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#3 Arsenal do not miss Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that his captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was excluded from the starting lineup to face Tottenham Hotspur despite initially being scheduled to lead the attack.
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Speaking to Sky Sports in this regard, Arteta had said:
"We have drawn the line; we move on, and he is on the bench. We have a process for every game that we have to respect. It was a decision made after evaluating everything and who Auba is and what he's done.''
Although details are yet to emerge over why the Arsenal captain was dropped, reports suggest that it was due to disciplinary issues.
Nevertheless, despite the absence of their top scorer and talisman, Arsenal produced a comprehensive display to see off their biggest rivals.
This latest disciplinary breach does not bode well for a club that have seen each of their last five captains fall foul of the standards expected of leaders in the team.
#2 Erik Lamela goes from zero to hero
While Erik Lamela's talent might not be in doubt, the 29-year-old has faced huge criticism for his inconsistent performances and irrational actions.
Both sides of his play were on full display against Arsenal. After opening the scoring with an exquisite finish, the Argentina international went on to get sent off for two unnecessary challenges.
The skill needed to pull off his opener was out of the world, as Sergio Reguilon's hands-on-head reaction to the strike underlined the brilliance of Lamela's strike. However, the former AS Roma man showed his other side with two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.
Lamela had started the game on the bench and was only introduced owing to Son Heung-Min's injury. Throughout his time on the field, Lamela proved to be a maverick, with several instances of blood-rush to his head seeing him walk a tight rope.
After being shown leniency for several challenges, Lamela received his first booking in the 69th minute for a rough tackle on Thomas Partey. Just seven minutes later, the Argentina international was shown his marching orders for an inexplicable elbow on Kieran Tierney.
It was an inglorious end to the game for Lamela and put a dent on what was a performance that included his beautiful first-half strike.
#1 Controversial VAR decision helps Arsenal secure all three points
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has had its fair share of criticism, despite being introduced to eliminate howlers. From farcical offside decisions to questionable handball calls, VAR has almost as many detractors as it has supporters.
Tottenham Hotspur were seemingly on the end of a wrong decision when Davidson Sanchez was penalised for fouling Alexandre Lacazette in the penalty area. Replays showed that the Arsenal striker had miskicked the ball before contact was made by the Tottenham Hotspur defender.
However, despite heavy protests, the VAR agreed with the referee's decision, and Alexandre Lacazette stepped up to convert the ensuing spot-kick.
It was yet another grey area for the VAR in the Premier League, and Tottenham Hotspur have every right to feel aggrieved by what was a controversial decision.
