ARSENAL have BEATEN their bitter North London rivals Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates.
With the scores poised at 1-1, the game turned after half time, with Gabriel Jesus firing the Gunners ahead before Emerson Royal was sent off for a studs-up tackle on Gabriel Martinelli.
Then Granit Xhaka wrapped up the result with a third, to propel Arsenal back to the TOP of the Premier League overnight.
However, the Gunners have some bad news on the transfer front as reports suggest that Nice now lead the chase for their January target Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The French side are willing to pay £25million plus extras for Mudryk but Shakhtar Donetsk want almost double.
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
Stay up to date with all the latest from the Emirates…
- Jon Boon
Xhaka lauds Martinelli
Granit Xhaka believes Gabriel Martinelli has what it takes to be one of the best, but he will have to push himself.
“Gabriel Martinelli has a lot to be one of the best,” the Swiss midfielder told BBC Sport.
“He goes 100 miles per hour. He has to push himself with how far he can go. He has the team and everything around to help him.
- Jon Boon
Jesus goal involvements
Only Erling Haaland (12) has been involved in more #PL goals this season than Gabriel Jesus (5 goals, 3 assists), according to Premier League's official Twitter account.
The Brazilian was instrumental in Arsenal's 3-1 win over Spurs.
Former Man City man Jesus grabbed the his side's second to set them on their way to victory.
- Jon Boon
Arsenal rivalled for Mudryk
Nice lead the chase for Ukraine winger Mykhaylo Mudryk despite Premier League interest.
The French side are willing to pay £25million plus extras for Mudryk but Shakhtar Donetsk want almost double.
Arsenal are another team who are said to share an interest in the winger, dubbed the 'Ukrainian Neymar'.
The Gunners made a move for the winger towards the end of the window but failed in their attempts.
And Mudryk, 21, made no attempt to hide his excitement at the prospect of playing at the Emirates.
Speaking last month, he revealed: "My dream is to play in Premier League, of course.
"Arsenal is a very good team, very good manager – so from my side, I can’t say no to Arsenal!"
- Jon Boon
Hincapie linked
Arsenal are reportedly eyeing up a move for Piero Hincapie, according to reports.
The Ecuador international moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 for £5.5million.
Calciomercato say the Gunners believe the centre back has the potential to be a star in the Premier League.
Hincapie, 20, is also being chased by Serie A giants AC Milan, Napoli and AS Roma.
A fee of £22million could persuade Leverkusen to part with the talent.
- Jon Boon
Ferdinand raves about Saliba
Rio Ferdinand has raved about William Saliba's composure on the ball.
Speaking on BT Sport, he said: “I think his composure, he’s very strong, mobile but it’s the composure in the pressure situations.
“He was the most composed centre-back on the pitch today – especially for Arsenal.
“There were times today where in transition, Arsenal could’ve got hurt but how many times did we see him come out with the ball.
“At the top level, you need to be calm, composed in these situations and at the moment, he’s showing that beyond his years but he has had to be patient and going away which shows he’s got character.
“I’m sure he’ll have a good career going here, he’s only been here short amount of time but he’s already become a fan favourite.”
- Jon Boon
Nketiah's brag
Eddie Nketiah has taken to Twitter to revel in Arsenal's victory over Spurs.
The Gunners painted north London red with a superb 3-1 win.
And after the game, Nketiah bragged: "London is and always will be red!!!"
- Jon Boon
'Hungry and humble'
Mikel Areta hailed his 'hungry and humble' team after their 3-1 win over north London rivals Spurs.
“For me the message is to the players and everybody here at the club that we are able to play at this level against this kind of opponent. That should give them confidence and belief," he said after the game.
“Looking at the table and seeing the club in this position is great. It gives you a great feeling obviously. But we are focused. It’s a really hungry and humble team, believe me.
"It’s nothing that we have done yet and there’s still a lot of things to improve. That’s the direction we’re taking.”
- Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal's next five games
- Emillia Hawkins
Will to win
Cesc Fabregas has claimed William Saliba can be Arsenal's centre-back for "15 to 20 years".
The 21-year-old was superb yet again as the Gunners beat bitter rivals Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates this afternoon.
Saliba has now gone a staggering 720 MINUTES without being dribbled past – all eight of Arsenal's Premier League games this season
And club legend Fabregas reckons Saliba can be a stalwart for the Gunners until he's into his FORTIES.
He told BT Sport: "That was a fantastic complete performance.
"I’d like to mention the special name, the fact he was so good he made it look easy is William Saliba.
