Five Key Takeaways after Arsenal thrashed Spurs to win the North London Derby 

North London Is Red: Here's our brilliant Charlie Ashmore's in-depth analysis of Arsenal's majestic derby demotion 

1 - A tide-changing weekend? 

Hands up if you are sufficiently scarred by recent seasons to fear that with both Liverpool and City losing we would fail to capitalise and potentially let Chelsea have a sniff of the top of the table ahead of our game at Stamford Bridge next week? 

Well, not a bit of it.  I have said it before this season and it bears repeating.  We are a different beast this season.  We are playing serious football wit a serious purpose and are currently refusing to be distracted by anything. 

This was another serious performance in a game which by its very nature had the potential to be a banana skin.  But it was a game comfortably negotiated and resulting in a beautiful 6 point lead opening up at the top. 

Another huge weekend beckons next week with our visit to second place Chelsea.  It won’t be easy but if we maintain our focus and our purpose then we can extend the lead. 

But any lowering of our level will let a dangerous opponent in so yes a cracking weekend but far too early to be called season defining. 

Let’s just call it another marker put down. 

2 - Sliding doors 

Just think. We could easily have been facing an opponent with Eberiche Eze in their side lining up against us. 

Instead, his determination to join us and our willingness to move quickly to make it happen despite having seemingly ruled it out, saw him have the opportunity to live every Arsenal fan’s dream. 

It just doesn’t get any better for a Gooner than to score a hat-trick against Tottenham. Just the third man to do it and the first since Alan Sunderland (yes, it’s been that long), that smile could have lit up the stadium without any floodlights. 

Apparently it’s his first ever hat trick and what a time and place to do it.  Already a legend for his Manu Petit-like last minute swivel from them to us, he now has cemented that status with a hat-trick against them. A big performance form him and a big performance for him. 

He is a different beast to Martin Odegaard in that position but in a side having to play Mikel Merino up top, he is arguably a better fit in that he is able to take advantage of Merino dropping deeper than Viktor Gyokeres would and find those spaces just on the edge of or inside the box and he showed how good his finishing was with three excellent finishes. 

And don’t forget that Odegaard-like dink over the top for Rice – a foot either side from Declan and it was a goal.

3 - Another word for Merino 

I have spoken about this before but what a clever player he is. He is obviously not a natural striker and he doesn’t pretend to be. 

He knows when to sit up front particularly if we are attacking down the flanks but he also knows that when we need to play through the middle he can add greater value by dropping deep and creating space for the likes of Trossard and Eze to profit from. And what a ball by the way for Trossard for the opening goal.  He picked the run out beautifully at a time when we really needed a goal to show for all our dominance of the game to that point. 

We need Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres back but if we do close out the title this season, Mikel Merino will undoubtedly have played his part.

4 - A word for our neighbours 

I suspect everyone reading this will have a favourite word to describe them. 

I suspect Thomas Frank probably now has a word to describe them as well – he is finding out what a tough job that is. 

The reality is they were never really in the game. 

Totally dominated in the first 45 minutes, a killer goal at the start of the second half and it was only a casual error by Zubimendi (the one flaw in his game is his giving away of the ball or of soft freekicks in the middle of our half. 

Granted, the finish was superb but it’s unnecessary to hand over possession in that area and it’s something he has to stop doing. 

Good as the finish was I can’t help feeling David Raya may have gone for it with the wrong hand but I suspect that’s just where his balance was when he needed to time his jump.  The only other shots on target they had were from distance and straight at Ray and of no concern. 

They are and remains miles behind us and Frank has an unenviable job. 

He probably has to be more Jose Mourinho than Ange Postecoglu at this stage and that’s never an easy journey to take the delusional fan base with you on.

5 - The squad continues to deliver 

Do we have a 1st XI anymore? 

I am not sure. 

I think absolutely nailed on starters if fit are Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Saka. 

More likely than not to start are Timber, Calafiori, and Zubimendi. 

For the remaining positions it’s Odegaard or Eze, Havertz or Gyokeres, Martinelli or Trossard or Madueke. 

And you wouldn’t complain to see any of White, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri, Merino take a position in the team.

And then there’s Mosquera, Norgaard, Hinciape and Dowman each of whom has fitted right in when asked to play. 

And don’t forget we have a back up keeper who could be first choice at most other clubs in Kepa. 

And there’s Jesus still to come.

This is a beast of a squad and, despite the ridiculous level of injuries we have had this season, every combination used has done the job for us so well that we find ourselves with daylight between us and the chasing pack. 

Every single player appears bought into this whether they are on the pitch or not (did you see Lewis-Skelly celebrating with Arteta after the 4th goal?). 

There is a clear message being sent out that we are here to stay and here to deliver. 

So far, the rest of the Premier League has not found an answer. 

There will be hiccups along the road but the crucial thing is to shrug them off and stick to the purposeful determination. 

The feeling continues to grow that this is our time but we have to make sure we don’t get carried away with any hype and remain utterly focussed.  

Read Charlie Ashmore's column in every print issue of the Gooner Fanzine. Buy our new issue here