'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwb/2gAIAQEAAAAAmX//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAABv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAD//xAAfEAACAgIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBREABhZhhNP/2gAIAQEAAT8AwPQ9WvAkc+Op37LJuSVrckaJthrSlG2QB452SAdDBxn3U+XP/8QAGREBAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQR/9oACAECAQE/AKb+RqPCf//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAv/aAAgBAwEBPwA2pf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the 188th North London Derby, Tottenham Hotspur outshone Arsenal in front of 2,000 supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to return to the 2020-21 Premier League summit.
Despite the Gunners bossing possession, Tottenham Hotspur took the lead through a well-executed goal by Son Heung-Min in the 13th minute.
After conceding the opener, Arsenal tried to respond in kind but were dealt a blow right before half-time when Harry Kane doubled Tottenham Hotspur's lead on the night. That was Kane's 250th career goal and 100th scored in 'home' games.
Despite their best efforts to get back into the game, Arsenal failed to breach Tottenham Hotspur's water-tight defence. In the process, the Gunners fell to their sixth defeat of the season to slip to 15th in the league table while Tottenham Hotspur reclaimed the Premier League lead from Chelsea.
On that note, let's have a look at five talking points from the North London Derby.
#5 Arsenal fail to turn up in North London Derby
Despite holding talks to salvage their season, the situation hasn't improved much for the Gunners. Arsenal look as lost as before, and Mikel Arteta doesn't seem to have any idea of how he can stop the rot and inspire his side to start winning games in the Premier League.
Following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal have now won only once in their last five Premier League games. That victory came more than a month ago when Arsenal beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
That is in stark contrast to Arsenal's performances under Arteta last season. The Spaniard guided Arsenal to FA Cup victories against Chelsea and Manchester City before beating Liverpool in the Community Shield this season.
Since their victory over Fulham on the opening day of the season, things have gone spectacularly downhill for Arsenal while their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have been on the way up.
#4 Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane continue to wreak havoc for Tottenham Hotspur
After netting Tottenham Hotspur's second goal of the game, Harry Kane has now scored more goals (11) than any other player in North London derbies. Before the game against Arsenal, the Englishman had 16 goal-contributions in the fixture. By full-time, he added another goal and assist to that tally.
Meanwhile, his partner-in-crime up front, Son Heung-Min currently has ten goals and three assists in 11 Premier League matches. He is just one goal behind league top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored this weekend.
In the coming weeks, Tottenham Hotspur will face even tougher battles against the likes of Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Leicester City, a run of games that could be key to their title ambitions this season.
However, considering the form both Son and Kane are in, Tottenham Hotspur could breeze through these games.
#3 Mikel Arteta's time at Arsenal appears to be running out
With the Gunners struggling to score goals and garner points, Mikel Arteta's time to rejuvenate Arsenal's rapidly dwindling fortunes seems to be running out.
Thomas Partey was apparently rushed back into action by Arteta, but the Ghanian was down with another injury just before Kane's goal. Despite Arsenal facing a congested list of fixtures, it now looks certain that the former Atletico Madrid midfielder could be on the treatment table for some time.
Beyond the apparent 'mismanagement' of his players, Arteta's tactics also don't seem to be working at Arsenal any longer.
The Gunners had an overwhelming 70% possession against Tottenham Hotspur and attempted the most crosses (44) in a single EPL game since the 2015-16 season, but their efforts came to nought.
The defeat now leaves Arsenal 15th in the Premier League table, with 13 points from 11 games in their kitty. The Gunners are seven points above 18th-placed Burnley and a whopping 11 points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
#2 Jose Mourinho's counter-attacking tactics for Tottenham Hotspur work again
All Tottenham Hotspur had to do was sit back and wait for Arsenal to make a mistake.
Jose Mourinho's counter-attacking tactics have always worked against the Gunners, and in fact, the Portuguese has never lost a home match against Arsenal.
Against the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur were able to successfully leverage Hector Bellerin's mistakes before both goals and converted those chances into goals. With just six shots, Tottenham Hotspur actually produced fewer shots than Arsenal (11). Yet they were able to get onto the scoresheet while the Gunners couldn't.
Moreover, Hugo Lloris kept Tottenham Hotspur's fourth consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League as Mourinho's men continue their bid for the league title.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur strengthen their bid for the Premier League title while Arsenal stare at a relegation battle
The two North London clubs are facing contrasting fortunes in the 2020-21 Premier League. While Tottenham Hotspur have returned to the top of the table, Arsenal are falling further back in the standings.
It is plausible that Spurs could win the league title this season, as they have conceded the fewest goals and scored the second-highest number of goals. At the moment, everything is working in Mourinho's favour, but that is not the case with Arsenal's Arteta.
In this month, Arsenal travel to Goodison Park and host Southampton as well as Chelsea. If their faltering run continues, the Gunners could soon drop into the relegation zone and begin their fight to survive in the Premier League.
