With the stadium lit up in the traditional red and white of the Gunners, a pre-match tifo was raised from the north bank commemorating goalscorers of previous fixtures against their fierce rivals.
It was a sight to behold. Club legends Tony Adams and Thierry Henry featured on the massive display, driving a unique atmosphere inside the Emirates.
Arteta’s side attempted to replicate the incredible feeling created by the fans with a fast start, as Leandro Trossard easily turned away from Tottenham’s Cristian Romero in the third minute and found Bukayo Saka in space.
Wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of club skipper Martin Odegaard, Saka drove infield and found Eberechi Eze on the edge of the Spurs box. Eze’s clipped pass in behind the Spurs defence landed in the path of Declan Rice, but Arsenal’s record signing could only fire his tame volley straight at Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario.
The Gunners were relentless in their pressing to win the ball back high up the pitch and took the lead after 38 minutes through Leandro Trossard.
Standing alone in the middle of the Spurs half, Mikel Merino had the freedom to pick his spot before brilliantly lifting the ball over the Tottenham backline to find the Belgian in acres of space, who duly obliged and slotted past Vicario on the turn.
The goal sparked the hosts into greater life, and it didn’t take long for Arteta’s side to capitalise on their dominance and double their lead just five minutes later.
Eberechi Eze – who was much the topic of discussion pre-match after nearly joining Spurs before his big-money move to Arsenal – danced through a sea of Spurs defenders, having picked up a loose ball on the edge of the Spurs penalty area, and fired past Vicario to send the Arsenal fans into delirium.
Fans were barely back in their seats for the second half as Eze then effortlessly grabbed his second goal of the day.
After Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice had combined down the right-hand side, the former Crystal Palace star latched on to a loose ball inside the Spurs box before slotting past Vicario to give the Gunners a healthy advantage over their arch-rivals.
As some dejected Tottenham fans made the decision to head for the exits, a few stumbled back in after Richarlison produced a moment of magic to reduce the deficit.
Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi casually lost possession just inside the Arsenal half, and Richarlison took the loose ball first time before spectacularly lobbing David Raya from distance.
The goal inevitably gave the visitors some encouragement to find a way back into the match, and Thomas Frank turned to his bench in an attempt to stage an unlikely comeback, as Kolo Randall-Muani and Pape Sarr were introduced to the action.
But Frank’s gutless side were unable to capitalise on the swing in momentum, and Eze completed his hat-trick in his first north London derby in the 76th minute, expertly beating Vicario with an outstanding finish after good work from Bukayo Saka.
The stadium erupted in delight. Arsenal had produced a derby day display worthy of any title-winning team, and Mikel Arteta will be thrilled with the relentless attacking intent exhibited once again by his side.