It was a victory born out of last season’s frustrations.
Arsenal were so close to securing a top-four finish until their end-of-season collapse which began with defeat in the previous North London derby at Tottenham last May.
Aaron Ramsdale admitted “fires have been burning” in the Arsenal squad ever since and now they find themselves not just pushing for a Champions League place but making a genuine title challenge.
Ramsdale says there is a new “winning mentality” within the group which comes not just from the new players signed in the summer but also a fresh determination to put right what happened last season when Spurs pipped them into fourth.
Gabriel Jesus looks set to become one of the signings of the season after his £45m arrival from Manchester City. Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a revelation.
William Saliba is such an elegant player who oozes class and composure even if his central defensive partner Gabriel has a tendency to make rash decisions.
At the heart of it all is a strong core epitomised by Granit Xhaka, the Arsenal player who looked finished three years ago when he fell out with the Emirates fans and they now sign his name.
The reinvention of Xhaka is perhaps Mikel Arteta’s greatest piece of man management to date and the Arsenal midfielder is a real leader who takes responsibility. He was sensational at the Emirates.
At half time, Xhaka held up his hands in the dressing room to a mistake which led to Gabriel bringing down Richarlison for a penalty which Harry Kane converted. Last season, Arsenal might have lost their heads. This time, they held their nerve and won the game all over again.
Gunners keeper Ramsdale said: “The experiences at the end last season are adding to our team spirit and mentality. It’s not just the lads who have come in who have brought this winning mentality.
“We all have this fire burning inside because of what happened at the end of last season. That is everyone, the day I returned to pre-season, two weeks late through internationals, I came back and the standard of training had increased.
“People demanding more from each other, training is a lot more competitive, there is definitely a mood swing when you lose, there was always certain people who were upset when losing in training but now it is a collective.
“The fans. Anytime something has happened this season – Fulham, Leicester, when we concede a goal – it is like we have scored a goal with the noise the fans are making, it gives us a boost.
“It is a never-say-die attitude, the way I would word it is an ‘f*** it mentality.’ Who cares we have conceded? We have got 10 minutes, 70 minutes, we will play our well. We never run out of time. That is the big thing for us and the manager, we don't stop working.”
Arsenal have played some super stuff this season to go top of the table. But this was unquestionably their best performance to date. They were on the front foot from the start and Thomas Partey’s opener was no more than they deserved.
Even after Kane levelled from the penalty spot - his 14th goal in 18 North London derbies - Arsenal came back brilliantly. Hugo Lloris’ rare mistake let in Jesus to restore Arsenal’s lead.
But the game was over after Emerson Royal was sent off for a poor challenge on Gabriel Martinelli. It looked a harsh red card but Martinelli had been tearing him apart all game, referee Anthony Taylor had no doubt and Spurs were down to ten men and it was damage limitation.
No one deserved a goal more than Xhaka. His finish after find work by Martinelli capped off his man of the match display and Xhaka has now become the unsung hero of this team.
Arsenal now have an inner belief and confidence. They blew fourth place last season, ended up in fifth and Tottenham got ahead of them after smashing Arsenal at White Hart Lane.
Antonio Conte is truly one of the world’s top managers and coaches and yet Arteta is showing he can mix it with and beat the very best.
