Arsenal enjoyed an ideal start to the North London Derby. The Gunners made the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they looked to extend the lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta’s side opened the scoring in the 15th minute after Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg got the final touch from an Arsenal corner to send the ball beyond goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. The home side believed they had drawn themselves level through Micky van de Ven, though, before VAR overturned the goal due to a tight offside.

Arsenal took full advantage of Tottenham’s misfortune before the break. Ange Postecoglou’s team saw two penalty appeals waved away by referee Michael Oliver before being punished by Bukayo Saka at the opposite end of the pitch.

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison believed they had been fouled in the Arsenal box as Spurs conceded possession to Declan Rice. After finding Kai Havertz, the German forward set Saka on his way with an inch-perfect diagonal switch to the forward.

Bearing down on the Spurs goal, Saka cut inside from the right before slotting the ball into the far corner before the half-hour mark. The Hale End academy graduate rejoiced after doubling Arsenal’s lead and taunted the home crowd by cupping his ears while sticking out his tongue.

Arsenal managed to add a third in the first half as Kai Havertz headed home from a corner. It was a dream start for the Gunners, who were aiming to move four points ahead of Manchester City before their title rivals’ clash at Nottingham Forest on Sunday evening.

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