 After what was a frenetic weekend of English Premier League action, the Duster settled and the second international break of the season has put a two-week pause on action. Let's have a look now at the top half of the table at this juncture. So we have Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table, total 20 points. They have six wins so far, Arsenal in second position, six wins as well. They also share the same number of points as Tottenham Hotspur. In third position, defending champions Manchester City, they are two points away from the leaders. Then we have Liverpool in fourth position on 17 points. What about Aston Villa, that's sitting in fifth spot, having accumulated five wins so far. And if we continue to look at the table Manchester United, not to forget Newcastle United because I predicted them to be in my top four. They are in eighth spot right now on 13 points and Manchester United still in the top half of the table. They are in tenth position on 12 points. Well, in what was unquestionably the biggest game of the EPL season so far, reigning Premier League champions and treble winners Manchester City travelled to the Emirates to take on the team that pushed them closest last season, Arsenal. And in a game which only had three shots on target, it was a Gabriel Martinelli strike in the 86th minute, which secured a victory for Arsenal, their first in the league against Man City since 2015. Our football correspondent Simon Evans is with us via Zoom, Simon, was this a perception shattering victory for the Garners? That's the question. I think it's certainly a hugely important victory for them psychologically because this is the team they've been unable to beat over the last few years. And under Mikayla Tete, they've never done it. So it's very significant that they managed to do it, a fortunate goal, but I don't think many people would say they didn't deserve something out of that game. And it really will give them belief that this year, maybe, maybe they have the ability to go one step further than Manchester City. Yeah, I want to talk about some of the positives for Arsenal coming out of this match. And for me, I'd say they played really good defence. They won this match with their defence. What say you? Yeah, very solid, very organised. I don't think City were at their best. I think that certainly had an impact on the game. I think they missed Rodgery in midfield, giving them that base. They had to adjust things around a little bit and they weren't as effective as we've seen them be many times before. But undoubtedly, Arsenal were very, very solid. I mean, they were up against, let's not forget, two of the best strikers in the world at the moment in Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez. And they neutralised them very well indeed. Yeah, we're going to talk about Erling Haaland because we need to talk about Erling Haaland. But as we continue talking about the positives coming out of Arsenal's win against Manchester City, let's talk about Mikael Arteta's substitution. I think he did a great job and that's the reason Gabriel Martinelli got that winning goal for them. Yeah, I mean, Martinelli came on and immediately injected some energy into the performance, gave them something different. There was something a little bit predictable about the way that Arsenal were attacking City, especially without the injured Ucaio Saca, who was a big loss for them on the right. Troussard in the first half didn't really provide what they'd hoped for down that side. And when Martinelli came on and coming back from injury, first touch he got on the ball, he was looking to attack the defenders, make things happen and he started causing some panic in the City defence. Yeah, in Manchester City, we all know about the injury wars. They're missing Kevin De Bruyne. We know the role that Kevin De Bruyne plays for this squad. There were a lot of their players, you know, Rodgery, a player that has really been stepping up for them this season, been without him as well. But Erling Halland, do you feel as if the Erling Halland that we spoke about last season has been a bit teem, a bit watered down and is that a cause for concern where City is concerned? I don't think it's been the start that he had last year. Obviously, not in terms of either the production of goals or his impact on games. There's no doubt about that and teams are defending him very well. But I think the big issue is City aren't getting the service to him that he got last year. I mean, a lot of the goals he scored early on last year, he's a tremendous finisher, I'm not taking anything away from him. But those goals were created, weren't they? They found spaces, they got the ball to the back post to him. Teams, and particularly Arsenal, going back to their defending, were very effective at limiting City in the wide areas where City have always been so effective. And that's going to be a concern for Pep Guardiola. He left out Docku, which was a bit surprised about on the wing. And they just haven't quite been finding the way to get the ball into the channels, the right channels for Erling Halland. Yeah, we've said, Simon, that Erling Halland is a pretty unstoppable kind of player because of his physical presence and how aggressive he is in the box. But if you are pointing to the fact that the service to him is compromising his ability to score, may this be a route that other teams may use to stifle Man City's offensive threat? Yeah, I mean, it's easier said than done for most teams, isn't it? The top teams can certainly take some hope from that. But I don't think City are going to be as ineffective at providing him with service all year long. I think what it showed that they've got to have their wide players on it. Now, there was no Grealish out there. There was no Docku out there. They've lost Mares, of course. Bernardo Silva, who causes so many problems for teams in the wide areas. He was playing as a defensive midfielder. Will Forden was in the more central areas a lot. The game got very congested in the center of the field, which I think was a deliberate tactic from Arsenal. And it was one that frustrated Manchester City. And yes, to go back to your point, that will be something a lot of teams have noticed. Yeah, quick question on Man City before we leave this game, Simon. Five titles and a runner-up spot in the last six years. So they are accustomed to winning. Pet would have a difficulty on his hands in keeping his players motivated. Because when you're champions for so many seasons, year after year, the hunger may dip a bit. But you think, Pep, is the type of manager that won't allow that to happen to this team? Yeah, I think so. I think he finds ways psychologically. I think every day at Manchester City's training ground to keep them hungry, just to be in the team is a difficult thing to achieve at Manchester City. Because even players who have good games get left out at Manchester City. It's not enough just to perform well on a Saturday. You have to be doing it every day there. So he keeps them on their toes. But I do wonder, the small squad, he likes to work with a small squad. And that goes a little bit against the trend with big clubs in modern football, especially the teams that are playing European football in midweek and then Premier League at