to town on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side knew three points was needed in their ambitious push for a spot in the top four.
And there was the opportunity to also put a major dent in Arsenal’s title charge, but any shot at three points was wiped away in the opening 45 minutes.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium atmosphere was bouncing when Michael Oliver blew his whistle in north London, however, the Spurs fans were quickly silenced.
Having conceded early on through a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal, Micky van de Ven thought he had equalised but saw his effort ruled out for a marginal offside call.
Cristian Romero and Heung-min Son offered some second-half hope, but the damage was already done.
Aston Villa’s draw on Saturday against Chelsea has now brought a realistic end to any hopes of Champions League qualification.
And having now lost their last two games, Spurs will surely be looking over their shoulder with some seriously challenging games coming up.
Spurs came under criticism for their display on Tyneside and they were not able to provide their fans with an instant response as they will now look to do so away to Chelsea on Thursday.
Here are The Spurs News‘ player ratings from a North London Derby to forget…
Guglielmo Vicario – 5
Guglielmo Vicario has been a real bright spark for Spurs this season and has proven himself to be one of the signings of the summer.
And it was the story of his season on Sunday with the Italian not really doing too much wrong but still finding himself conceding numerous times.
Perhaps there is an argument to be made for the 27-year-old to be more dominant from corners; otherwise he was merely a bystander for the goals – he did produce a stunning save to deny Bukayo Saka his second.
Pedro Porro – 3
The Spaniard was forced off in the defeat to Newcastle with a suspected hamstring injury but he was able to return for the game against the Gunners.
Pedro Porro offered very little in both defence and attack, though. Spurs fans know what the 24-year-old can offer but he was unable to show that today.
Cristian Romero – 7
By a long distance Tottenham’s best player on the day. Postecoglou could have done with a few more Romero’s on the pitch in N17.
There were certainly more chances for Romero to get his name on the scoresheet but the Argentine had to settle for just one goal.
That goal did lift the Tottenham fans, though, and offered Spurs with a route back into the game.
Micky van de Ven – 6
Will feel hard done by with his disallowed goal in the first half which would have changed the complexion of the game.
Struggled to dominate from the fatal corners, but otherwise offered his usual solidity at the back following a dismal display against Newcastle.
Micky van de Ven has been immense for Tottenham this season and it will be interesting to see if he may play a role at left-back over the coming weeks.
Ben Davies – 3
With Destiny Udogie out for the remainder of the season, Ben Davies has now come in at left-back for Postecoglou.
But the Welshman was unable to get the better of Saka as he – bizarrely – showed the winger back onto his strong foot before he found the back of the net.
Davies was shown a yellow card in the second half for persistent fouls on Saka. Van de Ven at left-back and Radu Dragusin alongside Romero, anyone?
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5
Withdrawn at half time for Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur may feel slightly hard done by considering how poor the other two midfielders were.
The Uruguayan has struggled to find his best form since returning to the side after two serious injuries.
He will be desperate for the summer to come so he can try and get back to his best.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 3
Trusted with a spot in the starting XI, Postecoglou’s midfield selection has once again turned out to be be a real issue.
Why Hojbjerg started remains a mystery with the Dane now looking set to leave the club in the summer.
The midfielder was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark and surely he will not be selected for the trip to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
James Maddison – 3
As he has been for months now, James Maddison was completely ineffective in the game and his spot in the starting XI surely has to come under scrutiny now.
Giovani Lo Celso could well be off in the summer so playing the Argentine for the upcoming games may not be in Postecoglou’s thinking.
But Jamie Donley has been a shining light for Wayne Burnett’s U21s side this season and fans will surely be pining to see the academy product played over the final five games.
Dejan Kulusevski – 5
Dejan Kulusevski was Tottenham’s most effective forward on the day, but that is not to say he was able to put in an impressive display at all.
The Swede returned to squad after being uprooted from the starting XI by Brennan Johnson in recent weeks.
Whether he has done enough to keep his spot for the game on Thursday night is another question with Richarlison now returning from injury.
Heung-min Son – 4
If there was ever a performance which showed Son is not a number nine, today was that.
In a game where the South Korean is able to get in behind the opposition’s centre-backs then the 31-year-old does show his worth.
However, today proved Tottenham are desperate to bring in a new striker over the summer with Son unable to hold up the ball against two strong centre-backs.
His spot kick saved him from receiving what would have been an embarrassing 3/10 rating.
Timo Werner – 3
Timo Werner did not show an awful lot during his brief spell on the pitch before being withdrawn with a suspected hamstring issue.
Brennan Johnson – 5
Came on and once again showed why he should be starting. Was unable to find the final pass, but the Welshman proved a real threat down the left side.
Pape Matar Sarr – 6
Postecoglou looked to the Senegalese midfielder at half-time and he certainly offered something more in the middle than what Spurs had during the first 45 minutes.
Richarlison & Yves Bissouma – 5
Both came on and put in a shift.
