ARSENAL claimed a massive win over Tottenham today to leapfrog their rivals into fourth place after a truly memorable north London derby with bags of drama.

The hosts had to come from a goal down at half-time but rallied in the second period thanks to an early change of personnel by coach Unai Emery and a fourth brace of the season by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino rued this game as a missed opportunity.

“It’s about the energy, it’s about the emotion,” the Argentinian reflected. “They made good changes. When we conceded the second goal the game changed and the energy changed. That moment was tough.”

Aubameyang’s opener came from the penalty spot. Jan Vertonghen was judged to have deliberately handled the ball as it came across the six-yard box. The striker slotted it home, sending Spurs captain Hugo Lloris the wrong way.

The visitors hit back from a set-piece when Sokratis Papastathopoulos committed a foul on Heung Min Son. Christian Eriksen whipped an in-swinging cross and Eric Dier’s flick-on beat Bernd Leno at the near post.

The midfielder’s header shifted the game’s momentum on its head as shortly after Son was adjudged to have been fouled again; this time, though, inside the penalty area.

Rob Holding rushing back to make an intervention, appeared to make minimal, if any, contact with the South Korean. Harry Kane confidently dispatched the spot-kick to give his side the lead and score his eighth goal against the Gunners.

The interval allowed Emery to switch things up, bringing on Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette. Ten minutes passed before the Spaniard’s changes bore fruit and his side got the equaliser but the Arsenal boss played down his role in masterminding the victory.

“Before the match, I played through the different situations of the game in my head,” he explained. “Lacazette is capable of scoring against anyone and Aaron has experience of this derby against Tottenham. I knew they would be able to make the difference on the game as substitutes.”

Hector Bellerin soon sniffed out the incisive run of Ramsey who then redirected the ball to Aubameyang.

The striker was 20 yards out but knew precisely where he was in relation to the goal. Without hesitation, and under pressure from Juan Foyth, the Gunners top scorer hooked the ball with pace and spin just inside the post, leaving Lloris rooted to the spot.

Both of Emery’s half-time substitutions combined for Arsenal’s third. Ramsey forced Foyth into a mistake and the Welshman played in Lacazette. The Frenchman took an early shot and, aided by a Dier deflection, the ball nestled right in corner of the net.

Knowing all too well how precarious a one-goal lead can be, a fourth was high on the agenda. It came three minutes later and not from a likely source. Lucas Torreira, the dogged defensive midfielder had shuffled into the box and after receiving a through ball from Aubameyang, walloped it across goal from a tight angle. 

It was the Uruguayan’s first Arsenal goal and it couldn’t have come in a more important fixture.

Any residual hopes of a comeback were soon quashed. Vertonghen, making just his second appearance after a long-term hamstring injury, was shown a second yellow card for a follow through on Lacazette after his first booking for the early handball.