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Arsenal dominated their longstanding enemies Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium.
Going into this game, both teams were going well and were evenly matched. It was billed in some cases as the battle of the forwards and midfielders, and this proved the case.
Spurs have a top quality forward line - in Kane, Son, Alli, and Eriksen. Arsenal too holds Aubameyang and Lacazette, and this game was ultimately decided by Arsenal's strike force which prevailed over Tottenham's.
Prior to the game, Tottenham was three points ahead of Arsenal in the table, though had slid from third to fourth, following Chelsea's win over Fulham. Arsenal was in fifth, and ultimately equalled their deadly rivals in the points tally.
Arsenal started the game strongly and was readily pressing Spurs in the midfield and defence. This paid off via some early chances for Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, and Iwobi, through a set piece on the Spurs right ended in Vertonghen handling the ball and conceding a penalty.
Aubameyang stepped up to get his ninth of the season. Arsenal dominated after this, with Aubameyang and Iwobi having chances. But Spurs equalized via a free kick on the Arsenal right, and Dier sneaked in to head past Leno at the near post. They went ahead, with Holding fouling Son in the area, and referee Mike Dean accordingly giving a penalty. Kane despatched it with ease and clocked up his eighth PL goal of 18/19. The rest of the half saw both sides having half-chances, but in the second half, Tottenham had some near misses with Sissoko and Alli going close.
Arsenal resumed dominance after 60 minutes - and this culminated in a world-class finish from Aubameyang. He curled in a wondrous strike, which was his tenth PL goal of the season, and he now leads the scoring charts ahead of Man City's "Kun" Aguero.
Lacazette then scored a similar curling shot to gain the lead, with Torreira adding a game-winning fourth to secure a glorious win over their old enemies and foes.
Aubeymang silenced the critics, concerning being a flat track bully. Torreira is proving to be the player who Arsenal have needed for years. He is providing the midfield fight lacking in some time. And Arsenal won handsomely without Mesut Ozil too - this may be a telling and emergent story.
As for Tottenham, Kane scored of course, but Alli was quiet. Son had some chances but didn't threaten that much. Sissoko, despite his recent form, was shackled by the Arsenal midfield, and Spurs' defence was making numerous uncharacteristic errors. Vertonghen was sent off late in the game, and his initial error led to Arsenal taking the lead. Is Pochettino too exempt from criticism? Whilst he has done well to get Spurs as a consistent top four side, he has come short against other top six teams. This seems to be a continual stumbling block for him, and a major factor in losing this was that Unai Emery out-schooled him tactically.
This was a glorious win for Arsenal, and a setback - naturally - for Tottenham. It does show that Spurs have frailties, and Arsenal are surely and steadily improving.
#6 A quiet Tottenham
After their stellar win vs. Chelsea last week, and the mid-week victory over Internazionale, Spurs were not allowed to play, due in large part to Arsenal's tactics.
Harry Kane is forever a lethal striker, but bar the penalty he didn't offer much. Their attacking play was also muted, though Son had some key chances in the first half.
But they were for large parts second best. And whilst they did well to get 2-1 in front after Arsenal's strong start, they were out-fought, out-thought, and physically dominated by their old and deadly enemies.
The stark contrast in defeating Chelsea and losing to Arsenal is evident. And in some manner, this shows Spurs still lack the mentality to compete at a higher level than the top four.
Moreover, should questions be asked about Pochettino? Yes, he has done very well under a smaller budget than the other top six sides. And all sides and managers face setbacks. Nonetheless, this latest loss shows Spurs have come up short again when it matters.
It's not terminal for their top four hopes since much of the season is to still to play. But Arsenal now is above Spurs in the table on goal difference, and Arsenal has the psychological edge at this point.
Arsenal also showed a template of how to beat Tottenham - in stifling their midfield and closing down their forwards/creative players. They were missing Alderweireld at the back, but Vertonghen had a very disappointing performance for an experienced international. Foyth is a youngster who has potential but got overawed in this stellar occasion. They have Southampton at home to come, and but given Southampton's relegation issues, it won't be an easy game for this reason.
But today for Tottenham was poor, and against their old foes to boot.
#5 Aubameyang won the battle of the forwards
Aubameyang and Kane are two world-class forwards for Arsenal and Spurs respectively.
