Arsenal have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League after a remarkable North London Derby.

According to popular belief, the distinguishing characteristic of champions is their capacity to win matches even when they are not performing at their highest level.

What about a team that is leading 3-0 at half-time, playing away from home, against their fiercest rivals, while being statistically inferior?

Bukayo Saka had an enjoyable afternoon with a goal and assist Credit: GettyKai Havertz continued his fine goalscoring form Credit: GettySon Heung-min’s penalty set up a nervy finish Credit: AP

What about a team that then generously allows its opponents to score two goals, risks losing the game, but manages to secure three critical points in the end.

Arsenal, under the management of Mikel Arteta, had a high level of efficiency for a duration of 45 minutes.

In the latter part, they posed a risk of squandering everything, in order to conform to their dubious image as unreliable underperformers.

Despite the somewhat disorganized nature of their performance, Arsenal appear to be on track to compete with Manchester City for the title until the very end.

Arsenal had a possession rate of 28% and managed to score three goals with two shots on target after playing for 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Arsenal possess a formidable ability to score goals from offensive set-piece situations, whereas Tottenham have a notable weakness in defending against such plays.

Arteta’s team managed to score two goals from opposite corners: a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal and a Kai Havertz header. These goals, together with a skillful finish by Bukayo Saka, virtually put an end to the North London Derby as a competitive match inside 38 minutes.

However, the Gunners made two costly mistakes that resulted in Spurs scoring two goals. The first goal was a result of a gaffe by David Raya, allowing Cristian Romero to score. The second goal came from a penalty, which was conceded by Declan Rice and converted by Son Heung-Min.

Arsenal managed to hold on desperately, and with only three matches left – a home game against Bournemouth and Everton, with a trip to Manchester United in between – their chances of winning the title are still alive.

For Ange Postecoglou, this was an extremely disheartening blow. Tottenham struck the post, had a goal disallowed due to a close VAR offside decision, and dominated possession for most of the first half.

However, their second consecutive loss puts them in a position where they require a small but extraordinary event to surpass Aston Villa, who are now in fourth place, and secure qualification for the Champions League.

Tottenham displayed great enthusiasm for this match, with the trumpeter positioned behind the large golden rooster atop the South Stand playing ‘When the Spurs Go Marching On’.

The atmosphere was intense, and their aggressive pressing tactics resulted in winning a significant amount of possession.

However, after the first 27 minutes, they found themselves trailing by a score of 2-0 due to an unfortunate own goal, a couple of contentious decisions made by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and a skillfully executed goal by Saka.

Prior to Arsenal’s disallowed goal by Martin Odegaard, Havertz had already possessed the ball, and subsequently, on the 13th minute, they secured the lead.

Saka executed a corner kick towards the close-range goalpost, causing Hojbjerg to make a severe error in his attempted clearance.

As a result, he inadvertently directed a header into his own net.

Romero soon collided with the post while attempting to defend against a free-kick taken by James Maddison, with Raya also involved.

Spurs believed they had equalized when a corner kick was cleared and a shot by Pedro Porro deflected upwards, allowing an unmarked Micky van de Ven to score with a powerful strike.

However, VAR Jarred Gillett observed that the Dutchman’s shoulder was slightly beyond the offside line, causing the exuberant celebrations to come to an abrupt end.

Prior to Arsenal’s second goal, Tottenham Hotspur had two penalty appeals denied.

The first was for a little push by Takehiro Tomiyasu on Dejan Kulusevski, and the second was for an apparent dive by Maddison under pressure from Declan Rice.

Arsenal successfully passed the ball out of their defensive area, and Havertz skillfully played a long, accurate diagonal pass to Saka, who was positioned in an open area on the right side of the field. The English player contemplated taking a shot immediately, but instead maneuvered past Ben Davies and skillfully placed the ball into the far corner of the net.

Saka had recently displayed signs of fatigue, but not on this particular occasion.

The assist and the finale were delightful, akin to the sweetness of candy floss.

VAR reviewed the penalty appeals at the opposite side. Is it possible for the score to change from 0-2 to 1-1?

Gillett was unimpressed.

Subsequently, the third objective. Havertz successfully outjumped Van de Ven to meet a corner from Rice, while Ben White effectively prevented Tottenham’s goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has been struggling to defend against corners, from making any saves.

However, the Spurs team continued to generate opportunities, with Son Heung-min missing a shot after being perfectly set up by Romero.

Shortly after the game resumed, Havertz sent a precise chip towards the far post, where Saka executed a powerful low volley. However, Vicario made an outstanding stop by extending his leg.

However, on the 64th minute, Raya provided Spurs with an opportunity to recover.

The Arsenal goalkeeper got a back-pass from William Saliba but attempted an overly brilliant chip over Romero. However, the Argentinian chested down the ball and shot it back into the net.

With only six minutes left, optimism began to spread throughout the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

While Rice was trying to clear the ball, he accidentally hit Ben Davies with his follow-through. As a result, Gillett instructed Michael Oliver to review the incident on the video screen and ultimately give a penalty.

Son skillfully sent his penalty shot beyond Raya, signaling a shift in the game’s momentum.

During injury time, the Spurs applied significant pressure on Arsenal’s defense for a span of six minutes, although they were unable to score a goal that would have brought the score even. Arsenal narrowly survived, yet they continue to exist.