Mikel Arteta saluted Gabriel Jesus for taking Arsenal "to a different level" after the Brazilian scored in Saturday's 3-1 derby win over Tottenham.

Jesus seized on Hugo Lloris' mistake to hand Arsenal a 2-1 second-half lead at the Emirates Stadium, before Granit Xhaka made the points safe with an excellent low finish.

Only Erling Haaland (12) has been involved in more Premier League goals than Jesus (eight) in the Premier League this season.

Meanwhile, only Andrey Arshavin (nine) has recorded more goal contributions in his first eight Premier League appearances for Arsenal.

Speaking to BT Sport after the win, manager Arteta said the drive that Jesus has brought since joining from Manchester City has improved his young team this season.

"It's his winning mentality," Arteta said. "The way he trains every day, it brings confidence to the team, and he has taken us to a different level."

Table-topping Arsenal ended Tottenham's unbeaten start to the Premier League season with their convincing win, and Arteta described the Gunners' performance as "phenomenal".

"We went for it, and we created great energy in the stadium and deserved to win the game," Arteta said.

"With our way of playing, we can attack in different ways. They [Tottenham] don't need much, and you have the feeling that they can create. You have to live with that.

"But we didn't have that in the back of our mind. We were free, courageous and brave, and this is what we demand from the players. It gives us a lot of encouragement and confidence to believe that we can play at this level."

Arteta is just the third manager in Arsenal's history to win each of his first three home games against Tottenham, after George Morrell between 1909 and 1911 and Terry Neill between 1977 and 1979. He feels delighted by the bond between his side and the fans.

"We have connected with our supporters and when that happens it is a really powerful thing," Arteta added when speaking to BBC Sport.

"We had a really meaningful opportunity to give a lot of people happiness on a beautiful day, and we have delivered that, and it is a really great feeling.

"We are focusing on what we are doing. This is a sign that we are going in the right direction. We need to maintain that now and go for it.

"You feel the desire and humility – they haven't won anything yet and that is important to have that humility, which is a big driver for us."

Arsenal were deserved winners against rivals Tottenham in Saturday's north London derby, so say goalscorers Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka.

The Gunners moved four points clear of Spurs at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium, dealing Antonio Conte's team their first top-flight defeat of the campaign in the process.

Thomas Partey joined Jesus and Xhaka on the scoresheet as Arsenal posted a third successive home Premier League win over Spurs – the first time they have done so since September 2013.

Only once have they put together a longer such run in the competition, beating their fierce rivals in a sixth consecutive match at home in April 2005.

Jesus – whose tally of eight goal contributions is only bettered by his replacement at Manchester City, Erling Haaland (12), in the Premier League this season – is convinced Arsenal were the better team from the off.

"It's the second time I scored in a derby game, the first was against Argentina [for Brazil]," he told BT Sport. 

"I'm very happy, of course I want to score in every game, but also the way the team played, from the first minute, we showed what we wanted in the game.

"We won the game, that's the main thing. First half we were playing better [than Tottenham], in my opinion. We deserved to win today because we wanted to play the game, make passes, create chances.

"How many chances did we create today? The spirit of the team is amazing."

Jesus has been an instant hit at Arsenal since his move from City in July, and is relishing his role under Mikel Arteta.

He added: "I'm feeling at home. The staff, the club, they help me feel at home and that helps the players that join the club. I'm really happy here."

Xhaka, who put Arsenal back in front after Harry Kane's penalty had restored parity, echoed Jesus' sentiment. 

"Absolutely. We didn't have a lot of weeks to prepare the game because of the international break, but we saw yesterday in training that we were ready," he said.

"We saw exactly what we want and how Gabi said, from the first second we were the better team.

"After the goal we conceded we were struggling, but this is football. After, in the second half we were much better.

"My first derby goal in England, I'm more than happy to help the team. The most important thing is the team, and I'm so happy to help the team and win."

Xhaka has scored twice in the Premier League this season, making the current campaign the first in which he has scored more than once since 2018-19 (four).

The midfielder also has three assists this term, giving him a total of five direct goal contributions – only in 2017-18 (eight) and 2018-19 (six) has he registered more goal involvements in a Premier League season.

"Every defeat has a scar," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham. Some of those scars, one would imagine, are bigger than others.