But certainly, Aubameyang won the battle of the forwards in this game.
Yes, Kane scored a penalty. But Aubameyang's pace, finishing, and pressing of the Spurs defence was a major part of the victory. Harry Kane didn't have much impact on the game, and Aaubameyang's second goal was of exquisite quality.
Lacazette had a good game and his goal was taken, as well as Aubameyang
Arsenal's attacking play was facilitated by a collective press, with Iwobi and Mkhitaryan providing support to Aubameyang in this regard. It was a well-executed plan by Unai Emery, and this shows that Arsenal's forward line was better deployed than that of Tottenham.
Aubameyang is currently the PL's top scorer, as his brace saw him overtake Sergio Aguero (who has eight goals). Can Auba win the Golden Boot, in his first full season as an Arsenal player? Who knows? But on this form, it would be foolish to bet against him.
#4 Midfield battle
Arsenal, akin to superior attacking play, also won the midfield battle. Both teams pre-match were well-balanced, but Arsenal's superior energy and better tactics were able to subdue Tottenham's central players.
Xhaka is not a combative player, like Torreira. However, he is physical when required and has a strong mentality. He, along with Torreira who is more tenacious, managed to stifle Spurs' midfield and limit the progress to Kane, Alli, and Son.
Torreira chose a great game to score his first goal for Arsenal, and he is proving to be an astute signing by the Gunners. Few had heard of him prior to signing, and his performances for Uruguay in the World Cup showed his potential. He has certainly proven he is quality and is possibly one of the best signings of the season for any club thus far.
Ramsey also came on, and added more creativity and energy, which possibly proved the tipping point for Arsenal, and defeat for Tottenham.
#3 Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is Arsenal's star player, and certainly most technically gifted footballer. Whilst having detractors and critics, for his supposed inconsistency and apparent "lazy" attitude, he has achieved a lot in his career including league titles, the World Cup, domestic cups, and numerous assists for top players.
Ozil was though left out of the squad for this game, which raised a number of eyebrows.
Does this denote a rift between him and Emery? Emery said he had a back problem - and as fans, we cannot know the truth.
It remains to be seen if Ozil was injured, but there is little to go on bar speculation and conjecture.
What's telling is that Arsenal can win well without Ozil, and still displayed the creativity, guile, and finesse to win. This can have both positives and negatives for the future, but it's moot to suggest there is a rift between Emery and Ozil. We will have to wait and see, and examine future developments.
#2 Emery's tactical superiority
Pochettino is in some ways rightly lauded by the media, fans, and pundits alike. He's taken Tottenham, a club that hasn't achieved highly in PL history, to Premier League contenders and Champions League regulars.
Emery, however, got the better of "Poch" today, and essentially "out-tacticted" him. The game plan was apparent from the off, in that Arsenal pressed Spurs and denied them time on the ball. This made them nervy and culminated in taking the lead via Aubameyang's penalty.
Tottenham did get into the game somewhat after 20 minutes and did get 2-1 in front, but this was in part due to Arsenal's defensive lapses as much as it was Spurs performing right tactically.
Both managers changed formations in the second half, but Emery's alterations proved more telling since the introductions of Ramsey and Lacazette were too much for Spurs' defence to handle.
Emery clearly did what he could to win the game, and was bolder and utilized more initiative than Pochettino to win this specific North London Derby.
#1 Spurs can go again - but Arsenal are steadily proving the doubters wrong
Tottenham was second best today. But then there still is much of the season to play, and regaining a top-four place may not be impossible to attain.
As for Arsenal, the detractors are slowly having to reverse their negative views, which were apparent in the latter part of Wenger's tenure. Arsenal is changing, and the enhanced midfield balance, pressing and tactical flexibility, are showing they are strong top four contenders. The title may be too far this season, but Arsenal's performances are steadily displaying more steel and drive, which was lacking under latter Wenger.
Both are well-poised to contend for the Champions League places this season. However, Arsenal certainly gained the bragging rights and got the better of Spurs in this instance of the North London Derby. Whether this would give Arsenal a psychological edge in the coming League Cup match between the two is moot - what's certain is that it's a chance of silverware for either side, and it may be as keenly contested as this game had been.
