- Arsenal were dominant in the first half to take a 2-0 lead against Tottenham
- Goals from Mustafi and Sanchez put the home side ahead
- Spurs looked a shadow of their usual self in difficult opening 45 minutes
- READ MORE: (Watch) Shkodran Mustafi goal gives Arsenal 1-0 lead over Tottenham, but Spurs fans have two justified complaints
Arsenal put in an impressive shift in the first half of the north London derby against Tottenham on Saturday, and their supporters were loving it.
It was a brilliant 45 minutes for the hosts, as aside from the fact that goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez gave them a commanding lead, they were always positive and taking the game to their rivals.
Admittedly, the two goals had question marks hanging over them for offside calls, but they counted and on the balance of play, the Gunners were worthy of their lead.
Taking the first half in isolation, Arsenal supporters were delighted with what they saw, as the team produced an energetic, committed and passionate display to get on the front foot and show that they acknowledge how much the fixture means to them.
Especially taking into consideration previous limp performances against their direct rivals, this certainly made a refreshing change for the Emirates faithful.
It helped that Tottenham looked well below their usual level, but take nothing away from how Arsene Wenger set his team up and how the players responded to the challenge, as they matched Spurs well and produced two bits of decisive play to lead.
Now to just match that in the second half with a Tottenham response undoubtedly coming…