Saturday's reunion with Spurs would have evoked particularly painful memories for Arsenal players and fans.

The last time the sides had met, in May, Arsenal missed the chance to secure Champions League qualification as they lost 3-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. When the Gunners then lost again in their next match at Newcastle United, Tottenham stole in to finish fourth.

Of course, the entire collapse played out before the Amazon cameras for Arsenal's All or Nothing documentary series.

Antonio Conte, the Tottenham coach, is yet to finish the series – although he plans to – but did confirm this week he had watched "that episode".

However, Arteta's team, Conte added, are "better" than in 2021-22 – "not only the quality but also the mentality of Arsenal".

Indeed, Arsenal suffered another damaging 3-0 defeat late last season at Crystal Palace but won 2-0 on their return to Selhurst Park on the opening day of this season. Before the international break, there was a 3-0 win at Brentford that Arsenal players were not quiet in celebrating, having also been humiliated there on their previous visit.

So, the revenge tour rolled on to Tottenham, with Arteta determined to use that May reverse "in the right way", suggesting Arsenal were not just better but better specifically because of that setback.

And for almost 30 minutes at Emirates Stadium, just about everything went to plan.

Arsenal – top of the Premier League table heading into a game against Spurs for the first time since 2007 – played as they had done all season.

The Gunners dominated possession and penned Tottenham in. When Thomas Partey curled in a brilliant opener from 25 yards after 20 minutes, Kane was the only Spurs player ahead of the ball.

It was the fourth time Arsenal had scored this season following a sequence of 10 or more passes – matching Manchester City's league high – and the third in their past two fixtures alone.

An eighth Arsenal goal in the opening half an hour of matches this season represented another Premier League benchmark, but their familiar frailties were also on show before that period was out.

While forcing Spurs back suited Arteta's game plan, it also played into the visitors' hands.

Tottenham lead the league in direct attacks in 2022-23, and the first in a series of rapid counters ended with a rash challenge from Gabriel on Richarlison and a Spurs penalty.

No fixture in Premier League history has seen more spot-kicks, and when Harry Kane coolly converted, it marked his fourth consecutive goal from the spot at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal were suddenly struggling, with only the imperious William Saliba stemming the tide, and in need of the mentality Conte had lauded.

Yet the Spurs coach had also identified the cause of this shift, citing the importance of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus – "two players who are used to winning" – arriving from City.

Zinchenko was fit to start, while Jesus was refreshed after missing out on the Brazil squad and vowing to "improve" in a bid to earn a World Cup recall.

Arsenal's number nine attempted a game-high four shots – all of them after Spurs had equalised – and there was no surprise when he was the man on hand to prod in a vital second after Hugo Lloris twice failed to gather in front of his goal line.

With Arsenal this time determined not to shoot themselves in the foot, it was Tottenham's turn to lose their composure, seeing Emerson Royal sent off for a poor challenge on Gabriel Martinelli and failing to track the rejuvenated Granit Xhaka as he ran through to add the clinching third.

Coasting thereafter, a partying Emirates crowd welcomed Arsenal's first win against 'big six' opposition this season – key, surely, to hopes to turn a strong start into a genuine title challenge.

Maybe success against City or Liverpool – teams Arteta has beaten only once in 10 combined attempts – will be required to turn the doubters into believers, for the Arsenal manager has now won each of his first three league matches at home to Spurs and had not until now looked like leading a team into contention.

But given the manner in which last season ended, given the self-inflicted adversity before half-time, this 3-1 Arsenal victory could not been as anything other than a significant step forward.

"It's the nicest game of the season by a mile," Arteta said on Friday. Little over 24 hours later, unlike in May, it felt like it.

Second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka fired Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 3-1 win over 10-man Tottenham in an entertaining North London Derby on Saturday.

Arsenal were rewarded for a bright start when Thomas Partey produced a stunning long-range finish after 20 minutes, but Harry Kane swiftly levelled with a penalty.

The impressive Gunners hit the front again when Jesus bundled home following Hugo Lloris' mistake, and Tottenham's hopes of a comeback were dashed when Emerson Royal was sent off. 

Xhaka then drilled into the bottom-right corner as Mikel Arteta's rampant side moved four points clear of Manchester City and consigned their fierce rivals to a first Premier League defeat of the season.

