Metro.co.uk

Ex-England striker Alan Shearer says Arsenal should remain wary of Manchester City, who he believes are the club’s ‘most likely’ challengers for the Premier League title this season.

The league leaders tightened their grip on top spot with a statement 4-1 victory over bitter rivals Tottenham on Sunday, a result that ensured they finished the weekend with a six-point lead over second-placed Chelsea.

Leandro Trossard opened the scored with a deflected strike in the 36th minute, before Eberechi Eze well and truly announced his arrival with a stunning hat-trick on the big stage – becoming the first player to manage the feat in a north London derby since Alan Sunderland in 1978.

While Richarlison’s audacious 35-yard lob over David Raya had given Spurs a glimmer of hope in the 55th minute, Arsenal looked much the better side throughout and were thoroughly deserving of their three points.

After facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek, Mikel Arteta’s side will look to further underline their title credentials when they return to Premier League action with another London derby away to Chelsea.

Discussing Eze’s ‘unplayable’ performance on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: ‘You could just tell he was having the day of his life.

‘He was absolutely loving it, getting on the ball, flicks and tricks and finishes.

‘He was unplayable really and Spurs got it all wrong, the amount of space they allowed him and others to go and do their stuff.

‘But he was just fantastic. He just looked as if he belonged there, he was lapping up the applause and everything else he was getting.

‘Good on him. He was unplayable basically and he was absolutely fantastic.’

Manchester City lost further ground on Arsenal after falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle on Saturday.

Ruben Dias’ deflected effort had appeared to have swung the momentum back in City’s favour following Harvey Barnes’ well-taken opener just past the hour-mark.

But Barnes struck again just two minutes after Dias’ equaliser and Eddie Howe’s men held firm to come away from St James’ Park with maximum points.

But despite the setback, Shearer feels Pep Guardiola’s side remain the biggest threat to Arsenal’s hopes of ending their long wait for the Premier League title.

Asked to name Arsenal’s ‘most likely’ challengers, Shearer replied: ‘I would still say City.

‘We’ve seen City after Christmas before do it, they’re used to it and they can do it, we know that.

‘I know it’s different and, defensively, they’re certainly not as good as they have been.

‘But because they’ve been there and they know what to do, they know what to expect and everything else, I would still say Manchester City.’

Asked if Liverpool should be ruled out of the title race, Shearer responded: ‘I think so. They’ve lost six in the league.’

Micah Richards agreed that City still had the tools to pip Arsenal to the Premier League title, despite their up-and-down start to the campaign.

And while Richards believes Chelsea can ‘beat anyone on their day’, he doesn’t feel Enzo Maresca’s side will ‘have enough’ to push Arsenal and City all the way come the business end of the season.

‘I would say Manchester City as well but I think Chelsea could beat anyone on their day,’ he chimed in.

‘I think they [Chelsea] can put in really good performances, as we saw in the Club World Cup.

‘I don’t think they have enough at the moment to go all the way, but they’re improving.’

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The social media feud between Gabriel Magalhaes and Richarlison continues as the Arsenal man had another pop after Sunday’s north London derby.

The Gunners brushed aside Spurs at the Emirates, dominating the game and picking up a 4-1 victory which sent them six points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Leandro Trossard opened the scoring, with Eberechi Eze scoring a stunning hat-trick on an unforgettable night for the England star.

Richarlison had made the score 3-1 with a brilliant goal of his own, catching David Raya off his line from distance.

However, the Spurs forward ended up on the losing side and now has to deal with his Brazil teammate Gabriel sticking the boot in.

The Arsenal centre-back wasn’t even playing as he is out with injury, but he celebrated the win with his teammates nevertheless.

He then posted a photo on Instagram of him with his October Player of the Month award, wearing an Eze shirt and with the signed match ball which the hat-trick hero will keep.

Crucially, he tagged Richarlison in the celebratory picture.

