Arsenal ease past bitter rivals Tottenham, stay top of the Premier League

LONDON — Arsenal surged past bitter rivals Tottenham to remain top of the Premier League table as they also took the bragging rights in north London.

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Thomas Partey curled home a beauty to put Arsenal ahead but Harry Kane equalized from the penalty spot in the first half.

The Gunners stepped on the accelerator in the second half as Gabriel Jesus put them ahead and Granit Xhaka slotted home a third just after Emerson Royal had been sent off.

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With the victory, their seventh from their opening eight games, Arsenal move on to 21 point for the season and are now four points ahead of Tottenham who suffered their first defeat of the campaign.

WATCH FULL MATCH REPLAY

Partey, Zinchenko underline importance: After missing the last few games through injury, this display summed up how important Partey and Zinchenko are to Arsenal. Partey broke up play masterfully and never allowed Spurs to dictate the tempo of the game. Zinchenko’s runs into midfield from left back bamboozled Spurs and his tactical flexibility and calmness on the ball is a joy to watch. Their leadership flows through every part of this team and when everyone is fit, this is a very balanced, young, exciting squad.

Statement win sums up steady progress: There is something special brewing at Arsenal. This run of wins to start the season should surprise nobody. After spending wisely on quality players this summer, this finally feels like Mikel Arteta’s side and it has felt that way since day one of preseason. Even after the disappointment of just missing out on Champions League qualification to Tottenham at the end of last season, Arsenal were heading in the right direction. They have been