THERE is much we could say about Arsenal’s simple triumph at Spurs on Sunday but there probably isn’t anybody left who hasn’t been informed in variously creative ways over the past few days that “north London is red”.

It slips off the tongue better than “north London is white”, and leaves no room for confusion.

The Gunners may well fall short of winning the league title this season – so thin are their options on the substitutes’ bench – but we will always have the panicked faces of the Spurs supporters we saw this weekend. They watched Sunday’s match and have worried themselves senseless that it could at least happen.

And we can’t unsee those worry lines, those furrowed brows, the tense shoulders. Spurs fans are more worried about their old rivals winning the Premier League than Arsenal fans are confident about actually collecting the trophy. St Totteringham’s Day was the real target.

These unnerved Lilywhites are gripped by fear and can only muster the most subdued choruses of their fading song about Arsenal playing on Thursday nights.

Possibly they had not quite realised how slick Martin Odegaard is in midfield, how combative Thomas Partey can be and how dangerous Bukayo Saka is until it was all on fine display in the echoing silence of their new stadium.

They probably don’t watch Arsenal every week, and I don’t watch all of Spurs’ matches – so I had a surprise too.

Were you aware Tottenham are still fielding Hugo Lloris as captain, depriving Harry Kane of not only a transfer away but the armband he deserves? The fact they are fielding Lloris at all remains a puzzler.

What was more illuminating for an outside observer however was learning just how boring Spurs are now under Antonio Conte. They have the big stadium, some talented players but are serving up such a dull brand of football.

Arsenal had a fair case to answer when the same accusation was made about them under George Graham many years ago, but at least his team won two league titles. Conte, a serial winner everywhere else he’s been, looks bored with his own choices at Spurs.

The most sensible thing for Tottenham to do would surely be to itch the scratch and bring back Mauricio Pochettino, who never seems to take a new job just in case the regular vacancy comes up at his old club again. He has puppy eyes for Spurs. There was even one season where he had Arsenal fans fearing that Tottenham might win their first league title since 1961 [note to editors, this is the correct date].

But then their chairman Daniel Levy saved the day, as he so often does, and sacked him.