Mikel Arteta Reacts As High Flying Arsenal Sinks Tottenham In North London Derby.

In a brutal north London derby on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium, ARSENAL defeated 10-man Tottenham with a 3-1 result to further indicate their intentions as legitimate title contenders this season.

The Gunners triumphed 3-1 in Saturday’s North London derby clash against Tottenham at the Emirates, making it seven wins from their eight Premier League matches this season, as they only dropped points against Man United last month at Old Trafford. Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points top of the standings.

Arteta’s team missed out on a top-four finish last season, having finished eighth in consecutive seasons prior to that, they have not won the Premier League title since their unbeaten term in 2003/04.

Thomas Partey gave Arsenal the lead early in the first half (20th minute) of their 192nd North London derby encounter.

The visitors fought to get back into the game as Richarlison was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Arsenal center-back Gabriel with Anthony Taylor awarding a penalty in the 30th minute.

Harry Kane's successful penalty leveled the scoreline for third-placed Spurs going into the break. 

Hugo Lloris' error four minutes after the restart, allowed Gabriel Jesus to give Arsenal the lead back, having pounced on a lose ball from Cristian Romero, allowing the Brazilian to slot into an empty net.

Since joining Arsenal from Man City in the off-season, Jesus has scored five goals, serving as one of the driving forces behind the team's excellent run this season.

Referee Anthony Taylor further showed Spurs defender Emerson Royal a red card in the 61st minute for a heinous foul on Gabriel Martinelli reducing the visitors to a man down.

Granit Xhaka's goal courtesy of a Martinelli assist ensured Arsenal would exact revenge on their bitter neighbors for the 3-0 loss they suffered against them last season that cost them a spot in the Champions League.

The result handed Antonio Conte's men their first loss of the Premier League season, ending their 13-match league winning streak.

In 30 home league games against Tottenham, Arsenal has only lost once. However, there was much more on the line for the Gunners than just local pride.

This impressive performance proved they must be regarded seriously in the title chase.

 

Mikel Arteta speaking after the game said; "Great performance, a great day. It was an incredible atmosphere to play in so I’m so grateful to the people who connect to the team in such a special way. I’m really happy because it’s an opportunity to get a lot of people happy and proud and I think we delivered that to all of them.

"I think we deserved to win the game, You could feel in the players from the beginning of the game, the courage, the freedom and the energy to go for it. This is what we demand them to do.

"Since the day they came back from internationals they were ready and focused for the big game against Spurs. It’s so meaningful and we know what’s at stake in this game, it’s a bit more than three points.

"It is important to sustain this momentum, because the next match in the Europa League here is going to be really tough, but we have that now and it’s so powerful and meaningful for us. The next step is to go and do many other things.

"We 100% needed this win, because when you play such a big game you want to win. Seeing the club in this position on the table is great, but there are still a lot of things to improve. That’s the direction we’re taking".

Arsenal's match against Liverpool on Sunday will be another challenge, but Arteta's club is becoming a force to be reckoned with, despite be defending champions Man City still being considered as the title favorites. 

They are currently four points ahead of Spurs and Man City, who host tough neighbors Man United on Sunday afternoon.