Arsenal host Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, with both sides’ unbeaten record at steak when referee Robert Jones takes charge of the fixture

Gabriel Jesus may not be happy to see Robert Jones on Sunday when the referee takes charge of the north London derby.

Arsenal host Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon in what promises to be a hugely exciting encounter. Both clubs have made strong starts to their Premier League seasons and are unbeaten, on 13 points after five matches.

Tension will be high this weekend as Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou look to maintain their strong momentum. And, with it being a feisty derby, the referee is likely to be front and centre of the occasion.

Jones has been appointed to oversee the fixture, with Lee Betts and Wade Smith as his assistants, Michael Salisbury as fourth official and Paul Tierney as VAR. Arsenal striker Jesus will remember Jones after having a chat with the referee following a frustrating 1-1 draw at Southampton in October 2022.

Jesus thought he should have been awarded a penalty after clashing with Saints centre-back Duje Caleta-Car. He saw his appeal waved away by Jones, who later explained his decision to Jesus.

“I spoke with him straight after, and he said, ‘if you go down before, maybe I can give a penalty’,” Jesus told reporters at St Mary’s. “But I think I was fair. I tried to hold and keep standing and tried to finish the action, but in the end, he grabbed me, and it was impossible, so I go down normally.

“But that is not the reason why we don’t win the game, and we had a lot of chances.”

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Caleta-Car was clumsy in the tackle, putting his hands on Jesus and going through the Arsenal star to get the ball. Nevertheless, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher agreed with Jones’ on-field decision.

“Tough call, I think tangle of legs, coming together, call it what you like,” he said when reviewing that weekend’s decisions. “It’s untidy, but it seems a little bit unfair when you see the Southampton player does get the ball there to say it’s a foul, you know.

“People say, ‘well he still catches him afterwards’, he does play the ball, but he is clumsy, and the pair of them are both going for the ball. So I’d side with the referee.”

Jesus will be hoping to return to the Arsenal starting XI against Tottenham after Arteta picked Eddie Nketiah ahead of him for the trip to Everton on Sunday. Jesus is now back to full fitness, but is not guaranteed a place in Arteta’s team.

Asked about the decision to pick £27m summer signing Raya ahead of normal No1 Aaron Ramsdale, Arteta gave an impassioned answer which suggested he will rotate his squad frequently this season.

“The same rationale that Fabio played here or Eddie played instead of Gabriel Jesus,” he said. “I haven’t had a single question on why Gabriel Jesus hasn’t started. He’s won more trophies than anyone, including me, in that dressing room, but they don’t.”