Solanke is a more traditional No. 9, and he was effective against Arsenal in terms of providing his teammates with a target man. He also gave Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba a physical test throughout the game, but his lack of pace means that Spurs will need to adjust to his attributes and work out how to get the best from the former Chelsea and Liverpool forward.

Against Arsenal, he created a couple of good chances and almost scored with a first-half header, but he needs to boost his fitness and his movement if he is to be the solution to Tottenham's goal-scoring problems. -- Ogden

Timber showing he was worth the wait

Jurriën Timber was signed for 34m as the final piece of the defensive jigsaw when he arrived at Arsenal from Ajax in the 2023 summer transfer window, but a cruciate ligament injury suffered on his Premier League debut forced him to miss the remainder of the season.

But the Netherlands international is now back to full fitness, and he showed against Tottenham just what Arteta's side missed last season as the Gunners narrowly failed to beat Manchester City to the title.

Arteta had signed Timber to play on the left of Arsenal's defence, and his absence was never satisfactorily resolved, with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko both proving solid if unspectacular replacements.

Timber made a huge difference against Spurs with his energy and tenacity down the left flank. He also displayed a real tough streak that will only serve Arsenal well in the games against title rivals such as City and Liverpool.

Timber was booked in the first half following a clash with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after a firm, but fair, challenge on Spurs defender Pedro Porro. The yellow card meant he was walking a tightrope for the rest of the game, but it didn't affect his performance and he continued to give Arsenal rock-solid reliability at left-back. -- Ogden

Arsenal start a big week in the best possible way

Three away games in eight days starting with visiting their fiercest rivals and ending with a game at the Premier League champions offers a searching early test of Arsenal's credentials. This was an ideal way to start.

Bereft of influential midfielder Rice and captain Ødegaard, Arsenal lined up with Partey and Jorginho in central midfield and Leandro Trossard operating as a No. 10. They were rarely at their most fluid, but Arsenal dug in and secured a result which will fuel their self-belief for the challenges ahead.

The Gunners were fortunate with injuries last season. Saliba was one of only two outfield players to play every minute of their Premier League campaign while Ødegaard and Saka were regulars and Rice was tireless along with Ben White and Gabriel.

Arteta was right to claim "a lot of work" went into that level of availability but, nevertheless, modern-day demands on players always make a repeat unlikely. Therefore, overcoming the absence of several absentees -- new signings Riccardo Calafiori and Merino were also among the missing -- will be a useful boost ahead of two huge games at Atalanta and Manchester City

Rice will return from suspension. The prognosis on the rest is unclear but any lengthy absences should not prompt the fear that may have before Sunday's result. -- Olley

North London derby breaks a disciplinary record

Referee Jarred Gillett set a record during the first half of this game by issuing seven yellow cards -- the most ever handed out in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game.

At one stage, it seemed as though every foul or infringement was deemed to be worthy of a caution, but Gillett slowed down in the second half by only issuing one yellow card after the interval.

But less than 24 hours after 14 yellow cards were awarded during Chelsea's 1-0 win at Bournemouth, the sight of so many bookings in the early stages of the North London derby hinted at officials being urged to clamp down on every area of rule-breaking this weekend.

Over the course of the first and second rounds of matches this season, there were 38 yellow cards issued in each weekend, but that number jumped to 57 on the weekend before the international break. Yet before a ball had even been kicked in Sunday's two games there had already been 58 yellow cards in the weekend's eight previous matches.

VAR controversies have been noticeably few and far between, but yellow cards are definitely on the rise. -- Ogden

Arsenal get right result, but in the wrong colours

For the first time in living memory, Arsenal played Tottenham in a different colour than their traditional red, and it just didn't look right.

The Premier League announced in the build-up to the game that Arsenal would not be allowed to wear their home colours -- red with white sleeves -- because there was too much white in the shirt, and therefore would potentially clash with Tottenham's predominantly white shirts. As a consequence, Spurs will have to wear their light blue away kit when they play at the Emirates in January.

The decision left both clubs and their supporters bemused, but it meant that Arsenal played their traditional rivals in an unfamiliar all-black uniform -- or black with a big rip in it if you are Trossard, who had to change his jersey late on after the front of his original one had a square torn in the front.

The North London derby is one of the Premier League's biggest games, one that has a global appeal, so it should actually look like the North London derby.

Imagine Everton-Liverpool and Manchester United-Manchester City being played with teams in changed colours? It wouldn't happen, so maybe the Premier League should go with tradition rather than a minor kit clash next time. -- Ogden