Mikel Arteta became the first Arsenal manager to record consecutive away wins in the north London derby for 36 years on Sunday.
The Gunners headed into enemy territory knowing that, realistically, only a win would be enough to keep the heat on Manchester City in the title race - and Arteta's men delivered on an enthralling afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
An own goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg broke the deadlock before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz nudged Arsenal into a commanding position, although they did have to withstand a late Tottenham onslaught after gifting their bitter rivals two goals in the second-half.
Not only does Sunday's victory sustain Arsenal's hopes of ending a 20-year Premier League title drought, it also means Arteta has overseen back-to-back away victories at Tottenham for the first time in over 30 years.
Even the legendary Arsene Wenger, one of the most revered managers in the club's history, was unable to achieve such a feat. George Graham was the last man to accomplish consecutive away wins in the derby.
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Arsenal remain ahead of Manchester City at the summit with just a handful of fixtures remaining and Arteta is convinced there will be no repeat of last year's collapse, where his squad spurned an eight-point lead over Pep Guardiola's side.
"We have proved we can handle this stage of the season better than last year," the Spaniard said in his post-match press conference.
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Arsenal beat their bitter rivals 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)“When you win it’s always the case. Last season we didn’t, because we went to West Ham and we missed a penalty, and against Liverpool we conceded in the 91st minute and then you’re not capable. At the end the judgement is going to be based on that outcome. If they got the goal in the last minute to make it 3-3 then we wouldn’t have been ready.
“The margins are so small. I was praying at the end . There were so many Spurs players in the box. It was a really emotional game.”
He continued: “One hundred per cent the players are going to fight until the very end.
“I’ve seen that the whole season. They give me the reason to believe that every single day. We are right on it. The motivation for what is ahead is beautiful. We are all expecting that they’re going to have a real go. Emotionally it’s been a very demanding month, but yesterday I had to stop them in training because they wanted more. That’s a good sign.”
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