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To sum up this latest Premier League weekend, Manchester City threw down the gauntlet by closing the gap to two points with a tension-filled win against Newcastle United. Arsenal picked it up with relish in this thumping 4-1 win.
It means that even before the end of February, sights are starting to turn to what might just be a title decider between City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on 18 April.
In the interim, Arsenal have home games against Chelsea, Everton and Bournemouth, along with a visit to Brighton. City travel to Leeds United, West Ham and Chelsea, with relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest come to the Etihad.
And, of course, there might just be a psychological blow to be struck when Arsenal and City meet in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 22 March.
Arsenal are now 10 games from the glory that has eluded them since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" in 2003/04. Destiny is their hands. The twist in the tale is that the same applies to Manchester City.
For all Arsenal might have wished to play down the significance of this single game in the title context, it was a win and performance they needed desperately to calm concerns on and off the pitch.
And this was a consummate display, cool and measured with a ruthless edge, even if it came against this dreadfully poor Spurs side.
Eberechi Eze picked the perfect time to return to his best, playing his part as derby tormentor again with two goals to add to the three he got in the 4-1 win at Emirates Stadium in December.
Since that hat-trick, Eze had featured in all 15 of Arsenal's subsequent league games, but had made only four starts and played just 360 minutes before this derby.
In his last start he was substituted at half-time against Brentford, so credit to Arteta for having the instinct to feel that this was the sort of occasion to suit him, deploying him in the "number 10" role against the club who thought they had signed him until Arsenal stepped in to clinch a £60m deal with Crystal Palace.