Both goalkeepers were called into action during a lively start, with Lloris tipping Gabriel Martinelli's fierce volley onto his right-hand post before Aaron Ramsdale clawed Richarlison's effort away from the bottom-right corner.

Arsenal enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and took a deserved lead when Partey curled an excellent first-time strike into the top-right corner from outside the area.

But the Gunners contrived to gift Tottenham an equaliser after 31 minutes, with Kane stroking home his 44th London derby goal from the penalty spot after Gabriel Magalhaes clumsily felled Richarlison.

Arsenal required just four minutes of the second half to move back into the lead, as Lloris pushed Bukayo Saka's tame shot straight to Jesus, who gratefully prodded home.

Jesus missed a good chance to extend Arsenal's lead when he failed to convert a header three minutes later, but Spurs' task was made far more difficult when Emerson saw red for a reckless challenge on Martinelli.

Emerson's dismissal allowed Arsenal to push forward in search of a third goal, and they made the points safe when Xhaka fired a low finish beyond Lloris from inside the box.

Mikel Arteta expects Arsenal to benefit from Gabriel Jesus' absence from the Brazil squad as he hopes to show Tite what he is missing before the World Cup.

Arsenal are top of the Premier League ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham on Saturday, but none of their three senior Brazilian stars were called up by the Selecao last month.

Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Jesus had all been part of Tite's squad during the previous international window in June.

Yet they now face a race against time to prove themselves before Qatar 2022, which kicks off next month.

Jesus was a particularly surprising omission, having scored four goals and assisted another three in seven league appearances since joining Arsenal in July.

But Arteta revealed a determined response from his number nine, telling reporters of Jesus: "He's incredibly humble.

"He accepted the decision and the way he trained, it was just: 'Okay, I need to improve. I need to get better. I need to do more. I really want to be there [at the World Cup], it's a big aspiration for me, it's an incredible opportunity. And I'm in the right place to do that.'

"So, I think we will see that on the pitch again."

At international level, Jesus appears to be in direct competition with Spurs striker Richarlison, who has hit form at the right time with seven goals in his past six outings for Brazil.

Jesus is set to come up against him this weekend, but Arteta says his striker cannot be concerned by how others fare.

"He can only control what he can do. He cannot control what other players do," the Arsenal manager said. "And he's only focusing on that.

"So, he has ambition. We know that he plays with incredible commitment. And [on Saturday] he will play that way."

Saturday's North London derby carries greater significance than usual, with unprecedented bragging rights available for Tottenham against Arsenal.

The Gunners' standing at the top of the Premier League marks the first occasion since December 2007 that the two sides have faced off against each other with one of them top of the league.

And a Spurs victory would mark the first time in top-flight history that a win in the derby results in one side replacing the other at the summit.

Both teams are in stellar form so far in the 2022-23 campaign, with Arsenal's only blip coming in a defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, while Spurs stand alongside Manchester City as the only teams yet to taste defeat this term.

Mikel Arteta and Antonio Conte have more than steadied their respective ships since taking charge, but all managers have a stern challenge this campaign due to the World Cup, with the end of the international break beginning a seven-week countdown until the first fixture in Qatar.

Building momentum before the season pauses will therefore be vital, and both sides will look to their leading forwards to drive them, though the players differ as one has an established record while the other is at the start of their derby journey.

Kane's killer edge

Tottenham striker Harry Kane is well renowned for his goalscoring prowess and few have experienced it first hand as much as Arsenal, with the England skipper scoring 13 times in the Premier League against the Gunners – more than any other player in the competition's history.

That tally includes a brace against Arteta's side in a 3-0 victory in May, a result which altered the course of the top-four battle and ultimately resulted in Spurs' place in the Champions League and Arsenal's continued absence from the top-tier of European football.

Defending against Spurs, and Kane, has been a clear problem in recent years, with six of the forward's 13 goals in North London derbies coming from the penalty spot, and he will fancy his chances against an Arsenal side who continue to have issues at the back.

While the season has yielded six wins in seven matches for Arsenal, clean sheets have been an issue with the Gunners yet to secure one at the Emirates Stadium in 2022-23 amid an eight-game sequence at home failing to keep the opposition at bay.

If Arsenal do manage to keep Kane quiet, Son Heung-min provides another huge threat.