This little social media beef started over the summer when Richarlison tagged Gabriel in a picture as he celebrated Spurs beating Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong.

The Gunners man responded to his international teammate with a trio of Player of the Match awards, all won in Arsenal victories over Spurs in Premier League contests.

Richarlison may be regretting revelling in the friendly victory when his compatriot has plenty of more powerful ammunition in his social media…arsenal.

Ultimately it will be an unhappy day for the Spurs forward, but his goal really was an immense effort, however little it meant in the end.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was left hugely disappointed with his team’s performance, which was limp and blunt.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario apologised to the fans and the manager did the same after a tame display in a big match.

Asked what disappointed him most about the performance, Frank told a post-match press conference: ‘Where should I start? This is of course hugely disappointing that we didn’t perform better in the game against Arsenal our biggest rivals.

‘I can only apologise to the fans for that. I was very confident on Friday when we spoke that we would be competitive today and weren’t over the 90 minutes. We tried to come here and be aggressive and press high and in spells go after them. We didn’t succeed with that bit. We didn’t manage to get near enough them in the situations we could.

‘It means we got pushed back and got a little too passive. It looks like we are running after them. When we finally got on the ball we were not good enough to get out of those situations.

‘No matter how painful it is to admit, they are definitely six years down the line and we are four months down the line but even with that I was still expecting much more from us today. Not that we could dominate over 90 minutes but that we could be as competitive as we were against Man City and PSG.’

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Leandro Trossard was heavily linked with an Arsenal exit over the summer but Mikel Arteta says it was never going to happen as he was ‘forbidden’ from leaving.

The Belgian was touted as a possible signing for clubs including Bayern Munich and Besiktas over the always-hectic summer transfer window.

Arsenal strengthened significantly in attacking areas, with Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke coming in and it was thought that Trossard could be the one to make way.

However, the 30-year-old remained in north London and has been an important player for the Gunners this season, already making 14 appearances and scoring four goals.

The former Brighton man started the game and opened the scoring in a comprehensive 4-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday, further proving his worth to his manager.

Not that Arteta needed any more proof, as the Spaniard says he made it clear in the transfer window that there was no way Trossard should be sold.

‘For me it was forbidden for him to leave. No chance,’ said Arteta of Trossard. ‘I know the player that he is, and surrounded with the players that we have, he’s a player that is going to make a difference for us.

‘It was one of the best games [from Trossard for Arsenal], so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions.

‘So that’s what we need. As I said, I think individually, the players were excellent today.’

After Trossard scored it was Eze who stole the show with a superb hat-trick, the first scored in a north London derby since 1978.

The England star came close to joining Spurs in the summer before signing for Arsenal and he showed Tottenham exactly what they missed out on.

After the three excellent goals, Arteta praised his player’s work rate and desire to progress, with competition for places fierce at Arsenal.

‘Things happen for a reason. And after the international duty, he had two days off, and after one day he wanted to train,’ said the manager. ‘And he wanted to improve, and he wanted to do extra practice. And he was asking me questions about this and that.

‘When a player has such a talent, and his desire is at that level, then these things happen. And he fully deserves it.

‘I’m so happy for him because it’s the day that he came, he brought something else to the team. It’s a joy, it’s an aura that this team needed, and hopefully it will give him a lot of confidence in him and the team, that at any moment he can win us a game.

‘And that’s the ability that he has, and he certainly needs to fulfil that talent.’

After scoring three goals which helped fired Arsenal to a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, Eze told the BBC: ‘That is crazy. Special day man. Special day for me, my family.

‘I don’t think I could’ve ever dreamt of it. This is more special than that. I can only thank God. Special day, man.

‘I probably should’ve scored four to be honest. I’m always trying to score, always trying to take my chances. It’s important to be relentless.

‘We’re focused on ourselves, we’re focused on putting in our work every day. It’s not by chance that we perform like this.’

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Mikel Arteta warned Arsenal’s Premier League title rivals that his side are not taking their foot off the gas despite moving six points clear at the top of the table with an emphatic win over Tottenham.