the weekend. And when you see him playing a team like that with Bernardo Silva out of position, he did quite well in that role, but it's not his role and he's not as effective in that. Rico Luis, who we've seen as a fullback, used as like a attacking midfielder in the de Bruyne position. You start to wonder, does he really have as many options there as some of the other teams? We've seen what happens with teams when they lose three or four players in the middle of the Premier League. Mid table sides really suffer with it. That shouldn't really be happening with a team like Manchester City with all their resources. And now we're going to talk, Simon. We're going to move away from that Manchester City blip, as I want to call it. And we're going to talk about the table leaders and that's Tottenham Hotspur. And to me, it feels really strange because I mean, we know the struggles that Tottenham has gone through. And just to add insult to injury, they lost Harry Kane and we know the goal-scoring machine that Harry Kane has been for Tottenham Hotspur. They're flying high now. They're at the top of the table under their coach and post-accomglue. Well deserved. Yes, deserved. And the fascinating thing about it is, as you mentioned, Harry Kane departing and Tottenham looking stronger. I mean, there's no getting away from that. That's no slight on Harry Kane, of course, who's an outstanding centre forward. But so much that Tottenham did used to go through Harry Kane. He dropped deep. Everything had to go in there. It meant Søn had to play a certain role as the runner going behind Harry Kane and so on. It meant that players like Rich Arlesen often didn't get on the field. So it was a Harry Kane-focused team and post-accomglue has come in and without Kane has built a side which I think all round is stronger than we've seen for the last couple of years. What do you say about the form that Tottenham has started this season with? That we are to see them as serious title contenders for this year's EPL. You know, it's a big step to go from a good start, six games to start considering Spurs title contenders. I really have been impressed by the way they've played. I think they showed on Saturday at Luton as well, which is, you know, they're down the bottom of the league, the very physical Route 1 style of football that Luton play. It's a kind of game that Tottenham would have lost in the past. They've always been a little bit of a soft touch when they come up against very physical teams. Even with 10 men, as they were for most of the second half, they gritted it out, they got the result. That was impressive for me. I can see Tottenham finishing in the top four, but it's a little bit too early for me to start thinking that they can win the whole thing. Yeah, problem there for the Tottenham fans, Simon, because they have suffered for a long time. The last time Tottenham won the top flight title, I wasn't born and I'm not young. So, problems for Tottenham. But the point you make is a good one, that overall, based on how they play now, they have found a way without Harry Kane to be a very strong unit. You've already said that you don't think they can go all the way. But talk to us about the coach's impact on this team and the good things that he's been able to do because he passed a cogwheel, has to take some credit for what Tottenham is doing at the moment. Oh, a huge amount of credit. I think he's made an incredible impact on that club in such a short space of time. I mean, to come into a new club in a new league for him, never coached in the Premier League before, a team then loses its star player to then mould them into a different style of football, a more energetic style of football, I think, a little bit more with the pressing and front foot than they had been in the past, certainly under Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. And to do all that in such a short space of time is very impressive. And off the field, just his manner and demeanour, I mean, it's such a nice change for those of us who like other sports, to have a Premier League manager who can talk about cricket or rugby as Angepasta Coglu can do. You're not going to hear many coaches in the Premier League bringing up camp horizons with basketball and the way England play cricket and so on. So it's refreshing. He's very forthright, open with the media and the fans and clearly a great motivator of players and a good organiser too. Yeah, the Man United victory was probably the most dramatic of the weekend, Simon. And two MacTominay goals in the in-stoppage time saving the blushes there. I'm interested, though, in the post-match comments from coach Eric Ten Haag, who blasted his players and suggested that if they can't take the pressure, they shouldn't be playing at Old Trafford. Yeah, I found that a little bit strange. I mean, he's been under pressure now. His pressure has started mounting on him and that pressure transmits itself to the team. It did feel like one of those games that if they lose that, there's going to be a lot of speculation in the media, at least, about the future of Eric Ten Haag. And then MacTominay pulls out those two late goals dramatically and saves the day for him. And to then sort of strike a negative tone after that, Old Trafford at last was buzzing with excitement and celebration. And even though it's only a comeback win against a team they're expected to beat in Brentford, it just seemed to strike the wrong tone to me. And obviously, he is under pressure and English isn't his forte, really. I mean, he does speak English, but he's not totally comfortable in it. I found that a little bit odd. Yeah, I think you have to understand his position, though, because as you conceded just now, Simon, for 90 minutes, he was under a lot of pressure. So coming out of the game, it was just a matter of a couple of minutes that saved it. But for the afternoon's work, it was mostly stress for him and not joy. Yeah, I mean, it's not right at Manchester United. We've seen that in their performances against Galatasaray in the Champions League. Even the win they had at Burnley, which I watched, they didn't play very well at all. They didn't play like a top team, playing a bottom three team. So there's a lot of problems there. It's not just the injuries. It's not just Ten Hogg either. The problems at Manchester United go deep, but they do have problems in the dressing room. I mean, and some of those have been laid at the foot of Ten Hogg by people in the media suggesting the way he's handled Jadon Sancho and other players hasn't been in the right way. So it's a tense moment for him there. And I just thought, you know, that's the time where you can say, look, the team showed its character. They showed they weren't going to give up. You know, you're not saying they've done it for you, but they kind of did do it for you, Eric. Yeah, well, Simon, what's for sure is all the players get the opportunity to have a break. The EPL is heading into a break. So we're looking forward to see how they come back out of this break. I want to thank you so much for putting the EPL stories in context, and we'll talk again soon. Cheers, all the best. No problem. Simon Evans Day, our football correspondent. Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we still have to talk football.