We defeated Tottenham Hotspur twice in league play for the first time since 2013–14 thanks to an outstanding first half performance, which also helped us extend our lead atop the Premier League to eight points.
Hugo Lloris scored an odd own goal to give us the lead after just 14 seconds, and Martin Odegaard's long-range goal on the 36th minute doubled our advantage.
We needed some excellent saves from Aaron Ramsdale to maintain our lead on either side of the break, but thanks to his heroics in goal, we were able to win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time at our fourth attempt and our first league victory there since 2014.
With the majority of the first 45 minutes being played in and around their box, the first half was one that Gooners around the world would have savored. We completely dominated our opponents.
Hugo Lloris made a poor clearance after being under pressure from Gabriel Martinelli, and the ball was clipped back into Eddie Nketiah's path. The striker watched the ball come down onto his foot before attempting to score, but the Spurs goalkeeper made the save.
On 14 minutes, the Frenchman would not fare as well. Bukayo Saka was set free down the right after receiving a long ball from Thomas Partey, but the angle at which he entered the box was restricted. That meant Lloris should have had no trouble catching his cross-shot, but for some reason he fumbled it past his own goal line, giving us the lead.
Three minutes later, that was put in jeopardy when Heung-min Son was slid in and Ramsdale had to use his feet to deny him. However, we continued to press for a second, and Lloris made a more helpful contribution when he did well to block a long-range shot from Odegaard.
Soon after, Partey unleashed a powerful volley from about 25 yards out that fizzed toward the top corner but was stopped by the post, leaving him clutching thin air.
We weren't in a position to be flattering with a two-goal lead at that point, but it eventually materialized after 36 minutes. Odegaard was given too much time and space to get a shot off, as he had too frequently in the first half, and his drive from outside the box flew into the bottom corner for his eighth goal of the year.
However, Ramsdale saved us once more in the final seconds of the opening half when Harry Kane, on a rare foray forward, saw a clever header spin toward goal. However, his England international teammate displayed excellent reactions to push it away and preserve our sizable lead at the break.
Naturally, Antonio Conte's team came out firing and started giving us a lot more trouble. Kane once more put our goalie to the test when he turned and fired goalward, forcing Ramsdale into a flying stop.
#arsenal
DISCLAIMER: I hereby state that I do not own the rights to this video. All rights still belong to the owner. There is no intention to violate any copyright
