A second-half header from Gabriel Magalhaes saw Arsenal pip Tottenham Hotpsur to all three points, on a disappointing day for Ange Postecoglou's side in the North London Derby.
The Brazilian's header, with 64 minutes on the clock, succumbed The Lilywhites to their second loss in four games, meaning they have picked up just a third of the available twelve points since the start of the Premier League season.
Following Sunday's clash, Mikel Arteta has now won three successive North London Derbies at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, an ugly record from a Spurs point of view. It is the first time this has occurred since 1988.
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Set-pieces remain an issue
Tottenham conceded their first set-piece goal of the campaign, reminding fans that it is still a concerning area heading into the second season of the 'painful rebuild'.
Since the beginning of the 23/24 season, Postecoglou's men have conceded eighteen goals from set-pieces, despite the Australian insisting his side "work on them as much as anyone." The record speaks for itself, but the truth is that it is unavoidable.
Under Antonio Conte, they were a powerhouse from both attacking and defensive free-kicks and corners, but it is now the total opposite.
That may be due to the departure of highly-respected Italian dead-ball specialist Gianni Vio, who left the club in the summer of 2023 - Ryan Mason and Mile Jedinak took the lead last season, with Senior Assistant Coach Matt Wells also participating.
Postecoglou's fellow countryman was identified to be the one dealing with the defensive perspective, but the truth be told, in the past year, that has been rather calamitous. Gabriel was able to ease away from Romero inside the six-yard box, with Guglielmo Vicario glued to his line as Arsenal took the lead.
Towards the back end of his first season in charge, the former Celtic boss was adamant that his side did not need to hire a specialist in the area, and he has continued to hold this stance despite facing heavy criticism.
If he wants to be winning titles, like he said he "always" does in his second season, then conceding anywhere near the same amount of goals from these moments will be unacceptable.
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Lack of cutting edge
Rather than blame the defensive mishap, Postecoglou opted to instead pin the blame on the attacking outlook of the clash.
Despite having over 60% of the ball and double the number of shots as their arch-enemy, Spurs just could not find a way past David Raya in The Gunners' net. Of the fifteen shots the hosts took, only five of them travelled towards the Spaniard's goal.
For the third time this season, the side from N17 have been unable to breach the opposition's defensive barrier, meaning just four points have been taken so far - their worst start to a Premier League campaign in nine years.
In the first half, Dejan Kulusevski had a golden chance to put The Lilywhites ahead, but his shot from six yards out was parried behind for a corner by Raya. Shortly after, Dominic Solanke - making his home debut and still chasing his first goal in Spurs colours - squandered two golden opportunities.
The first saw him fail to get a shot away after the visitors lost possession in a dangerous area before a header sent the Arsenal shot-stopper scrambling, but it narrowly missed the post and went out for a goal kick.
Brennan Johnson also saw a flick-on diverted behind by the former Brentford goalkeeper, who made a comfortable save to deny Micky van de Ven from scoring a header after the break. Kulusevski's rocket with little time remaining was the closest they came to breaking Arsenal's resilient back line.
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Dominance leads to nothing, again
Another game, another bout of pure dominance which ultimately leads to nothing.
For the fourth time this season, Tottenham majorly dominated possession and had more shots on goal than their opponents, but the defeat at home to Arsenal means they have dropped eight points already.
The opening day draw with Leicester City and the defeats to Newcastle United and Arsenal have all panned out the same way. Shot after shot, domination and complete control of the game, before a lapse in concentration and defensive error means the game slips out of their grasp.
Sunday's matchup was a perfect opportunity to beat their rivals, but a lack of precision and detail meant that the same story repeated itself yet again.
It feels like fans have become robotic with their repetitive concerns, but it is fully valid and we are not even at the second international break of the campaign yet.
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Vast gap between the two sides
There was a clear contrast between North London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Missing two key players in the heart of their midfield, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, and a further four first-team players in Ricaardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mikel Merino, Arteta's plans were scuppered, causing him to change not only the system but the style of play also.
The adaptations saw Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz start up front, as the Spaniard went with a 4-4-2, sitting eleven players behind the ball and frustrating the hosts. For a while now, it is well-known that The Lilywhites have suffered against low-blocks, and Arteta's game plan worked to a tee, as that is exactly what happened.
This shows a major difference between the two sides, with Postecoglou being lambasted in the past for being too stubborn with his philosophy and refusing to come away from the principles. That was another issue on the weekend, with The Gunners being able to easily read the next move throughout the tie.
Truth be told, that is the main difference between a side who have, and will again, challenge Manchester City for the league title, and Spurs, who have been uninspiring so far.
