Our 3️⃣ points as Arsenal claimed bragging rights in north London derby | OneFootball

Arsenal retained their position at the top of the Premier League table after they beat Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates.

The Gunners claimed bragging rights in the north London derby as Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka netted for Mikel Arteta’s side.

The real deal

We may only be eight games into this Premier League season but we feel safe in saying that Arsenal are the real deal.

Yes, Tottenham didn’t put up much of a fight here and they did eventually go down to 10 men.

But the main reason for Spurs’s lacklustre performance was because of just how well the Gunners played for this entire 90 minutes.

Mikel Arteta’s side pressed from minute one with Gabriel Martinelli causing havoc down the left, Martin Ødegaard constantly finding space in the pocket and Granit Xhaka showing just how good a box-to-box midfielder he can be.

This was a complete performance from a side that have now lost just once in the opening two months of the campaign.

Next Sunday’s clash with Liverpool gets more and more mouth-watering by the moment.

Kane keeps coming

This certainly wasn’t one of his best days as a Tottenham player but when it comes to scoring in big games, what more is there to say about Harry Kane?

Kane has been one of the very best strikers in the Premier League for years now but it really is remarkable how consistently he continues to score on the grandest occasions.

The England striker netted a penalty after 30 minutes here, cooly giving Aaron Ramsdale the eyes and slotting his effort down the middle.

And with that took his tally to 14 against Arsenal – one more than Didier Drogba’s previous record of 13.

No player has scored against the Gunners more times than Kane and that spot kick also took his away goals total to 100.

Another astounding number from a player that keeps shattering records at every turn.

Saliba!

A lot of the headlines from today’s game will rightly go to Gabriel Jesus after his goalscoring exploits and all round inspired play in attack.

But one man who laid the solid foundations for Arsenal so that Jesus and co could thrive was William Saliba.

Saliba has been a complete revelation this season under Mikel Arteta, taking to the Premier League like a duck to water and showing not just that he has world class potential, but that he’s a centre back for the here and now.

And on the biggest possible stage this afternoon, the 21-year-old was near perfect.

He won possession six times in the first half alone, more than any other player on the pitch, and misplaced just three passes in the entire 90 minutes.

His introduction to this Arsenal defence has been one of the reasons for their inspired start and if Arteta’s side really are to mount a serious title challenge, Saliba’s continued form will be a huge part of that.