Son will be encouraged after ending his early season drought with a stunning hat-trick as a substitute against Leicester City prior to the international break.

He has been involved in six goals in his last five against the Gunners (four goals, two assists), though only one of those has been on Arsenal soil.

Jesus takes the wheel

With Spurs possessing two players with an established record of causing Arsenal problems, Arteta will hope to rely on Gabriel Jesus to begin his own streak in his first north London derby appearance.

The Brazil forward has swiftly become an integral part of Arteta's squad, contributing four goals and three assists in his first seven Premier League appearances, though the Gunners are waiting on him to prove himself as a big-game player in his early days at the club.

While at City, Jesus failed to score in nine derby appearances against Manchester United and found the net just once against Tottenham – but he was never the leading man for Pep Guardiola, in contrast to his role at Arsenal.

Jesus' predecessors at Arsenal had decent form against Spurs, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having four goals in seven derby appearances and Alexandre Lacazette scoring four in nine, highlighting a void that the Gunners need filling.

Arsenal may have shared scoring responsibility this season, Jesus with four while Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have three, but it is their big-money recruit who needs to deliver on Saturday to deny Spurs and Kane a memorable result.

Tottenham forward Lucas Moura has been hugely impressed by compatriot Gabriel Jesus following his excellent start to life at Arsenal.

The two Brazilians will face off in Saturday's north London derby, which carries additional importance as a win for Antonio Conte's Spurs side would see them leapfrog the Gunners to go top of the Premier League.

To secure a win, Spurs will need to keep Jesus at bay, which might be far from an easy task considering he has scored four goals and contributed three assists in seven league appearances since joining from Manchester City.

While the pair will be rivals on Saturday, Moura has been impressed by how striker Jesus has excelled up to now in Mikel Arteta's side.

"The kid started to score and doesn't stop. First on the personal side, on the friendship side, I'm very happy for him. He is a very deserving boy, of great quality," Moura told Stats Perform.

"He left a big club and went to Arsenal, and he's doing very well there. The whole team is doing very well. Arsenal has been playing very well. Without a doubt, it will be a very good match for the fans to watch."

The clash at Emirates Stadium presents a stern test for Spurs, with the Gunners winning their last two at home against Spurs, but Moura is confident his side can compete for a win.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 11 against Spurs at home in the Premier League, since a 3-2 loss in November 2010, but Spurs sense a chance to end that long wait for derby away-day success.

"It's going to be a very interesting game and we have to prepare well. It's a direct fight, against a rival, so it's going to be a tough game," Moura said. "Even more so at their stadium. But I think we have the quality to get there and fight for the three points.

"It's the kind of match that every player likes to play, every fan likes to watch, full of Brazilians on the pitch, and we'll see what happens."

Gabriel Jesus dedicated his celebration for Arsenal against Brentford to Vinicius Junior after the Real Madrid winger was subject to a comment with apparent racist undertones from a Spanish football agent.

Pedro Bravo has drawn much criticism after comments on El Chiringuito with apparent racist connotations, telling Vinicius to stop dancing "to respect your mates and stop playing the monkey".

Numerous Brazil stars defended the Madrid attacker, with Pele, Neymar, Bruno Guimaraes and Jesus leaping to Vinicius' defence – the Newcastle United midfielder saying Bravo should be "jailed".

Jesus paid his own tribute to Vinicius after scoring in the 3-0 win over Brentford on Sunday, running to the corner flag and opting to dance instead of his usual 'phone rings' celebration.

The Brazil forward confirmed to Sky Sports after victory at the Brentford Community Stadium that his celebration was for his international team-mate.

"The celebration was for my guy Vinicius Junior, it needs to stop and it was for him," he said.

Jesus has now been involved in seven Premier League goals this season (4G, 3A), with only Manchester City's Erling Haaland (12) boasting more in the competition.

Indeed, no Arsenal player has ever had more combined goals and assists through their first seven Premier League appearances (level with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang), and Jesus hailed the performance.

"From the start we showed what we want to do in the game, create chances and score. That is what I believe we did," he added.

"[Granit Xhaka] found me for the goal and I am so happy to play with him, he is an intelligent and quality player."

Arsenal returned to the Premier League summit with the triumph over their London rivals, one point clear of Manchester City and Tottenham, and Xhaka believes his side are a different team this season.

