A second-half Tottenham Hotspur fightback was in vain as Arsenal survived a monumental scare to triumph 3-2 in Sunday's Premier League North London derby.
The Gunners flaunted their aerial dominance from the off, as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg turned into his own net from a corner, before Bukayo Saka's low finish and Kai Havertz's own header from a set-piece sent Mikel Arteta's men into the break three goals to the good.
It was not for the want of trying for Spurs in the first half, and the hosts came within a goal of pulling off an incredible comeback thanks to Cristian Romero's finish and Son Heung-min's penalty, but Arsenal ultimately came through by the skin of their teeth.
By making it back-to-back away wins over Tottenham for the first time in the Premier League era, Arsenal have temporarily gone four points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, while a spot in the Champions League is now out of fifth-placed Spurs' hands again.
Having passed a major test of their title credentials, the Gunners now prepare for next Saturday's lunchtime kickoff at home to Bournemouth, two days after Tottenham take on Chelsea in another tantalising capital clash at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal dominate Spurs from set-pieces
An unchanged Arsenal side squared up to a Spurs XI boasting three alterations from their thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United, and the Gunners were struggling to retain possession in the earliest exchanges, often losing the ball close to their own penalty box.
Ange Postecoglou's men could not capitalise, though, and after Arsenal had the ball in the back of the net for the first time in the 13th minute - Havertz's strike was disallowed for Martin Odegaard's offside - the set-piece domination began.
Saka's 15th-minute corner was destined to be cut out at the near post, but instead, Hojbjerg - handed an unexpected start - inadvertently headed past a helpless Guglielmo Vicario to propel Arsenal into the lead.
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The men in red kept their celebrations rather curt amid their otherwise sub-par start, though, immediately entering a post-goal huddle, and a Spurs onslaught followed Hojbjerg's unfortunate contribution.
Dead-ball situations were proving the deadliest for both sides - Romero saw a 19th-minute header fly just wide before crashing the post with another aerial effort one moment later - and his centre-back partner Micky van de Ven had seemingly levelled for the hosts in the 22nd minute.
The Dutchman benefitted from a lucky bounce after a deflected shot, and despite Gabriel Magalhaes's protruding backside, Arsenal just about managed to catch Van de Ven offside as Spurs' delight quickly turned to despair.
Clinical Saka matches Ian Wright record
Postecoglou's men continued to huff and puff against a backs-against-the-wall Arsenal, who survived a penalty shout in the 27th minute when Leandro Trossard appeared to clip Dejan Kulusevski, whose will to stay on his feet did him no favours.
Arsenal immediately charged down the other end of the pitch, as Havertz produced a brilliant switch of play out to Saka on the right, and the Englishman cut inside Ben Davies before a trademark curled finish into the bottom corner.
In doing so, Saka became the first English player to score for Arsenal in both North London derbies in a single season since Ian Wright 30 years ago, and things then went from bad to worse for Tottenham, who lost Timo Werner to a suspected hamstring issue just past the half-hour mark.
However, the hosts had bigger problems to solve than an attacking injury, namely their perpetual vulnerabilities from set-pieces, as with 38 minutes gone, Declan Rice's perfect corner into the six-yard box was nodded in by Havertz for Arsenal's third.
The 3-0 scoreline did not tell the full story by any stretch, but as Arsenal ruthlessly put their chances away, Tottenham wasted theirs; Son was the next to squander a promising opening in the 45th minute, ballooning his strike over the bar after being set clear by Pedro Porro's terrific ball over the top.
A moment David Raya will not want to watch back 👀
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 28, 2024
Cristian Romero makes no mistake with the finish! 👇 pic.twitter.com/s2lVnPO8pn
Raya, Rice's blushes spared in gripping finale
Postecoglou had seen enough of Rodrigo Bentancur at half time - bringing on Pape Sarr in his place - but the midfield change did not lead to a change in fortunes for Tottenham, who were cheaply giving the ball away at will at the start of the second half.
Arsenal could and perhaps should have been 4-0 up in the 53rd minute as Havertz's delicate cross set Saka up for a left-footed volley inside the box, but Vicario impressively stuck a foot out to turn the 22-year-old's powerful drive over the top.
Arteta's men were in complete cruise control of the derby, but a goalkeeping gaffe handed Spurs a route back into the contest in the 64th minute, as David Raya's mishit pass fell straight at the feet of Romero, who had charged upfield from the back and made up for earlier misses with a cool finish into the bottom corner.
Raya's howler ensured that Arsenal would not be keeping a seventh consecutive Premier League clean sheet on the road, but the Spaniard was not the only one to make a fatal error inside his own box, as Rice conceded an 84th-minute penalty by catching Davies in the unmentionables.
Michael Oliver immediately waved Spurs appeals but immediately reversed his decision upon a view of the monitor, and even though Raya went the right way, Son's penalty was perfectly placed into the top corner to set up a nerve-jangling finale.
However, the hosts could not fashion any more clear-cut chances in the six minutes of additional time, and an overjoyed and relieved Arsenal crop immediately sprinted over to their fans to celebrate a mesmerising derby success, one which could prove season-defining come May.
Ben Knapton