Inspired by a superb hat-trick from Eberechi Eze, the Gunners stormed to a thumping 4-1 win over Spurs at the Emirates to deliver a statement victory over their arch-rivals.

And after both Liverpool and Manchester City suffered damaging defeats on Saturday, Arsenal’s win means they now sit six points clear of second-place Chelsea and in a commanding position in the title race.

The Gunners know full well how quickly the title picture can change, having conspired to finish runners-up in each of the last three seasons.

And, therefore, Arteta insisted his team will read nothing into the current league table, despite their superb start and six-point advantage over the chasing pack.

Asked what his side’s six-point lead meant at this stage of the season, the Spaniard told reporters post-match: ‘In this league? Not much.

‘We are doing really well. We’ve been really consistent and that’s it.

‘I mean, when you look at the results, whether they win or lose, the difference in the scoreline and actually what happens in games is really small.’

Asked how crucial it was to get back to winning ways, especially after City and Liverpool dropped points on Saturday, Arteta added: ‘Yeah, and especially after the Sunderland game, at the end we lost two points in the last kick of the game, basically.

‘And we went to the international break with that bitter feeling because we didn’t concede any goals and we had 10 straight wins.

‘And we wanted to get back to earning that momentum again and the London Derby and today’s performance. It’s a good start.’

Arteta was also full of praise for the display from Eze, who scored a superb hat-trick against the club who came so close to signing him over the summer.

The midfielder was given license to roam all over the attacking third, reigning down shots on Guglielmo Vicario’s goal throughout the encounter.

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‘Yeah, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be right, left, ball on the ground, bouncing ball at this height, and he takes it,’ Arteta said of Eze’s willingness to get shots away.

‘And he has such a quality and capacity to finish actions in different ways that we need to play him very close to the box, because apart from that, for example, the ball that he put to Declan in the second minute, I think it was, to play him through and create that big chance is exceptional.

‘We need to play him in his qualities. The more he spends time there, the better for the team.’

Arsenal face a quick turnaround after Sunday’s win, with the Gunners now turning their focus to the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday before they pay a visit to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea next Sunday.

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It just had to be Eze

A first north London derby and what a way to announce yourself against the club that almost signed him in the summer. Eberechi Eze was given license to roam and find space, and he repaid that faith with two well-taken finishes.

Trossard continues to go under the radar

The Belgian was kept quiet in the first 30 minutes, but a superbly timed run and finish gave Arsenal the lead and Leandro Trossard his fifth goal contribution in ten games. Arteta will find him hard to drop even as Madueke and Martinelli return to full fitness.

Hincapie impresses in Gabriel’s absence

Given his first league start since joining in the summer, Piero Hincapie proved exactly why Arteta previously described him as a ‘warrior’. The Ecuadorian didn’t have loads to do but threw himself at every ball and challenge when it came hs way.

Full Arsenal player ratings: Raya 7, Timber 7, Saliba 6, Hincapie 7, Calafiori 6, Zubimendi 6, Rice 7, Eze 9, Saka 7, Merino 7, Trossard 6. Subs: Madueke N/A,Nwaneri N/A, Mosquera N/A, Lewis-Skelly N/A.

Danso fails to deliver

Kevin Danso lined up alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero as Frank opted for a back-five against Arsenal, but a nervy display from the Austrian only got worse when he allowed Trossard to ghost in behind him for the opener. No surprise he didn’t re-emerge after the break.

Odobert anonymous

The young Frenchman was given the opportunity in Tottenham’s front three, but struggled to have any impact on the game before making way in the second half. The left side of Spurs’ attack remains one area where Frank is yet to find his preferred man.

Vicario the only positive

Perhaps the only saving grace for Tottenham was that it was only the four goals shipped to their arch rivals. For that, they have Vicario to thank, who, while still unconvincing on the ball, remains a superb shot-stopper, denying Eze and Rice superbly either side of the half.

