Derby tonic as Gunners rediscover firepower
Emmanuel Adebayor's early strike and two coolly-taken penalties from stand-in captain Gilberto Silva allowed the Gunners to make light of the absence of injured skipper Thierry Henry with a 3-0 win that lifts them to third in the table.
Elsewhere, Liverpool registered a first away win over the season with a 4-0 win at Wigan while Sheffield United escaped from the relegation zone by beating bottom side Charlton 2-1.
Leaders Manchester United were up against Middlesbrough in a late kickoff match while champions Chelsea had the weekend off following the rearranging of their fixture against Newcastle.
The 152nd north London derby was a match Arsenal could not afford to lose after successive defeats at Bolton and Fulham. "We were under a lot of mental pressure," acknowledged manager Arsene Wenger afterwards, "but the team responded well."
With Portsmouth sharing the spoils with Aston Villa in a 2-2 draw at Fratton Park and Bolton losing 1-0 at Reading, the win ensured Arsenal began a crucial eight-day period on a high.
Wenger's men travel to Porto on Wednesday needing a point to secure their passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Four days later they visit Chelsea for a match that represents their last realistic chance to get back into the Premiership title race.
Spurs boss Martin Jol bemoaned what he regarded as a missed opportunity after watching Steed Malbranque squander a glorious early chance that would have given his side the lead. "We saw that Thierry Henry was not playing and we knew Arsenal had lost recent games," said the Dutchman. "We sensed this was an opportunity, so we are disappointed."
Liverpool's dismal run on the road finally came to an end with a 4-0 hammering of Wigan. The win was wrapped up by the interval Craig Bellamy's early double followed by a Dirk Kuyt strike and an own goal by Wigan forward Lee McCulloch.
Bolton's push for Champions League football suffered a setback with Kevin Doyle the hero for Reading once again. A 33rd-minute strike was the Ireland striker’s eighth league goal of the season.
At Fratton Park, a deflected strike from Colombia's Juan Pablo Angel earned Aston Villa a point eight minutes from time.
The equalizer came just two minutes after Matt Taylor had claimed his second goal of the afternoon, from the spot, to put Portsmouth ahead. Gareth Barry had given Villa the lead with a first-half penalty.
Blackburn's African connection helped them overcome Fulham 2-0, with Congolese striker Shabani Nonda and South Africa's Benni McCarthy both on the mark at Ewood Park.
Club captain Chris Morgan and veteran winger Keith Gillespie scored second-half goals for Sheffield United as Neil Warnock's side came from behind to condemn Charlton to their tenth defeat of the season.
Ireland midfielder Andy Reid had given the visitors hope of getting off the bottom by putting them ahead in the 17th minute.