**Arsenal produced the response Mikel Arteta demanded as they beat Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby, in what felt like a defining afternoon in their Premier League title push.**
Just 72 hours earlier, the mood around Arsenal was one of disbelief and frustration after [their 2-2 draw away to Wolves](https://fromthespot.co.uk/article/wolves-2-2-arsenal-gunners-throw-away-two-goal-lead-at-the-death), conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, placing renewed pressure on the league leaders.
But against their fiercest rivals, Arsenal did not flinch and restored the five point gap to Manchester City, despite the Sky Blues still having a game in hand.
Arteta revealed how deeply the Wolves result had cut, describing the emotional fallout and the challenge of reuniting a dressing room.
He said: “I think the whole team, I cannot be prouder and happier for what I’ve seen out there but especially the way we lived the last 72 hours.
“I mean, there is no explanation watching the game by how the hell you draw that game. You’re feeling angry, upset, ashamed at some point and then you have to bring everybody together.”
The Premier League leaders played with urgency and freedom, pressing high and attacking with conviction, a stark contrast to the tension that had crept into recent outings.
“This one is gone, how we use it to be a turning point and to make ourselves better and that was the focus,” Arteta explained.
“But we still have to do it on the pitch and I think what we’ve done from the beginning to the end of the match, it was outstanding.”
At the heart of that response was Eberechi Eze, whose affinity with derbies against Tottenham continues to grow.
The midfielder opened the scoring on 32 minutes with an instinctive close-range volley after Bukayo Saka’s low cross flicked up kindly in front of him.
It was another painful reminder for Spurs supporters of Eze’s habit of deciding these fixtures.
Arteta admitted that emotion played a part in Eze’s display, particularly after being left out of the starting XI in the previous match.
“I could see that he wanted to prove something, he was upset, even with me because I didn’t play him the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made,” he said.
“And I started to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.”
Although Arsenal briefly conceded after Randal Kolo Muani capitalised on a Rice mistake, there was no sense of panic.
Viktor Gyökeres restored the lead shortly after the break with a powerful curling strike, before Eze struck again on 61 minutes, reacting quickest to finish after Saka had been denied.
It was his fifth goal against Spurs this season, underlining his growing influence in the biggest moments.
Arteta was delighted not only with Eze, but with the collective mentality shown by his attackers when the stakes were highest.
He said: “You have to show when it matters and when it’s really on the edge and people are doubting, that’s when you have to stand up.
“Today I think individually they had some huge performances and I’m very pleased to see that.”
Beyond the goals and the derby bragging rights, the performance felt symbolic.
Arsenal played with clarity and belief, refusing to be defined by the disappointment that preceded it.
As Arteta put it, the lesson was simple: “Keep going whatever you do, you win, keep going, if you lose, draw, keep going because it is worth it.”
Whether this proves to be a true turning point remains to be seen, but on a day when north London was emphatically red, Arsenal showed exactly what they are made of.