Full Tottenham player ratings: Vicario 6, Spence 5, Romero 5, Van de Ven 5, Danso 3, Udoig 4, Palhinha 6, Bentancur 5, Kudus 5, Odobert 3, Richarlison 6. Subs: Simons 5, Sarr 5, Kolo Muani 5, Porro N/A, Johnson N/A.

Ratings by Ben Fleming livefrom the Emirates

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario admits his team did not fight as he apologises to fans for a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners dominated the north London derby at the Emirates, with Eberechi Eze the star of the show thanks to a brilliant hat-trick.

Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for the home team, with Richarlison scoring a spectacular consolation for Spurs, but Eze grabbed the headlines with the first north London derby hat-trick since 1978.

Thomas Frank’s side were well beaten, offering little going forward as they played five at the back and yet were unable to quell Arsenal’s attack.

Vicario says it was a lack of fight from his teammates, apologising to supporters for that surprising admission.

‘A very bad night for us,’ the Italian told Sky Sports. ‘First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn’t fight. Today we didn’t fight as a collective we didn’t fight and that’s not negotiable to compete in a football match especially at this level. We didn’t do it as a team.

‘Now is a tough night, it’s a very bad defeat but we have to stick together because we know that we have to address these kind of things. Now we have a big night again on Wednesday, we need to stick together and believe much more in ourselves.

‘Tonight we didn’t show anything what we are normally capable of. The emotions are high and especially when you lose a derby in this way, but we need to have cool heads and apologise to people who support us and travel today because we cannot put in place a performance like that.’

It will be an extremely disappointing admission for Spurs fans to hear and Vicario was unsure as to why the team did not show enough fight in a big derby match.

‘I don’t know which is the answer,’ he said. ‘Probably many things. We waited a little bit to get into the game we were a little bit too passive, the game plan we prepared was a bit different, we didn’t recognise some situations to put pressure on them and to fight. Today we didn’t fight. We have to apologise for this.’

The 29-year-old dismissed the idea that the change to a back five was the problem, insisting it was an issue with aggression, physicality and competitiveness.

‘Doesn’t change nothing if we play five at the back, four at the back, two at the back,’ he said. ‘There are non negotiable things in football like fight every day, fight every duel, try to win, put your body and try to win some fouls. In that aspect today we didn’t play our game.

‘Then you can speak about every tactics, every build up every situation, but if you don’t do it as a collective a performance in terms of aggressiveness it’s tough to compete at this level. We didn’t show it so we have to apologise for this.’

Manager Frank also sent an apology to the club’s fans, agreeing that his players lost too many duels on Sunday afternoon.

‘I think it is extremely painful. I won’t talk away from that. It was a bad performance,’ he said. ‘It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here.

‘We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn’t get out. When the team went long, we didn’t win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost.

‘I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn’t win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn’t win enough.’

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Metro’s Ben Fleming breaks down the action from the Emirates:

It just had to be Eze

A first north London derby and what a way to announce yourself against the club that almost signed him in the summer. Eberechi Eze was given license to roam and find space, and he repaid that faith with two well-taken finishes.

Trossard continues to go under the radar

The Belgian was kept quiet in the first 30 minutes, but a superbly timed run and finish gave Arsenal the lead and Leandro Trossard his fifth goal contribution in ten games. Arteta will find him hard to drop even as Madueke and Martinelli return to full fitness.

Hincapie impresses in Gabriel’s absence

Given his first league start since joining in the summer, Piero Hincapie proved exactly why Arteta previously described him as a ‘warrior’. The Ecuadorian didn’t have loads to do but threw himself at every ball and challenge when it came hs way.

Full Arsenal player ratings: Raya 7, Timber 7, Saliba 6, Hincapie 7, Calafiori 6, Zubimendi 6, Rice 7, Eze 9, Saka 7, Merino 7, Trossard 6. Subs: Madueke N/A,Nwaneri N/A, Mosquera N/A, Lewis-Skelly N/A.