"We have a different mentality this season. We kept going and are training like we play and have class with the players that can make a difference," Xhaka said.

"You have the class in the front and they make the difference. I am more than happy we are in a good way but we have a long way to go."

Arsenal returned to the Premier League summit with a dominant 3-0 victory at Brentford, where Fabio Vieira scored on his first league start on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta's side saw their winning start ended by defeat at Manchester United in their previous league match, but they responded in emphatic fashion to move a point clear of Manchester City and Tottenham.

First-half goals from William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus put Arsenal in control, before Vieira – in for the injured Martin Odegaard – added a brilliant third after the interval.

With the points safe, Ethan Nwaneri, aged just 15 years and 181 days, became the youngest player in Premier League history as he appeared from the Arsenal bench for the closing stages.

Gabriel Martinelli slipped to spurn a glorious chance inside two minutes, but Arsenal soon punished Brentford for a timid start with two goals in quick succession.

Saliba met Bukayo Saka's corner with a near-post glance, which bounced off David Raya's right post and over the line before the goalkeeper could react, and then Jesus nodded in from Granit Xhaka's left-wing cross.

Saka and Kieran Tierney both fired off target from presentable opportunities, while Bryan Mbuemo flicked wide at the other end as Arsenal dominated the first half.

Vieira marked his full debut by whipping past Raya and in off the post from outside the area four minutes after the break.

Ivan Toney volleyed just over from an inventive free-kick routine, before Raya expertly denied a fizzing Jesus drive and a curling Saka effort as Brentford rarely threatened an unlikely comeback.

What does it mean? Arsenal banish Brentford demons

Arsenal were off the pace in their Premier League opener last season, losing 2-0 to newly promoted Brentford, but they banished those demons on Sunday.

The Bees had lost just one of their previous 17 top-flight London derbies at home yet proved no match for an in-form Arsenal, who picked up their sixth win in seven league games.

While Tottenham and Liverpool may prove tougher tasks in their next two league matches, Arsenal laid down another marker despite injury problems for the absent Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Super Saka

Saka continued his fine form for Arsenal as he laid on two assists to move to 37 goal involvements in the Premier League for the Gunners (18 goals, 19 assists).

That moved him clear of Nicolas Anelka (35) for the most Arsenal goal contributions in the competition while aged 21 or under, with Cesc Fabregas (63) the only player to tally more.

Timid Toney

Toney was handed a maiden England call-up this week after scoring five and assisting two more in just six league games – only Erling Haaland (12) has managed more goal involvements in the Premier League.

But the Brentford striker failed to leave his mark in this seventh match, not registering a single shot on target and completing only eight passes in a quiet showing against Saliba and Gabriel.

What's next?

Arsenal have the upcoming international break to prepare for the visit of Tottenham on October 1, when Brentford visit Bournemouth.

Todd Boehly's suggestion for the creation of a Premier League 'All-Star' game attracted plenty of ridicule, but he certainly can't be accused of a lack of vision or creativity.

The new Chelsea co-owner – and chairman and interim sporting director – was speaking at a conference on Tuesday when he proposed the Premier League 'Americanised' (or should that be 'Americanized'?) itself a bit.

A relegation play-off tournament between the bottom four teams was one idea; but the other, which attracted most of the headlines, was for a North v South 'All-Star' game, pointing out Major League Baseball (MLB) in his native United States made $200million from such an event this year.

A potential Premier League 'All-Stars' game was the talk of football media on Tuesday, so at Stats Perform we decided to have a look at who might line up for the North and South.

It was decided the north-south cut-off point would see Nottingham Forest qualify for the North, ensuring each All-Stars team had 10 clubs to select from.

First up, we have unrestricted squads, so essentially the very best teams possible; then, we have squads that are limited to three players from each club and every single Premier League must have at least a single player selected. So, without any further ado, let's see who made the cut…

NORTH ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-3-3: Ederson (Manchester City); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Rodri (Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Luis Diaz (Liverpool).

SUBS: Alisson (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Fabinho (Liverpool), Casemiro (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

You knew the starting XI was going to look like that even before reading, didn't you? Manchester City and Liverpool obviously dominated the first team here, but it feels difficult to argue with almost any selection here.

