(Football news) Arsenal remained a point ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League table after an entertaining 3-1 victory over arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium. A stunning long range opener by Thomas Partey in the 20th minute was cancelled out by a Harry Kane penalty in the 31st minute after Richarlison was fouled by Gabriel Magalhaes. However, the Gunners then went on to dominate proceedings with Cristian Romero finding the back of the net in the 49th minute and Granit Xhaka scoring the third in the 67th minute. 

To make matters worse for Tottenham, Emerson Royal received a red card for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli as Arsenal went on to secure seven wins in eight games. Mikel Arteta selected Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard after the pair recovered from their injuries while Thomas Partey also passed the fitness test. As for Tottenham, Heung-Min Son featured in the starting lineup while Dejan Kulusevski was unavailable due to injury. Speaking after the match, Granit Xhaka said to BT Sport “We didn't have a lot of weeks to prepare, but we knew exactly what we wanted, and from the first second, I thought we were the better team. My first derby goal in England, I am more than happy, but the most important thing is the team." 

Gabriel Jesus said “I think we deserved to win because we want to play the game, we want to make the passes, we want to create the chances. The spirit of the team is amazing. I feel at home, because of them, because of the guys, the staff, they make me feel at home, and that helps a lot for new players joining the club. We are in a good way." 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said “From the beginning, we went for it. With amazing support, we created a great energy in the stadium and we deserved to win the game. We were free, we were courageous, brave and we went for it. This is what we demand the players to do. Again, Gabriel Jesus' winning mentality, the way he trains every day, the confidence he brings to the team, he has taken us to a different level. You could feel the connection with the players, the staff and the crowd. I am so happy because it was a beautiful game, a beautiful day, and we've made our supporters very happy." 

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said “I think we had the opportunity to do much better in the first half. Instead, we kept the game in balance. I think we made big, big mistakes in the last pass, also easy passes. We could do much better [with Arsenal's second goal] and the red card ended the game, it was difficult for us. Especially after the [international break], it is a bit difficult because you don't have a lot of time to prepare for the game. Now we have to move on because we lost against Arsenal, but we know our role in this league. We have to try to do our best, to try to stay close with the top teams."

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