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Arsenal approach stops Spurs, Madrid derby helps Barcelona, Juventus slump

Related Topics: Arsenal F.C., Shkodran Mustafi

Never mine those Arsenal/Tottenham combined XIs that were all the rage or that Arsene Wenger's sporting obituary has been written many times over; Saturday's North London derby was a reminder that fitness matters and tactics matter and that, while Mesut Ozil may be inconsistent, when he's on a high he's a difference-maker.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino pointed out that Arsenal's first goal shouldn't have counted and he's right: It wasn't a free kick to begin with and scorer Shkodran Mustafi was marginally offside. But that doesn't quite explain the second half and the way Tottenham struggled to react when two goals down.