Danso fails to deliver

Kevin Danso lined up alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero as Frank opted for a back-five against Arsenal, but a nervy display from the Austrian only got worse when he allowed Trossard to ghost in behind him for the opener. No surprise he didn’t re-emerge after the break.

Odobert anonymous

The young Frenchman was given the opportunity in Tottenham’s front three, but struggled to have any impact on the game before making way in the second half. The left side of Spurs’ attack remains one area where Frank is yet to find his preferred man.

Vicario the only positive

Perhaps the only saving grace for Tottenham was that it was only the four goals shipped to their arch rivals. For that, they have Vicario to thank, who, while still unconvincing on the ball, remains a superb shot-stopper, denying Eze and Rice superbly either side of the half.

Mikel Arteta sprung something of surprise with his team selection for the north London derby with summer signing Piero Hincapie making his full Premier League debut.

The summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen has been forced to bide his time to make an impression his own fitness issues and the form of Arsenal’s left-sided defenders.

An injury suffered by Gabriel Magalhaes on international duty, which could keep the 27-year-old out of action for up to two months, has presented Hincapie with an opportunity he will be desperate to take.

Fellow new recruit Cristhian Mosquera had been tipped to fill in for Gabriel given he has excelled over the course of his first 12 appearances for his new club following his move from Valencia.

It was Ecuador international Hincapie who was given the not against Spurs, however, with Arteta keen to maintain a left and right-footed combination at the heart of his rearguard.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Arsenal manager said: ‘We believe what we want to do is the best partnership. We have the absence of Gabi for the next few weeks and we need the stability we have in the past.

‘He’s won the Premier League already in Germany and for his age already he has a lot of football in the legs.’

While they were without their defensive linchpin, Arteta was at least able to welcome back Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke who started on the bench following their own fitness troubles.

The game came too early for skipper Martin Odegaard as well as strikers Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres.

Odegaard spent the majority of the international break with his Norway teammates as they booked their place at the World Cup and he hopes to be back on the pitch imminently to help both club and country.

‘This week I’ve been working really hard on my rehab – it’s going very well,’ he said.

‘I can feel I’m getting closer every day and getting towards the final stages where it’s a lot more exciting.

I’ve been doing some pitch work and training, so I really feel like I’m getting there.

‘That’s the best part of the rehab, when you’re getting closer to joining the team, you can do a lot more on the pitch and you can be more aggressive in the rehab.

‘I feel like I’m getting stronger and stronger. I can’t wait to be back now, we’re on a good path and it’s looking good.

‘I’m really excited. I guess that’s one of the good things about being injured. You get hungrier and more excited to play football again.

‘That’s the good part of it, I’m desperate to get going again.’

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Jamie Carragher had some damning criticism for Tottenham’s Joao Palhinha and the combative midfielder has not taken it lying down.

The 30-year-old is on loan at Spurs from Bayern Munich and has been featuring regularly under Thomas Frank.

The Portugal international came to prominence in the Premier League with Fulham, where he spent two seasons, before a big money move to Bayern which was worth up to £47.4m.

Things did not work out in Germany and he is back in England in north London but Carragher, while he accepts he does his job as a defensive midfielder, has made it clear he does not rate his quality on the ball.

Analysing Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea earlier this month, Carragher said on Sky Sports: ‘We spoke about courage; now we can talk about quality. Palhinha hasn’t got the quality.

‘For a player playing for Tottenham in central midfield, for me, that’s a pass you have to be able to make. He can’t make it.

“So even though I’m being critical of it, saying he hasn’t quite got the ability, he’s actually done okay for Tottenham in terms of his job.’

He continued: ‘Again, Palhinha is on the ball, five touches because he hasn’t got the confidence or the ability.

‘What you’ve got is you’ve got a lack of courage and confidence from certain players, but you’ve also got a lack of ability of certain players.