The goalkeeper choice was probably the toughest, but only because Ederson and Alisson are both so strong and simultaneously significantly better than any other eligible shot stoppers in terms of their all-round game – Ederson ultimately got the nod owing to 13 more clean sheets over the past three-and-a-bit years, but either could've got the gig.

Similarly in defence, many of the North's options pick themselves. The centre-backs, Van Dijk and Dias, have each won the Premier League Player of the Season award in the past four years, while Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have at least 12 most assists than any other defender since the start of the 2019-20 season.

While the defence had a distinctively Liverpool look to it, City dominate the midfield because… well, they tend to dominate the midfield. Rodri provides the control and defensive protection, while Foden and De Bruyne can wreak havoc going forward and towards the flanks.

Salah and Haaland were obvious picks in attack. The Egyptian has been involved in 96 goals (66 scored, 30 assisted) since the start of the 2019-20 season, more than anyone else, while Haaland is arguably the most in-form striker in world football, having already netted 12 times in seven games for City.

Luis Diaz was perhaps the most uncertain one, but he's quickly become a key figure at Liverpool. His ability to cut inside or head for the byline makes him an unpredictable asset, and he's something of a double threat in terms of goals and creativity.

Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance on the bench owes much to his solid goal-scoring form last season.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-2-3-1: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); Declan Rice (West Ham), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham); Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal).

SUBS: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Jorginho (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

This team has it all. A World Cup-winning goalkeeper, a defence with an ideal blend of youth and experience, a combative midfield and four world-class attackers.

Lloris gets the nod in net. He's been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league since his arrival from Lyon 10 years ago, and based on Opta's expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded metric, Lloris has prevented 3.8 goals since the start of the 2020-21 season, significantly better than his South All-Stars back-up, Chelsea's Edouard Mendy (-3.8).

Chelsea star James is the right-back, with his 16 goal contributions (six goals, 10 assists) since the start of last season topping the charts for a defender. Koulibaly and Romero are a formidable centre-back pairing, while Zinchenko has four Premier League titles to his name from his time at Manchester City.

James and Zinchenko are brilliant attacking full-backs, but the defence will need screening, and that is where Kante and Rice come into their own. Both super ball-winners, Kante's relentless energy will be complemented by Rice's ability on the ball, as he has demonstrated at West Ham.

That midfield protection will be needed, with a four-pronged attack ready to lay waste to the North's defence.

Sterling might not have made a flying start at Chelsea but is the best pick on the right wing, with Son – who shared the league's golden boot award last season – on the opposite wing. Kane will play a slightly deeper role, behind Jesus, who has had more touches in the opposition box (66), attempted more dribbles (34), more dribbles in the box (8) and won more fouls (21) than any other player in the Premier League this season.

NORTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-2-3-1: Jordan Pickford (Jordan Pickford); Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Vigil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Pedro Neto (Wolves); Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

SUBS: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Diego Carlos (Aston Villa), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest), James Maddison (Leicester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Jack Harrison (Leeds United), Antony Gordon (Everton), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

Our self-imposed restrictions of no more than three players from a given team gives the North All-Stars a distinctly different feel – nevertheless, Van Dijk, Dias, Robertson, De Bruyne, Salah and Haaland retain their places, for obvious reasons.

Probably the biggest casualty is Alexander-Arnold, but the North benefits from having another excellent forward-thinking option at right-back in Trippier, while Jordan Pickford starts between the posts – David de Gea was another option here, but the England international is better with his feet.

Bruno Guimaraes comes into the midfield, offering a valuable combination of bite and craft, while Fernandes will take up the number 10 position with De Bruyne dropping a little deeper – this shouldn't stifle the team's creativity too much given the Belgian is the only player with more chances created (239) than Fernandes (224) since the latter's Premier League debut.

The other new face in attack is Pedro Neto. Perhaps a wildcard choice, but the Portugal international is an exciting winger with lots of pace and trickery. While Salah will cut in off the opposite flank, Neto looks to get crosses into the box, and that could be an effective route to goal knowing the predatory instincts Haaland has.

Again, Ronaldo is held back in reserve.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-3-3: Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Declan Rice (West Ham), Mason Mount (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham).

SUBS: Neto (Bournemouth), Ben Mee (Brentford), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

Robert Sanchez has been a standout performer for Brighton under the now Chelsea boss Graham Potter, and he replaces Lloris now the restrictions have come into play. He has kept 24 league clean sheets since making his debut in November 2020, which trails only four other goalkeepers.

