Arsenal 3-1 Spurs
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

ARSENAL overwhelmed and outclassed sorry Spurs 3-1 at Ashburton Grove to prove, once again, that north London is red.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners blew away their bitter rivals with three goals during a frenetic opening 45 minutes to win the north London derby at a canter.

Goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka swamped Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who managed a late consolation through Son Heung Min.

Arteta opted for Granit Xhaka to start against Arsenal’s bitter rivals following a three match ban, after his straight red during the 5-0 rout at Manchester City last month.

However, Arteta did opt for unchanged back line, with the hugely impressive Aaron Ramsdale once again showing exactly why he is keeping out previous incumbent Bernd Leno in goal.

In a team that displayed courage and conviction throughout the 90 minutes, Ben White and Gabriel continued their fledgling partnership at the heart of defence, flanked by another battling performance from Takehiro Tomiyashu on the right and the tireless Kieran Tierney on the left.

In a frenzied opening in which the home side dominated, it was the Scottish international that fed Aubameyang who tested Hugo Lloris in the opening stages with the crowd at fever pitch.

While the French international keeper kept out the early chance, he failed to do so when Smith Row slotted home from close range in a crowded box, following good work from Saka on 12 minutes, as the home crowd erupted in deep joy.

The influential Thomas Partey forced an excellent save from the increasingly beleaguered Lloris, following more good work from England international Saka on the right flank.

The impressive Ramsdale kept out a rasping drive from Son Heung Min at the near post, as the Gunners new No 1 displayed excellent positioning and strong hands as the frenetic pace of the game continued unabated.

The lead was doubled just before the half hour mark when Aubameyang finished off a flowing move to make it 2-0.

The Gunners captain notched his 90th goal for the club after an exquisite flick sent the vibrant Smith Rowe driving through from the halfway line. The talented 20-year-old looked up to feed Aubameyang, who made no mistake.

With the vociferous Arsenal supporters already in dreamland, the lead grew bigger when Saka scored from close range, the Gunners youngsters battling to fire off a low shot that evaded Lloris to make the score 3-0.

Incredibly, there was still a scarcely believable 10 minutes remaining of a mesmerising first half that left the visitors stunned.

Spurs boss Nuno delivered a brutally honest assessment after the match, saying: “The performance was not good. The game plan was not good. The decisions were not good. It was not a good day for us. Definitely not a good day.”

Unsurprisingly, the tempo dipped after the interval with the match won following the best 45 minutes under Arteta.

Harry Kane was anonymous, lifting the one chance he had past Ramsdale and wide with serious questions to be asked about his future commitment to an abject Spurs side.

The visitors did grab a late strike through Son, to give the scoreline an element of respectability their performance simply did not deserve.

It was instructive to note Kane had just 25 touches during the match — and is still to register a goal this term — with only Dele Alli (24) and Bryan Gil (21) having fewer touches.

Alli lasted only 45 minutes and Gil figured for 20 minutes as a substitute.

What a difference a few weeks makes in football, with Arsenal written off after three defeats on the bounce to open the season, while Nuno’s Spurs started with a trio of victories including a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City.

Fast forward a month and it is Arsenal who have climbed from the bottom of the table to the heady heights of 10th place, with four successive wins including three in a row in the league — while Spurs drop below their hated neighbours into 11th spot.

No wonder a visibly delighted Arteta said after the match as Arsenal recorded their 600th Premier League victory: “Today is one example of what we can do,” he said. “It’s a special day.”

“This win is for the fans. They were there when we needed their support and now we are creating that connection with the supporters.

“I think in life you have to show gratitude. These people have stood by this club and these players. This win is for them.”

While goalscorer Smith Rowe said: “It’s probably the best day of my life. To have my family here as well, it’s a special feeling.”

Judging by the exuberant celebrations in a large number of pubs at the Arsenal end of the Seven Sisters Road after the match, no wonder loyal supporters sang: “North London is red.”