Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become the player to have scored the most goals against Tottenham Hotspur since 2016, when he first opened his account against the Gunners’ North London rivals, with a strike in Sunday’s derby triumph.
The Gabon international notched his eighth goal in his 12th appearance against Spurs on Sunday as Mikel Arteta’s side secured a 3-1 win in the North London derby.
Five years after he scored the opening goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 thrashing of Tottenham, no player has found the back of the net more than the 2015 African Footballer of the Year against Spurs in the intervening period.
He scored four goals against the North London club while he was at Dortmund and the other four goals have come at Arsenal.
Shortly after Emile Smith Rowe gave Arsenal a flying start at the Emirates Stadium, Aubameyang doubled the lead for Mikel Arteta’s side in the 27th minute.
Bukayo Saka later sealed the fine start for the hosts in the 34th minute but Heung-Min Son reduced the deficit for Tottenham in the 79th minute.
Although he has five goals across all competitions, Aubameyang’s effort on Sunday was only his second league goal of the season after five outings.
Arsenal have now won three Premier League games in a row, and with victory, climbed to the 10th spot in the league table with nine points after six matches.
Two days ago, Aubameyang recalled his first outing in the North London derby when he got a goal in Arsenal’s 4-2 come back win in December 2018.
He said : “It was just amazing. The way we came back from 2-1 down was brilliant. The crowd was so loud – they gave us so much energy. I remember when Lucas Torreira made it 4-2 and everyone just went crazy. It’s a really good memory of mine.
“Leaving the stadium was a crazy experience too. I remember driving home and stopping at a red light, right in front of a bar full of Arsenal fans. They were outside the pub singing my song, and that was really cool. It brings a lot of joy to me when I bring happiness to people.”
Aubameyang and his African teammates will aim to help Arsenal continue their winning run in the Premier League when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on October 2 before the international break.
