Derby: Partey, Gabriel J Xhaka fire Gunners to victory
Arsenal moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League and inflicted a first defeat of the season on 10-man Tottenham with a 3-1 win in a pulsating north London derby.
Thomas Partey’s stunning, long-range opener was cancelled out by Harry Kane’s penalty after Gabriel Magalhaes had fouled Richarlison, but the hosts, dominant for much of the first period, took complete control of the game after the break.
Gabriel Jesus capitalised on a mix-up between Hugo Lloris and Cristian Romero to put Arsenal in front from close range and Granit Xhaka struck a clinical third after Emerson Royal had been red carded for a reckless foul on Gabriel Martinelli.
The victory made it seven wins from eight games for Mikel Arteta’s side so far this season, underlining their progress in recent months and giving them a healthy four-point cushion on second-placed Manchester City, who face Manchester United on Sunday.
Arsenal came into the game seeking to exact revenge for their costly 3-0 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May and started strongly, with Martinelli seeing an early effort saved by Lloris at his near post.
Spurs were largely pinned back in their own half but provided a warning of their own goal threat when Richarlison’s low shot from a free-kick had to be palmed away by an alert Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal’s opener arrived shortly afterwards, however, and it came from an unlikely source in Partey, whose wayward long-range shooting has long been a source of frustration to supporters.
READ ALSO Tug of War: Liverpool and Arsenal battle for Schjelderup
On this occasion, though, with his 65th effort from outside the box since joining the club, he finally found the net, his sensational, first-time effort from Ben White’s lay-off proving unstoppable.
Spurs remained a menace on the break, though, and their penalty came from one such attack as Xhaka’s botched clearance allowed Richarlison to tempt Gabriel into an ill-timed lunge after the Brazilian forward had latched onto a Heung-min Son pass.
Harry Kane stepped up and made no mistake, scoring from the spot for the seventh time in a north London derby, and Spurs went into the break having gained a foothold in the game.