Tottenham Hotspur took on Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday in an end-to-end encounter which ended 3-2 to the visitors.

Spurs were back in match action following a 15-day break between fixtures and they began a final run of six fixtures as they aim to overhaul Aston Villa and get into the top four before the end of the campaign. Before the match Postecoglou's side sat seven points behind Unai Emery's team with three games in hand. Arsenal came into the game looking to remain on top in the title race ahead of Manchester City.

Postecoglou made three changes to his Tottenham team, having lost Destiny Udogie for the remainder of the season after a freak injury in training which required quadriceps surgery. Ben Davies came into the left-back slot with Dejan Kulusevski, who became a father for the first time this week, also coming back into the team on the right wing in place of Brennan Johnson.

In the midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was handed only his seventh Premier League start of the season alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison with Yves Bissouma benched.

Hojbjerg made an impact early on after returning to the starting XI, but not in the way the Dane intended as he headed an Arsenal corner into his own net 15 minutes in. Spurs thought they had found a leveller seven minutes when Micky van de Ven slammed home a shot after Pedro Porro's shot deflected into his path. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the Dutchman was adjudged to have been marginally offside.

Arsenal then found a second goal after a chaotic spell of play. Dejan Kulusevski and then James Maddison went down in the visitors' box before the Gunners swept up the pitch and Bukayo Saka cut inside and stroked the ball into the net.

A third goal came before the break with another Spurs set piece goal conceded. Kai Havertz leapt highest in plenty of room to head home from a corner to give the visitors a 3-0 scoreline that didn't reflect the half that preceded it.

Spurs found a goal not long after the hour mark. Cristian Romero, who had headed an effort against the woodwork in the first half, was pressing high up the pitch and David Raya hit a pass straight at the Argentine, who calmly took it down and slotted a strike inside the left-hand post.

The hosts grabbed another goal after Declan Rice caught Ben Davies in the box and although the official missed it, VAR did not and told Michael Oliver to head over to his pitchside monitor. The penalty was given and Son Heung-min smashed it home but Tottenham could not find a late leveller.

READ MORE: Postecoglou confirms Tottenham player will start against Arsenal and makes Harry Kane admission

READ MORE: Every word Postecoglou said on how Udogie got injured, Pedro Porro, Mikey Moore and Arsenal

Here are our Spurs player ratings from the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

Guglielmo Vicario

Just a spectator for all three goals and Arsenal made sure he couldn't move far for set pieces, with little help from his defenders. Made a good second half save from Saka with his foot. 5

Pedro Porro

Got up and down the right flank and defended well on the whole but struggled to provide much quality at the other end. 5

Cristian Romero

Never stopped fighting. Sent a header against the post in the first half and another just over in the second half. Kept pressing around the pitch and found himself on the edge of the Arsenal box to collect a poor Raya kick and he calmly slotted it home. Spurs' man of the match by a mile. 8

Micky van de Ven

Though he'd equalised midway through the first half only for VAR to find him marginally offside. Made a good header away from goal late on and swept up plenty of balls over the top. Seems odd to have both centre-backs on good marks after conceding three goals but both players were Tottenham's best on the day. 7

Ben Davies

In for Udogie and he started the game brightly but Saka cut inside him too easily for the second goal. Worked hard and earned the penalty that Son fired home. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur

One of Spurs' more progressive players in the first half but was replaced by Sarr at the break. 6

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Making only his seventh start in the league and within 15 minutes he had headed the ball into his own net from a corner. Wasn't Spurs' worst player but it's another defeat to his name when he starts. 4

James Maddison

Another very underwhelming game from the England international. Barely made any impact at all. 3

Dejan Kulusevski

Spurs' brightest attacker for much of the game although he continues to struggle with the final pass. 6

Son Heung-min

Fired home a second half penalty clinically which bumps up his score but otherwise the Spurs skipper struggled to get into the game. 6

Timo Werner

Lasted only 31 minutes before coming off with what looked like a muscle injury. Hadn't done much of note before that. 4

Subs

Brennan Johnson

Made a positive contribution from the bench and was more of a threat down the right in the second half. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Brought mobility to Spurs' midfield in the second half in a bright showing. 6

Richarlison

Brought more physicality and a focal point to Tottenham's attacking play even if he didn't get the ball in the areas he would have liked. 6

Yves Bissouma

Kept pushing Spurs forward and defender well when needed. 6

Giovani Lo Celso

Replaced Davies late in the game. N/A

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.

Catch up with this week's Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.