Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s exclusion from the North London derby dominated the headlines this weekend, but some ex-footballers and the Mirror's chief football writer believe it was the right decision.

On Sunday, Arsenal welcomed Tottenham to the Emirates, where Mikel Arteta’s side defeated their North London rivals 2-1.

However, in the lead-up to the clash, the Gunners manager revealed that Aubameyang had been dropped to the bench for ‘disciplinary issues’ during his pre-match interview.

It was reported that the Arsenal striker was late to the team meeting and The Athletic have claimed that this isn’t the first incident.

Therefore, Arteta decided to drop him to the bench as a punishment - a huge risk considering the North London derby is the most important fixture on the Arsenal calendar and Aubameyang is the current club captain. 

But the decision was met with approval by former Gunner Lee Dixon.

“Arteta was right to drop Aub in my book. Regardless of the result. The integrity of the team and its values have to be maintained. No one bigger than the group,” Dixon tweeted.

Meanwhile, Michael Owen also reflected on the North London derby on Twitter and had his say on the Aubameyang situation.

“I’d say Arsenal thoroughly deserved their North London derby victory. But their winning goal was never a penalty," Owen shared on social media. 

“Big statement from Arteta. Dropped his best player for disciplinary reasons and still won.”

John Cross, Chief Football Writer for the Daily Mirror, also claimed that Arteta “clearly” made the right decision and highlighted the importance to set a tone that’s respected by the squad.

GIVEMESPORT’s Tom Kelly says…

By dropping Aubameyang to the bench just hours before the North London derby, if this doesn’t send a message about respect to the rest of the Arsenal squad then I don’t know what will.

This decision appeared to be somewhat of a masterstroke by Arteta, as it emphasised the importance of discipline but also that Arsenal can play on without their go-to striker.

Alexandre Lacazette led the line and excelled in Aubameyang’s absence. Just past the hour mark, the Frenchman managed to earn his side a penalty, which he soon converted to provide Arsenal with the winning goal.

But one thing is for sure. While Aubameyang watched an Arsenal side that performed without him on Sunday afternoon, he will certainly think again when it comes to his timekeeping.