Arsenal could feel the heat. The successive home defeats in the national cups ensured this. One brought them to the brink of elimination in the Carabao Cup ahead of the semi-final second leg in Newcastle. The other penalty shootout against Manchester United in the FA Cup was fatal.

Mikel Arteta’s team could also sense an opportunity. Liverpool’s draw at Nottingham Forest ensured that. So the equation was pretty clear. Complete the event against the team you love to hate. And with a win the team will move within four points of Liverpool at the top, despite having played a game more.

There would be a slip-up if Tottenham, whose current form in the Premier League is embarrassing, took the lead through captain Son Heung-min. What a strengthening it has been for her and for him as he navigates a personally difficult season.

But overall it was about Arsenal standing strong and prevailing. They gained control with a devastating double strike before the break. First they forced an own goal from Dominic Solanke from a corner; Their 27th in the league since the start of last season, 10th in the current campaign. And then Leandro Trossard found a way through Antonin Kinsky’s hands; A nightmare moment for Spurs’ new goalkeeper.

Spurs simply didn’t do enough in the second half; They posed little threat en route to another league defeat – their sixth in nine games. Ange Postecoglou explains it further and further. Arsenal are looking up.

It was quite an exciting scene before kick-off as fireworks exploded and Arsenal fans unfurled a huge tifo: London is red. The home team raced into Spurs from the first whistle, refusing to give them an inch, which led to a lot of ball losses. And won corners and free kicks over long distances. Kinsky underwent a demanding initial test.

For Spurs it was about weathering the early storm. They had to put their bodies on the line. Arsenal’s intensity was really something special. Spurs wanted to build from the back as always, but found it difficult to link their movements up and out. Kinsky had a few tricky moments on the ball as Kai Havertz robbed him at one point before the goalkeeper dove for the ball.

The first 22 minutes were entirely dedicated to Arsenal; Spurs barely crossed the half. And yet, if they did, the game would turn. The guests left their mark with a bang. First, Djed Spence almost caught Dominic Solanke with a cross outside his boot; Gabriel Magalhães made a decisive intervention. When Dejan Kulusevski beat Declan Rice, he had a clear shot chance from the corner. David Raya made a great block.

When Spurs won another corner, it counted. Arsenal could only half clear to the edge of the penalty area where Son was lurking and he did well to keep the volley under control. His fortune would be a distraction from William Saliba, which was too much for Raya.

What clear significance had Arsenal created in the first half of the first period? Just Rice’s touch for Trossard that led to a brave intervention from Radu Dragusin. As halftime approached, the crowd was nervous. Raheem Sterling, a surprise selection ahead of Gabriel Martinelli, couldn’t get anything going. Spence had his number.

Then it spun again, just as sharply. It was, of course, a corner for Arsenal; controversial because the final touch appeared to have come from Trossard and not Pedro Porro. As Rice leaned the ball forward, Magalhães leaped past the far post with Dragusin, the ball appearing to fall off the Spurs defender before deflecting Solanke and heading into the goal.

Arsenal completed the turnaround before half-time when Thomas Partey robbed Yves Bissouma and got Arsenal moving through Martin Ødegaard. It was another quick transition. Ødegaard passed to Trossard, who fired a low shot into the far corner that Kinsky appeared to have covered. He brought his arm down and over in time. It was just that the ball bounced and went over it. Kinsky buried his face in the grass. He knew it.

Postecoglou changed his creative options for the second period; a rare luxury given his ongoing selection crisis. Only the nine players were not available here. James Maddison and Brennan Johnson came; Dejan Kulusevski moved in from the right. Arteta had to do without six players, the most painful mistake being Bukayo Saka, who was left on his crutches. Thomas Tuchel, the new England manager, was another interested spectator. Myles Lewis-Skelly for the problematic left-back position?

Arsenal continued to press after the restart. Havertz came close with a header from a corner and directed another straight at Kinsky, although the offside flag went up. There was a shot from Sterling that threatened to never end and a touchdown and then a punt from Trossard. As long as the ball was in Spurs’ half, the Arsenal crowd could breathe a sigh of relief.

Kinsky was one of four Spurs starters age 22 or younger; These players learn in an incredibly pressured situation. He got himself into trouble with a fierce touchdown just after the hour mark before getting out of trouble with a Cruyff-style flick. It’s called personality.

The Spurs failed to achieve this in the second period; Solanke had a shot saved and Porro came close at the end from a tight angle, but Arsenal had the better chances. Rice struck straight at Kinsky, while Ødegaard’s superb placement missed the post slightly.