Tottenham have gone from being the third horse in a two-way title race, to looking anxiously over their shoulder at a resurgent Manchester United. Arsenal, on the other hand, have quietly crept up on their North London rivals as well, with the result that the two teams were separated by only four points at kick-off.
An Arsenal win would have put them within sniffing distance of third place, while Spurs needed the three points to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack. The stakes were pretty high, and fans and neutrals alike were treated to an entertaining game with mistakes and slip-ups aplenty.
Lineups
Birthday boy Mauricio Pochettino employed a 3-4-1-2 system. Victor Wanyama made only his second Premier League start of the season; the Kenyan was partnered by Moussa Sissoko in Harry Winks absence. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min started up top, with Christian Eriksen playing in the hole behind them.
Unai Emery sprang a number of surprises with his lineup. Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil were all on the bench. Nacho Monreal played at left-back, with the surprise selection of Shkodran Mustafi at right-back. Henrikh Mkhitaryan came into the side as well, while Aaron Ramsey supported Alexandre Lacazette.
