Tottenham manager Antonio Conte expressed his surprise at the north London derby being called off last weekend as he labelled the Premier League's decision 'strange'.
Top-flight officials accepted the Gunners request to postpone the tantalising showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Sportsmail exclusively revealed a day earlier that the depleted Gunners had filed an application for the clash with bitter rivals Spurs to be cancelled.
They had at least a dozen players unavailable because of positive Covid cases, injuries, suspension and international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.