"I’m sorry but this boy was in France on loan and I was watching him very closely because an ex-Arsenal scout asked me three years ago when we were playing St Etienne in a cup match.
"I was rested so I was in the stand, he said 'watch this boy, I want to sign him'.
"He was 18, 19 and he was the best player on the pitch so that shows you the potential of this guy, he looks so easy, he could be Arsenal’s centre-back for the next 15 to 20 years."
Credit: Getty
- Emillia Hawkins
Xhaka reacts to Arsenal win
Granit Xhaka, who was awarded the Man of the Match trophy after today's North London Derby, has praised his team for the performance this afternoon.
He said: “We were the better team from the very first second.
“We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this game because of the international break, but we saw in training on Friday that we were ready and we knew exactly what we wanted to do.
“We struggled a little bit after Tottenham scored, but in the second-half we were much better.
“This is my first derby goal in England and I am so happy to score and help the team. The team is the most important thing.”
Credit: Getty - Emillia Hawkins
Match stats: Arsenal vs Tottenham
- Emillia Hawkins
Conte reacts to Tottenham defeat
The Spurs boss told BT Sport:
"I think the first half was in the balance. We had many chances to score. We made a big mistake with the last pass because we had great space. In the second half we conceded a second goal early and we could do much better.
"With the the red card, [went] the game. It was a really difficult game after that. We had to change totally then. It was the referee’s decision and I don’t want to comment.
"We had the opportunity to exploit much better and stay up and I repeat that I think we made big mistakes in the last pass and with easy passes but it happens and straight after the national team it is a bit difficult because players arrive at a different time.
"Now we have to move on but we know our role in this league and we have to try and do our best to stay close to the other teams at the top. I tried to give minutes to players because the game had ended and also to try and save energy.
"I wanted to give players time especially [Oliver] Skipp and [Matt] Doherty because we need the whole squad because we have many games in front of us in a short period."
Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun - Emillia Hawkins
Arteta reacts to Arsenal win
When speaking to BBC Sport, the Arsenal boss said:
"The players grabbed the game and deserved to win it. It was the whole team – starting from the back to front. They really connected today.
"I hope this will give them more belief that they can win at this level in the way we want them to play.
"We have connected with our supporters and when that happens it is a really powerful thing.
"We have a really meaningful opportunity to give a lot of people happiness on a beautiful day and we have delivered that and it is a really great feeling.
"We are focussing on what we are doing. This is a sign that we are going in the right direction. We need to maintain that now and go for it.
"You feel the desire and humility – they haven't won anything yet and that is important to have that humility, which is a big driver for us."
Credit: Getty - Emillia Hawkins
Full Time – Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
In a game that had it all, Arsenal have come out on top following an outstanding performance.
The Gunners extend their lead at the top of the table to four points.
Credit: Reuters - Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
Arsenal get a third thanks to Granit Xhaka.
The midfielder picks up the ball from Gabriel Martinelli before cutting across two Spurs defenders and slotting the ball into the bottom right corner.
Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
- Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham
Emerson Royal is SENT OFF for a dangerous challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
The defender unnecessarily lunged in with a high challenge above the Arsenal winger's ankle.
Credit: Getty - Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham
Gabriel Jesus capitalises on a defensive mix-up and pokes the ball past a scrambling Hugo Lloris to score his first North London Derby goal.
Credit: Reuters - Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham
Harry Kane levels the score for Spurs with a penalty following a challenge from Gabriel on Richarlison in the box.
Credit: Getty - Emillia Hawkins
Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham
Arsenal break the deadlock just 20 minutes into the North London derby thanks to an outstanding strike from Thomas Partey.
The Emirates Stadium is rocking!
Credit: Getty - Emillia Hawkins
How Tottenham line up vs Arsenal
- Emillia Hawkins
How Arsenal line up vs Tottenham
- Emillia Hawkins
North London Derby team news
Son Heung-min retains his spot in the starting line-up following his 13 minute hat-trick against Leicester.
In-form Richarlison makes his derby debut.
Harry Kane leads the line.
Credit: Twitter.com / @SpursOfficial - Emillia Hawkins
North London Derby team news
Martin Odegaard returns in midfield.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been deemed fully fit and is back in defence.
Gabriel Jesus makes his North London Derby debut.
Arsenal head into the game with a full-strength squad.
Credit: Twitter.com / @Arsenal - Emillia Hawkins
The stage is set
The North London Derby will kick off in just over an hour.
Team news is imminent.
Credit: PA - Emillia Hawkins
SunSport's Arsenal and Tottenham combined XI
Source: Read Full Article