James, Romero and Zinchenko all keep their places in defence, though Koulibaly does not. He makes way for Joachim Andersen, who has been excellent since signing for Crystal Palace in 2021.

We have switched to a midfield three for this side, with Rice staying in the team but playing a deeper, anchoring role. Alongside him are two new faces in the form of England team-mates Ward-Prowse and Mount. Both provide energy and creativity in abundance.

Ward-Prowse's set-piece quality – no midfielder has scored more goals or created more chances from set plays since the start of last season as the Southampton captain – is a huge threat, while Mount has contributed to 21 league goals since the beginning of 2021-22.

Jesus is the unlucky striker to drop out of the starting XI, though he is on the bench, with Sterling, Kane and Son leading the line.

Brazil coach Tite has announced a 26-man squad for the friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia, the team's final games before the World Cup in Qatar.

Defensive duo Bremer and Roger Ibanez, who play in Italy with Juventus and Roma respectively, are the new faces in the squad who could earn international debuts.

Established names including Alisson, Thiago Silva, Casemiro and Neymar make the cut, with the squad predominantly consisting of those playing in Europe.

Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton and Flamengo duo Everton Ribeiro and Pedro are the three from the Brazilian league included, along with 11 representatives from the Premier League and six from LaLiga.

Among the notable absentees are Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom were in the last squad from June, and 124-cap full-back Dani Alves.

Brazil face Ghana in Le Havre on September 23 before tackling Tunisia four days later in Paris.

Brazil squad: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras); Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Danilo, Alex Sandro, Bremer (all Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Alex Telles (Sevilla), Ibanez (Roma); Casemiro, Fred (both Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Fabinho (Liverpool), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United); Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo (both Real Madrid), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Richarlison (Tottenham), Antony (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid), Pedro (Flamengo).

Gabriel Jesus believes Arsenal will come back stronger after seeing their perfect start to the Premier League campaign halted by Manchester United on Sunday.

Arsenal dominated for long periods but were unable to win their first six games of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 1947-48, as Marcus Rashford followed up Antony's debut goal with a second-half brace to clinch a 3-1 win for the Red Devils.

The Gunners, who briefly got back on level terms through Bukayo Saka on the hour mark, have now won just one of their last 16 Premier League games at Old Trafford (five draws, 10 losses).

But Arsenal remain top of the early Premier League standings, and Jesus believes they will take valuable lessons from the reverse.

"The feeling is frustration because we play, we control the game and [before] the first two goals we concede, we were better than the opponent - and then we just concede," he said. 

"But now is the time to learn from it and improve. We are doing so well this season but there are still things to improve for everyone, as individuals and as a team.

"Everyone is together and we stick together until the end.

"We came to play against a strong opponent and it's always hard, it's the Premier League. 

"So we are not happy because, in my opinion, we could win because we played so much better. But that's football, they have quality as well and then if you don't go there and kill, you are going to have a big problem – and that's what happened."

Remarkably, given Jesus has now faced United in 10 Premier League games, the Red Devils are one of just three sides he has faced in the competition but not scored against, alongside Cardiff City and Brentford. 

With Mikel Arteta leading Arsenal's youthful side to the club's joint-best Premier League start since 2004-05, when they took 16 points from their first six outings (also getting 15 points in 2013-14), Jesus believes they will still improve further.

"If you look at our team, you can see we are still young. It is the youngest team in the league, in the toughest league of the world," he added.

"We are playing so good and then we play against an opponent, who is young as well, but we have to learn from it. 

"We have to stick together and improve as a team and don't think about this one. This one is gone, no one is perfect. No team in the world is perfect and we have to play to try to score and don't concede. 

"That's football and we are doing this, but sometimes the opponent has quality as well. They come and they can score. Now it is our challenge to improve a lot of things, and come back strong."

Arsenal travel to FC Zurich in the Europa League on Thursday before hosting Everton in the Premier League three days later.

Erling Haaland continued his incredible start to life in the Premier League with a record-setting treble in Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

The Norway international made it two hat-tricks in the space of five days – and a perfect one at that, with his right foot, left foot and head – in City's latest statement victory.

