Tottenham self-destructs as Arsenal wins derby
On Saturday, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, and Granit Xhaka scored for Arsenal in a 3-1 victory against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium to retain the Gunners atop the Premier League table.
Harry Kane’s equaliser for Tottenham broke yet another scoring record, but his team imploded after the break as their 12-year drought for a league victory in the match continued.
Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, has won seven of their first eight matches and currently holds a four-point advantage over second-place Manchester City, who face Manchester United on Sunday.
Partey’s exquisite 20th-minute opener was cancelled out by Kane’s penalty shortly after the half-hour mark, making him the first player in Premier League history to score 100 away goals.
In the 49th minute, though, a terrible mix-up between Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and defender Cristian Romero allowed Jesus to score with the easiest of tap-ins.
Then, in the 62nd minute, Royal was sent off for a clumsy kick-out at Gabriel Martinelli deep within Arsenal’s half, and five minutes later, Xhaka scored Arsenal’s third goal to send Tottenham reeling.
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After that, the stadium was filled with jubilation as Arsenal reached 21 points.
Previously undefeated Tottenham might have risen to the top of the table with a victory, but they have now won only once in their last 30 league visits to Arsenal. They are in third place with 17 total points.
Tottenham will grumble about the harsh decision to send off Royal, but they have no grounds to complain about the result, as they once again underperformed against their fierce rivals on the road.
Despite finishing ahead of Arsenal over the past six seasons, they have lost five of their last six away league matches to Arsenal.
