Arsenal sealed their first north London derby win since December 2018 after fighting back from a goal down to beat 10-man Tottenham 2-1 on Super Sunday.
The Gunners, who were without captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he was left out of the starting line-up due to a disciplinary breach, dominated much of the first half as Emile Smith Rowe and Cedric Soares both saw strikes hit the woodwork.
However, they were behind in the 33rd minute when Erik Lamela, who replaced the injured Son Heung-Min after 19 minutes, produced a spectacular drilled Rabona to beat Bernd Leno and find the bottom corner.
The hosts did finally get some reward just before the half-time interval when Martin Odegaard swept home Kieran Tierney’s cutback in the 44th minute and they turned the game around midway through the second half when Alexandre Lacazette scored from the penalty spot in the 64th minutes after being scythed down by Davinson Sanchez.
Tottenham almost snatched a point in the closing moments when Harry Kane’s free-kick bounced off the post, with Arsenal defender Gabriel heading Sanchez’s goal-bound shot off the line from the rebound.
Arteta showed discipline is paramount – and no one is above his law – by dropping skipper and main striker Aubameyang to the bench for what Arsenal described as “a breach of pre-match protocol”.
It was a big game to have to make this choice but Arteta demonstrated who was boss and was rewarded not just with an important derby victory but also a fine performance, watched from the sidelines by the solemn figure of the chastened Aubameyang.
Arsenal, even without their captain and most prolific marksman, were by far the more dangerous side, taking control from the start and only showing signs of nerves when Spurs mounted a belated late surge which almost brought them a point they did not merit.
Smith Rowe was outstanding for Arsenal while Odegaard got his first Premier League goal and Lacazette won and scored the decisive penalty.
Spurs have now lost six and drawn four of their past 10 Premier League games at Arsenal and have now been beaten in nine league games this season, the joint most Mourinho has lost in a campaign in his managerial career.
