Stuart Pearce proposes that the north London derby be played in the United States

Stuart Pearce has proposed that the north London derby be staged in the United States in the future.

Arsenal claimed bragging rights over their neighbours Tottenham with a 3-1 win at the Emirates on Saturday.

Thomas Partey put Arsenal ahead with a brilliant strike before Harry Kane levelled for Spurs from the penalty spot.

Gabriel Jesus restored the home side's lead before Tottenham were reduced to 10 men when Emerson Royal was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.

Granit Xhaka added a third for Arsenal to seal the win, with the Gunners moving four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

It was another enthralling north London derby, a fixture which rarely fails to live up to its billing.

Speaking ahead of the match, former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce proposed that the derby – and other major Premier League fixtures – could be staged abroad to help boost the profile of the league.

Arsenal beat Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday (Image: Alamy)

In 2008, former FA chief executive Richard Scudamore, put forward the idea that an extra round of Premier League games could be staged outside of England.

However, the proposals faced widespread criticism and were later rejected by the FA.

While Pearce is not in favour of the '39^th game', he supports the idea of playing Premier League games outside of the UK.

"I'm against a 39th game but I’m in favour of a 38th game," Pearce told talkSPORT.

"I wouldn't want the extra game but within the calendar if you want to take one to a neutral ground somewhere.

"You take a fixture out the calendar – Spurs v Arsenal – whichever one it may be, and go and play it in the [United] States.

Stuart Pearce believes the north London derby, and other major fixtures, could be staged abroad (Image: Alamy)

"All our teams go to America, Australia and the far east in pre-season to spread the word of the Premier League and endorse the financial incomes of the football club.

"Unless we try these things we don’t know whether they'll work or not. There's a Qatar World cup mid-season and everyone thinks it won't work. Well what evidence are you basing your statements on, none at all?

"You trial it and see if it works. Some of the fans might utilise it as a holiday and go to New York."

Do you agree with Pearce? Let us know your thoughts.

Topics: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, Premier League

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan