Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as Gunners blow Spurs away in thrilling derby victory | Premier League 2021-22

Arsenal won the bragging rights in North London after beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at the Emirates in the Premier League.

First-half goals from Emile Smith-Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka sealed another derby win for the Gunners, who saw Heung-min Son pull a consolation strike back for Spurs.

In a sizzling opening stanza, Mikel Arteta's side ran the rings around their hapless visitors, showing deadly attacking intent whilst also being helped by Tottenham's awful defense.

Although the momentum changed after the break, with Spurs carving out a few good chances, their wastefulness kept them from clawing their way back into the match.

But in a moment of respite for the beleaguered fans, Son reduced the deficit late on with a goal following some good work on the left from Bryan Gil and Sergio Reguilon.

Yet it wasn't a performance Nuno Santo would be proud of, with the Portuguese manager now coming under pressure for not producing a victory in six consecutive games in all competitions.

Arsenal, meanwhile, who were languishing near the foot of the table after their opening three games, now find themselves above their derby rivals having won for the third time in a row.

Here are the major talking points from the North London derby:

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#1 A game of two halves

Arsenal were dominant in the first-half but lost some of the momentum after the break

Both teams have been languishing in the bottom half of the standings following what's been an erratic season thus far. Not many fireworks were expected from this edition of the North London derby.

However, the Gunners tore the script apart with a boisterous opening stanza, arguably their best 45 minutes of the year, scoring thrice to smash Spurs off the park.

It was going to be a supposedly long evening for Nuno Santo and co., considering how bland their performance was in that half. But his side showed great improvement after the break.

Looking more dangerous and spirited, they created quite a few good chances and, following some frustrating moments of near-misses, pulled a consolation strike back through Son.

Arsenal, so dynamic and industrious in the opening 45, lost much of that steam after the break, although Tottenham's own profligacy meant their lead was never relinquished.

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#2 Harry Kane's goal drought continues

Kane is yet to open his account in the new Premier League season

For the first time in his Tottenham Hotspur career, Harry Kane has gone the first five games of a league season without scoring a goal. Today's blank wasn't for the lack of chances either.

The striker, non-existent in the opening stanza, received two good chances after the break but ended up wasting both. His effort from the edge of the box was parried away by Ramsdale and then later lobbed over the Arsenal goalkeeper just wide off the post.

To make matters worse, he was also involved in Arsenal's third of the evening, losing the ball in midfield as the hosts broke into a counter. He then came sliding into a careless tackle on Saka which only resulted with the ball coming off for the latter to score.

A funny sequence to say the least.

Either way, it was another difficult outing for Tottenham's prolific goalscorer, who looked completely disinterested for much of the game and showed no desire to even get on the scoresheet.

#3 Ramsdale repays Arteta's faith

Ramsdale might have effectively ended Leno's first-team chances today

There was a lot of speculation in the build-up to the derby over who's likely going to start in goal for Arsenal, although Bernd Leno's selection for midweek's Carabao Cup tie made it obvious.

The German is undoubtedly a fine goalkeeper, but since Aaron Ramsdale was reinstated between the sticks, the Gunners have kept a clean sheet in both league games.

The former Sheffield United custodian almost bagged a third in a row today, but despite conceding a goal, his performance oozed class, whilst also helping set up Arsenal's third of the evening.

He played a long pass at the feet of Granit Xhaka, who then turned his marker to launch a counter-attack which was later finished off by Aubameyang.

Ramsdale's passing was assured and never hesistated to come off his line in times of danger, demonstrating the confidence that is needed in big games like this.

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#4 Spurs let down by awful defending

Spurs were all over the place at the back

More particularly, the centre-back pairing of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier was awful, something which Santo might regret playing in the first place over Joe Rodon and new signing Cristian Romero.

It was almost like going to a sword fight with a toothbrush. Suffice to say, the gamble woefully backfired, with both players in no man's land and Arsenal having a gala time cutting a swathe through them.

Their first goal, especially, highlighted everything that was wrong with this partnership, as Smith-Rowe was given the full liberty to drive inside the box and nonchalantly finish beyond Lloris.

If that wasn't enough, the 21-year-old then ran past them for Arsenal's second goal as if they were some training cones, before squaring the ball for Aubameyang to complete the job.

Those who thought the lack of attacking firepower was the only major issue facing this Spurs team were given a massive reality check, for the side is not going anywhere with such a lackluster defense.

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#5 Tables turn so quickly

Arsenal have turned their fortunes around in the last three games

Three games into the 2021-22 Premier League season, Tottenham were flying, having won all their games, including a stunning 1-0 victory over defending champions Manchester City on the opening day.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were languishing second from bottom in the standings without a point, reeling from a series of humiliating defeats to debutants Brentford, Chelsea and the Sky Blues.

But fast forward your calendar to the present day, with three more games played, and the North London rivals have taken a completely opposite route, witnessing an exact contrasting run of fortunes.

While the Gunners have improved since their 5-0 battering at the hands of Pep Guardiola's men, winning all their last three games, Spurs haven't won any, ending up on the losing side each time.

Today's match highlighted the opposite direction in which the sides might be headed, with Arsenal showing the flair that had been missing from their game earlier on, and Spurs looking completely run out of steam.

It's still early days, and neither team is perfect. But the tables have turned spectacularly in such a short time that it's almost unbelievable.