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A Martin Odegaard strike in the first half and a second half Alexandre Lacazette penalty helped Arsenal secure a 2-1 Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
The big news in the lead-up to this fixture was the exclusion of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the Arsenal starting lineup owing to a reported disciplinary breach.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho made one change to his side that saw off Crystal Palace comprehensively in their last outing, with Tanguy N'dombele coming in for Harry Winks.
Arsenal dominated the early proceedings and came close to breaking the deadlock when Emile Smith Rowe's strike from distance cannoned off the crossbar.
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Tottenham Hotspur were forced into an early change when Son Heung-Min pulled up with a hamstring injury after chasing a long diagonal ball. Erik Lamela came on in the South Korean's stead, and that prompted a change in formation, with Lucas Moura shifting to the middle.
The visitors broke the deadlock against the run of play when the lively Lamela converted a pass by Lucas Moura with an exquisite goal.
After a crossfield ball by Tottenham Hotspur was sent into the box by Sergi Reguilon, Lucas Moura showed great strength to tee up Lamela. What followed next was a moment of pure genius.
The Argentina international instinctively performed a rabona that went through the crowded box and beyond the despairing dive of Bernd Leno.
The goal is undoubtedly one of the contenders for the 'Goal of the Season' and a potential Puskas Award winner. It also came against the run of play, as Arsenal were dominating proceedings till that point. Lamela's strike was Tottenham Hotspur's first shot of the game, compared to nine for Arsenal.
The Gunners eventually got the goal their dominance deserved, doing so just before the half-time break. Kieran Tierney - who tormented Matt Doherty throughout the game - sent in an exquisite square ball into the box, and Martin Odegaard was on hand to finish, albeit off a big deflection by Toby Alderweireld.
The second half continued in the same fashion, with Arsenal asking all the questions as they struck the post through Cedric after some impressive work down the left flank once again.
Arsenal got a golden opportunity to get ahead for the first time in the match when referee Martin Oliver pointed to the spot after Davidson Sanchez had felled Alexandre Lacazette in the penalty area.
Despite heavy protests from the Tottenham players, the VAR upheld the decision, and Lacazette stepped up to send Hugo Lloris the wrong way and put the hosts ahead.
The combustive Lamela got himself sent off for two bookable offences, which saw Tottenham Hotspur play the final 15 minutes with only ten men.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Tottenham Hotspur dominated proceedings in the final stages and hit the post through Harry Kane's ingenious free-kick. Gabriel produced an excellent block on the goal line to keep out the goal-bound follow-up by Alderweireld.
Nevertheless, Arsenal rode out the storm in the final stages to register their first victory over their city rivals in six attempts. The win was also Mikel Arteta's first against Jose Mourinho either as a player or manager and saw the Gunners reignite their hopes for a top-six finish.
On that note, here are five talking points from the game.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur sweat on Son Heung-Min's fitness
Son Heung-Min has been one of the most important players for Tottenham Hotspur this season, and his telepathic relationship with Harry Kane has proved integral to their play this term.
The 28-year-old has shown a penchant for running off the shoulders of defenders, and his side have looked to exploit this ability of Son with long diagonal balls.
It was a similar case against Arsenal when a long ball was sent behind the hosts' defence. However, it ended in agony for Son, as he immediately went down clutching his hamstring after completing his sprint.
The South Korea international was promptly replaced by Erik Lamela. Although no official word has been given on the severity of his injury, Tottenham Hotspur will hop it's not as serious as first feared.
With games coming thick and fast in the closing stages of the campaign, it is imperative that Jose Mourinho has the full complement of his most important players, and there are not too many who are more integral than Son Heung-Min.
#4 Arsenal register their first North London derby win in three years
Jose Mourinho has a positive record against Arsenal in his managerial career, and he came into this game looking to become the first Tottenham Hotspur manager to win their first three fixtures against Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur were also looking to go six games unbeaten against their great rivals for the first time in their history. When Lamela put the visitors in front with his exquisite strike, it looked like the Lily Whites were set to keep their good run against Arsenal going.
However, a determined performance from Arsenal saw them register all three points, and on the overall balance of play, it was no less than what the Gunners deserved.
The victory marked their first against Tottenham Hotspur since December 2018 when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the driving force behind a 4-2 victory.
#3 Arsenal do not miss Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that his captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was excluded from the starting lineup to face Tottenham Hotspur despite initially being scheduled to lead the attack.
Speaking to Sky Sports in this regard, Arteta had said:
"We have drawn the line; we move on, and he is on the bench. We have a process for every game that we have to respect. It was a decision made after evaluating everything and who Auba is and what he's done.''
Although details are yet to emerge over why the Arsenal captain was dropped, reports suggest that it was due to disciplinary issues.
Nevertheless, despite the absence of their top scorer and talisman, Arsenal produced a comprehensive display to see off their biggest rivals.
This latest disciplinary breach does not bode well for a club that have seen each of their last five captains fall foul of the standards expected of leaders in the team.
#2 Erik Lamela goes from zero to hero
While Erik Lamela's talent might not be in doubt, the 29-year-old has faced huge criticism for his inconsistent performances and irrational actions.
Both sides of his play were on full display against Arsenal. After opening the scoring with an exquisite finish, the Argentina international went on to get sent off for two unnecessary challenges.
The skill needed to pull off his opener was out of the world, as Sergio Reguilon's hands-on-head reaction to the strike underlined the brilliance of Lamela's strike. However, the former AS Roma man showed his other side with two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.
Lamela had started the game on the bench and was only introduced owing to Son Heung-Min's injury. Throughout his time on the field, Lamela proved to be a maverick, with several instances of blood-rush to his head seeing him walk a tight rope.
After being shown leniency for several challenges, Lamela received his first booking in the 69th minute for a rough tackle on Thomas Partey. Just seven minutes later, the Argentina international was shown his marching orders for an inexplicable elbow on Kieran Tierney.
It was an inglorious end to the game for Lamela and put a dent on what was a performance that included his beautiful first-half strike.
#1 Controversial VAR decision helps Arsenal secure all three points
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has had its fair share of criticism, despite being introduced to eliminate howlers. From farcical offside decisions to questionable handball calls, VAR has almost as many detractors as it has supporters.
Tottenham Hotspur were seemingly on the end of a wrong decision when Davidson Sanchez was penalised for fouling Alexandre Lacazette in the penalty area. Replays showed that the Arsenal striker had miskicked the ball before contact was made by the Tottenham Hotspur defender.
However, despite heavy protests, the VAR agreed with the referee's decision, and Alexandre Lacazette stepped up to convert the ensuing spot-kick.
It was yet another grey area for the VAR in the Premier League, and Tottenham Hotspur have every right to feel aggrieved by what was a controversial decision.
