Return of the Premier League after the international break saw Arsenal host Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium in Round 8 of the 2022/23 EPL season on Saturday, October 1 2022. A match that was nothing short of exhilarating. Arsenal fielded its arguably strongest line-up this season with Partey and Zinchenko back in the side.

By half-time, the scoreboard was at 1-1. However, at the end of the match, it changed to spell an easy 3-1 victory for the Gunners. Arsenal also held about 65% possession in the match.

Arsenal was top of the table going into the game and proved why. The game immediately got off to an intense start with Saka hitting the up-right just three minutes into the game. Arsenal largely controlled the game, with Spurs trying its best to keep the Gunners at bay.

Arsenal’s tenacity was rewarded in the 20th minute through a well-struck shot to the top-right corner by Ghanian midfielder, Thomas Partey. The shot was taken from outside the box after a lay-off from Ben White. It is his third goal for the Gunners since joining the team in the summer of 2020.

The game seemed to turn in favour of Tottenham from then on, with Perisic hitting the side netting in the twenty-eighth minute. Barely a minute later, Spurs was awarded a penalty after a clumsy tackle from Gabriel Magalhaes against fellow Brazilian, Richarlison. Harry Kane, the team captain and talisman, took the penalty and was able to calmly dispatch the ball into the net, from the centre.

The start of the second half saw Arsenal get back ahead just four minutes in — Gabriel Jesus had pounced on a loose ball from Saka’s shot-at-goal that Lloris pushed away.

Things could only get worse for Tottenham when Emerson Royal was sent off in the 62nd minute for clipping Martinelli’s stud in a reckless tackle.

Barely five minutes later, Arsenal doubled its lead after a Thomas Partey masterclass — an orchestration that saw Xhaka coolly slot his shot under Lloris and into the back of the net.

The Lilywhites couldn’t do much from that point. They had no shots on target in the second half and Arsenal kept mounting pressure.

The win saw Arsenal retain its first position on the Premier League table with 21 points and a +12 goal difference — from seven wins in eight matches. Meanwhile, Tottenham on the other hand, is currently third with 17 points and a +9 goal difference.