Tottenham Hotspur suffered an embarrassing 3-1 defeat away to North London rivals Arsenal in a spineless display.

Nuno Espírito Santo will be furious in the way his side performed against one of the worst-performing Arsenal teams in years.

Within 30 minutes of the opening half, Spurs found themselves 3-0 down to their fierce rivals, with goals coming from Emile Smith-Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Bukayo Saka.

Nuno’s tactics and lineup selections will be scrutinised, with his midfield choice of Dele Ali, Tanguy Ndombele, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg pedestrian throughout the first half.

Hackney Gazette: Tottenham Hotspur's Tanguy Ndombele (left) and Arsenal's Thomas Partey battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the Emirates StadiumTottenham Hotspur's Tanguy Ndombele (left) and Arsenal's Thomas Partey battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Their press was ineffective, and it allowed the gunners to control the midfield and play through Spurs, making it easy for the reds to create chances.

Even with possession, Dele and Ndombele struggled to create openings, something fans pointed was uncharacteristic of the latter.

While Nuno Espirito Santos has done well to get Dele playing again, after the midfielder’s tough time under Jose Mourinho, there is a feeling he is being played out of position.

He looks as fit as he has been in recent campaigns and his desire on the pitch cannot be questioned. In this new box-to-box role he has covered a lot of ground and worked hard for the team.

However, the best we’ve seen of Dele has come when we see him operate as a support striker, looking to stretch defences and score all types of goals.

In the Crystal Palace defeat, Nuno opted with a defensive trio, which was too negative in attack, and today he didn’t have the midfield required to get a foothold in the game.

With the style of play Nuno is attempting to implement, which again still seems unclear when you watch Spurs play, he needs to understand his midfield and how best to give it balance.

Question marks over Harry Kane and his commitment remain, as he is still yet to score in the league this season, with Sunday being an afternoon to forget for the Englishman.

Following three London derby defeats in a row, it is paramount Nuno responds to his critics with the performance on the weekend against an in-form Aston Villa side.