LONDON: Arsenal look like the real deal. They deserve to lead the Premier League with a decisive, positive style of football which has brought 21 points in eight games. No team with so many points at this stage of the Premier season has ever failed to go on and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The Gunners narrowly missed out last season after losing badly during the run-in to Tottenham who took fourth place by two points.

Saturday’s avenging 3:1 victory was deserved with goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka. A penalty equaliser by Harry Kane in the first half was quickly brushed off. Arsenal were also assisted by a red card for Emerson Royal for a clumsy challenge on Gabriel Martinelli early in the second half.

Jesus produced some magical footwork in attack, fed the ball by wingers Bukayo Saka and Martinelli. In midfield Xhaka is a new, far more disciplined player nowadays alongside the creative Martin Odegaard and Partey. The latter is being compared with old midfield strongmen such as Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva.

Arsenal have not been crowned champions since 2004 and manager Mikel Arteta always refuses to talk about a title bid. He makes no secret, however, of his satisfaction with both his team’s form and the prospects for the rest of the season and the future beyond that.

Arteta said: “For me the message from this game, to everybody at the club, is that we are able to play at this level against this kind of opponent. That should give them confidence and belief.

“Looking at the table and seeing the club in this position is great. It gives you a great feeling obviously. But we are focused. It’s a really hungry and humble team. But we have done nothing yet. There are still a lot of things to improve. The table says what it says but we don’t look at that.”

Home victories can breed more confidence and more success. The derby was the first of three successive home games in eight days: next come Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday then Liverpool on Sunday.

As for Tottenham, they need to beat Eintracht Frankfurt to make up for last month’s defeat by Sporting Lisbon and make amends for the derby.

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