Arsenal thrill Mikel Arteta after 10-man Tottenham destruction keeps them top

Manager Mikel Arteta was delighted after Arsenal retained their place at the top of the Premier League with a fine London derby victory over 10-man Tottenham.

A rare Thomas Partey strike and goals from Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka secured a well-deserved 3-1 win, Spurs losing for the first time in the league this season having equalised through Harry Kane’s penalty.

"The players grabbed the game and deserved to win the it. It was the whole team - starting from the back to front. They really connected today," Arteta told BBC Sport.

"I hope this will give them more belief that they can win at this level in the way we want them to play.

"We have connected with our supporters and when that happens it is a really powerful thing.

"We have a really meaningful opportunity to give a lot of people happiness on a beautiful day and we have delivered that and it is a really great feeling.

"We are focusing on what we are doing. This is a sign that we are going in the right direction. We need to maintain that now and go for it.

"You feel the desire and humility - they haven't won anything yet and that is important to have that humility, which is a big driver for us."

Partey got the ball rolling with his first Arsenal goal from outside the box in his 65th match for the Gunners, with Kane levelling from the spot to take his tally in this fixture to 14 in 18 appearances.

But the second half belonged to the hosts, Jesus striking on his north London derby debut and Xhaka continuing a fine run of form either side of Emerson Royal’s red card for Spurs.

Starting the weekend right