Arsenal secured an emphatic 2-0 north London derby win over Tottenham courtesy of first-half goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Alexis Sanchez.
Arsene Wenger’s side headed into Saturday’s derby at the Emirates in need of a big performance after a disappointing start to the Premier League season, and the Gunners duly delivered against a below-par Spurs.
Fresh from an impressive display for Nigeria in the international week, Alex Iwobi could only settle for a place on the bench.
But played some part in the latter stages, replacing Mesut Ozil.
Arsenal was bright from the first whistle and fully deserved to take the lead – even if there was a hint of controversy about it.
Spurs were aggrieved after referee Mike Dean adjudged Davinson Sanchez to have fouled Sanchez on the left flank, but were caught flat-footed as Mustafi – marginally offside – rose to head home a glorious opener after 36 minutes.
Moments after Alexandre Lacazette timed a run well on the right of the box and pulled the ball back for Sanchez, who somehow found space to volley home at the near post with Hugo Lloris off-balance.
Spurs pressed for a way back into the game after the interval, but the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli were off the pace after missing the recent international break.
The visitors tried in the second half but failed as the Gunners held on for a famous victory.
They now move to fifth on the log with 22 points, just one adrift of their neighbours.