Meanwhile, Liverpool left it late to see off Newcastle United 2-1 at Anfield.

There were goals and drama elsewhere on Wednesday, too, and Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest: Haaland makes history

Haaland now has nine goals in five Premier League games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund – the best start of any player in the competition's history at this stage.

He surpassed the record of eight goals previously held by Micky Quinn and City great Sergio Aguero, the man he is effectively replacing at the Etihad Stadium.

The prolific striker is just the seventh player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back games in the competition and the first since Harry Kane did so for Tottenham in December 2017.

Fellow newbie Julian Alvarez also scored twice, while Joao Cancelo netted the other as City bagged five or more goals in a league game for the 32nd time under Pep Guardiola.

That accounts for 14 per cent of City's games under the Catalan coach in the competition, with that tally more than twice as many as any other side over that period (Liverpool, 15).

The only side to have exceeded the 18 goals City have scored after five games of a Premier League season were Manchester United, who had 21 to their name at this stage 11 years ago.

Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle United: Carvalho the late hero

Newcastle led with an hour played at Anfield, only for Roberto Firmino to level and Fabio Carvalho to fire home in the 98th minute to snatch all three points for Liverpool.

That was the 40th winning Premier League goal scored by Liverpool in the 90th minute or later – the most of any side – with three of those coming in this fixture.

Timed at 97 minutes and nine seconds, it was Liverpool's latest goal in the top flight since Dirk Kuyt's penalty against Arsenal in April 2011 (101:48).

Alexander Isak had earlier given Newcastle the lead with a debut goal, making him the sixth Swedish player to net on his Premier League bow.

Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa: Martinelli keeps Gunners perfect

Arsenal dug deep to overcome Villa and make it five wins in a row to begin a league campaign for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when they went on to finish second.

Gabriel Jesus steered Arsenal ahead for his sixth goal involvement in his first five Premier League outings for the club, breaking Mesut Ozil's previous record of five.

Douglas Luiz equalised directly from a corner, but Arsenal hit back just 151 seconds later through Gabriel Martinelli, who converted Bukayo Saka's cross.

That was Saka's 17th Premier League assist – only Cesc Fabregas (38), Wayne Rooney (22) and Michael Owen (18) had more before turning 21.

West Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Soucek denies Spurs

Tottenham could not see out a lead at London Stadium as they were denied the chance to make their best start to a Premier League season after five games.

Thilo Kehrer turned a Harry Kane delivery into his own net, with that a league-high seventh own goal scored by West Ham since the start of the 2020-21 season.

Tomas Soucek levelled for West Ham with his 19th Premier League goal, each of those coming from inside the 18-yard box.

That strike was assisted by Michail Antonio on his 200th league appearance for West Ham, whose tally of two goals after five games is their fewest since 1994-95 (one).

While Spurs could not hold on for the win, they are unbeaten after five games in the competition for only the third time, having previously done so in 2004-05 and 2016-17.

Gabriel Martinelli got the winner as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1 to maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.

Douglas Luiz's goal direct from a corner – the Brazil international's second such strike this term – had cancelled out compatriot Gabriel Jesus' first-half opener at Emirates Stadium.

Emiliano Martinez was at fault for Jesus' goal and despite a number of fine saves, attracted the blame again for Martinelli's strike three minutes after Villa's equaliser.

Playing against his former club, Martinez flapped at Martinelli's volley as Arsenal ensured they won five in a row to start a top-flight campaign for only the fourth time in the club's history.

Martinez was on hand to deny Jesus inside ten minutes before a Martin Odegaard effort was blocked by Tyrone Mings.

A deserved Arsenal opener came in the 30th minute – Granit Xhaka's driven cross deflecting off Ezri Konsa and, with Martinez only able to fumble the ball into the path of Jesus, who smashed home.

Villa came out with more purpose in the second half and found the equaliser in remarkable fashion, substitute Douglas Luiz scoring direct from a corner with only his second touch as Aaron Ramsdale's appeals for a foul fell on deaf ears.

But Arsenal's response was swift, Bukayo Saka's right-wing cross finding Martinelli, whose volley had too much power for the scrambling Martinez, inflicting Steven Gerrard's side to a fourth defeat from their five league matches, with Villa fortunate that Arsenal passed up a pair of late chances to further their lead.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta confirming he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.