Winners & losers from Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham in the north London derby

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur maintained their unbeaten starts to the Premier League season with a 2-2 draw in Sunday's north London derby.

The Gunners took the lead midway through the first half when Cristian Romero diverted a teasing cross from Bukayo Saka into his own net, though they were pegged back when Son Heung-min found the net minutes before the break.

Saka notched Arsenal ahead again from the penalty spot after the interval, but only for a few sparing moments as Son went down the other end and drew Tottenham level once more.

90min runs through the winners and losers from the day.

Winner - Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham were tipped to struggle early on under Ange Postecoglou, their recent history of pragmatism conflicting with his progressive ideals.

But the Greek-Australian has quickly got a tune out of his new charges and they managed to go 'toe-to-toe' with one of the league's best teams and hold their own, despite suggestions this would result in a slaughtering.

Loser - Arsenal's strikers

With the score at 1-0, Gabriel Jesus fired over a huge opportunity to double Arsenal's lead. The starting nine for the day, Eddie Nketiah, was scarcely involved and his most notable action was a high sliding tackle on Guglielmo Vicario that could have resulted in a red card.

The Gunners have a lot of players capable of reaching double figures of goals in a season but they lack a clinical striker capable of putting away chances in big games like this. It's no surprise they remain interested in Dusan Vlahovic and Ivan Toney.

Winner - Son Heung-min & James Maddison

Ironically, Tottenham have lost one of the most clinical players in the world but rediscovered how to get everyone else to score.

Here, it was the turn of Son to grab a brace, taking his tally to five this season - half of his total from the 2022/23 Premier League campaign in 30 fewer games.

James Maddison provided the South Korean with a pair of assists as his fast start to life at Spurs continued. There's just something about that 7-and-10 combination at Tottenham.

Loser - Cristian Romero

Football is defined by moments. Cristian Romero was an asset on the ball for Tottenham, but he ultimately scored an own goal and conceded a penalty.

Take away the self-inflictions and he had a fine game. You can't just do that, however.

Winner - William Saliba

The week-long debate over the Arsenal and Tottenham combined XI saw Romero battle Gabriel for a spot next to the unanimously selected William Saliba.

Mikel Arteta's side desperately missed the Frenchman at the back end of last season and he's begun this one in his usual imperious form, despite the midfield ahead of him continually dissipating. Speaking of which...

Loser - Arsenal's former Chelsea duo

Jorginho has proven a decent signing for Arsenal since arriving back in January, but he was carelessly caught in possession leading to Tottenham's second equaliser.

The less said about Kai Havertz the better. Why Arsenal were so keen to splash £65m on him remains a mystery.

Winner - Tottenham's recruitment team

Tottenham began the summer by chasing David Raya before he joined Arsenal, but ultimately did not want to meet Brentford's demands and swiftly turned their attentions to Guglielmo Vicario. To their credit, both goalkeepers played well in the derby.

Vicario was one of six Tottenham starters playing in this fixture for the first time - the others being Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Maddison - and all of them played well.

The decision not to bring in a direct replacement for Harry Kane also seems to be vindicated, with Son grabbing two more goals while playing in a central role.

Loser - England's other derbies

"My favourite game of football in the last ten years is delivering again!" Gary Neville proclaimed as Son raced in behind to bring the score to 2-2 on Sunday.

The north London derby is the best rivalry that the Premier League, if not the entirety of England, has to offer.

The guaranteed entertainment. Historic tales of Arsenal's move across the river and taking Tottenham's place in the football league. The glory and the 'glory glory'. The contrasting colours. The pettiness of it all. Nothing comes close.

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