‘There was a reason why players and teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham, and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him, so that would be a worry.’

Palhinha has responded to the criticism, aware of what Carragher said about him, but aiming something of a dig back at the Sky Sports pundit.

The midfielder also felt he responded well to a poor game against Chelsea, scoring in a 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League in Spurs’ next outing.

‘I saw it because some people sent it to me, I couldn’t say that I didn’t see it. But to be honest, about this, what can I say? I don’t care what the people say,’ he said.

‘If he says bad things about [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he can speak about everyone. Some people need to speak about another to be on the screens on the TV. My life is not about that, definitely.

‘It makes it a bit embarrassing seeing sometimes the ex-players speaking that the way that they speak and they look sometimes like superstars on their past, I don’t have problems to say.

‘I think he should have seen probably more games of me at Tottenham. I think I am doing a top season and the things that he says about me go to the back [of my mind].

‘But he’s not going to be the first and he’s not going to be the last one, you know?’

He added: ‘The way is about how we react. And the way I react is scoring a goal, after he said this to me, against Copenhagen.

‘I will keep showing how I can do it. I don’t need to give these answers, but that’s what I feel. I don’t really care about this kind of thing. It’s not important for me.

‘I just want to keep doing my job and show what I am capable of doing because I am really proud of what I have been doing until now.’

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Thomas Frank is starting a back three – with Kevin Danso named in the Spurs XI alongside Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Mohammed Kudus has missed the last two games with injury but he returns for the away side.

Lucas Bergvall has been named on the bench following question marks over his fitness.

Piero Hincapie will make his first Premier League start for Arsenal, partnering William Saliba in central defence with Gabriel Magalhaes ruled out of today’s game against Spurs.

Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are deemed fit enough for the bench but Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz haven’t made the squad.

Eberechi Eze has been named in the No.10 role with Mikel Merino up top. Riccardo Calafiori starts at left-back despite an injury scare.

Premier League legend and Betfair ambassador Alan Shearer has revealed his Arsenal vs Tottenham prediction to Metro.

‘Arsenal’s mentality is that they have to win the game,’ Shearer said. ‘It’s always tough to predict a derby game but I think I’m just going to go for Arsenal to edge it. I usually go for a draw but I think I’ll just go for Arsenal to edge it.

‘From 17th last season to where they are now, the football hasn’t been great from Spurs, but you can see a stamp from Thomas Frank on that team. They’ve improved at set-pieces and I think it’ll take time. I think Thomas Frank will be quietly pleased with how things have gone so far.’

Prediction: Arsenal win

Speaking ahead of today’s showdown, Spurs head coach Thomas Frank said: ‘[I am] super excited. Before I stepped into the club, of course, I knew about the north London derby, but it’s when you are in it, you sense it and feel that this is important.

‘You feel it from the fans, you feel it from the staff members, the players, the people that have been working here for years. This is the big one. I always say the next game is the most important game and we always have that.

‘But I’m very, very, very aware there are two games in a year that are even more important – and this is the first of them. We are ready, we are up for it, we are looking forward to it and we will do everything we can to win.’

Quizzed about what makes the north London derby so unique, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: ‘It’s just different.

‘It’s a big city, but it’s a big rivalry; it’s a part of London that we want to conquer, and they want to do the same. There’s been a lot of shifts as well over the years, we’ve been more dominant, and it’s just beautiful, especially when we play at home in front of our people.

‘We know what it means to them and the energy that they’re going to bring, the energy that the team is going to bring in every single action and it’s just a privilege to play those kind of games.’

Yes! Today’s north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham is indeed on TV in the UK today.

You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV.

Good afternoon from north London! One of the biggest rivalries in English football is back as Arsenal host Tottenham at the Emirates.

The Gunners are top of the league – and in the title hunt – but Spurs have shined on the road this season and are unbeaten away from home in the top-flight.

That means we should be set for a cracker of a game today… Stay with Metro for all the build-up, team news, live updates and reaction.