Arsenal welcomed fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium for a North London derby that had plenty on the line and was contested as such.
The tension was palpable from the first whistle as Mikel Arteta and Antonio Conte prowled their technical areas barking orders at their players. The home faithful were in full voice as they serenaded the Gunners and tried to create a caulderon of noise too much for even the experience of Spurs to bear.
Arsenal emerged the brighter of the two, but couldn't make their early pressure pay right away. Spurs appeared to be growing into the game, but a wonderstrike from Thomas Partey ensured it was the Gunners who struck the first blow.
The lead didn't last long, with Harry Kane the scourge of Arsenal yet again after he converted from 12 yards following Gabriel Magalhaes foul on Richarlison. The first-half played out without little more to note, setting up an evenly matched second period.
Gabriel Jesus had managed to restore the Gunners' lead before some sections of the Arsenal faithful had returned to their seats after the interval. The Brazil international was on hand to bundle home after Hugo Lloris fumbled Bukayo Saka's effort.
Emerson Royal was shown a straight red-card for a spiteful challenge on Gabriel Martinelli just after the hour and Granit Xhaka ensured Arsenal made full use of the numerical advantage by adding a third shortly after.
Arsenal held on to remain top of the Premier League, while ending Spurs' unbeaten start to the season in the process.
Arsenal's post-goal huddle
While television replays may have been busy showing as many angles of Thomas Partey's glorious goal, the Arsenal players were already regrouping and gathering their thoughts.
Keen to ensure they remained focus, the more senior players within the group got the the full outfield line-up in a huddle to relay further instructions.
It is yet another example of the kind of spirit currently flowing through this Arsenal side, who are clearly blocking out the outside noise touting them as title challengers and instead trying to remain concentrated on the task at hand.
Things didn't play out as planned however, with the hosts conceding a spot-kick less than 10 minutes after they took the lead. Kane made no mistake from 12 yards, calmly stroking the ball down the middle of Ramsdale's goal.
Richarlison's wind-ups
Over the course of the first-half alone, Spurs' summer signing managed to get under the skin of Gabriel a number of times, particularly in the aftermath of the penalty-kick being awarded.
Their verbals went on so long that referee Anthony Taylor was forced to take the pair of them to one side and give them both a telling off to prevent the matter from going any further.
However, Gabriel wasn't the only one in Richarlison's sights - Partey quite forcibly batted the Brazilian's arm away when the Spurs striker tried to protest a decision that had gone in favour of the Gunners.
In truth, Richarlison's ability to antagonise is part of his charm. It's the kind of trait that will only endear himself further to Spurs fans in the early stages of his North London stay - particularly when he's doing it against Arsenal.
The home crowd got the last laugh however, as one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon came when Richarlison was taken off mid-way through the second-half.
Saliba's stormer
Though it may have been obvious to anyone watching that William Saliba had yet another barnstormer for Arsenal, the level of his performance was perhaps best summed up with one notable statistic.
The young defender remarkably managed to win possession six times in the first half alone. Considering the calibre of attacker Saliba was up against in the likes of Kane, Son and Richarlison - that is quite the achievement.
The Frenchman's chant rang out around the Emirates while Arsenal were in the lead, as he displayed the kind of composure that has quickly made him a fan-favourite in the red half of North London.
He was cautioned mid-way through the second-half for preventing a promising looking Spurs counter attack, but thankfully the resulting free-kick came to nothing.
Conte's Emerson outburst
Spurs' much-maligned right-back had an afternoon to forget at the Emirates after he was sent off for a cynical foul on Gabriel Martinelli.
However, what may have not been picked up by television viewers was the fact that the warning signs for the visitors were there minutes before.
So much so in fact that Spurs boss Conte could clearly sense something was coming. Just minutes before he given his marching orders by Taylor, the Spurs boss was spotted screaming in the direction of the full-back after another questionable choice of pass.
Who knows if the Tottenham boss was planning to ensure Emerson was one of the four players who were hauled off following Xhaka's goal to make it 3-1.
Nicolas Jover's touchline presence
Arsenal's set-piece coach has earned quite the reputation for himself in recent months, such has been the Gunners' prowess from free-kicks and corners.
Just last league outing William Saliba was the benefactor of Jover's work as the Frenchman nodded home against Brentford.
The former Man City coach was one of the most active presences on the touchline throughout, but would often stride further than Arteta himself to issue instruction every time Arsenal won a corner.
Jover is clearly just as vital from a defensive viewpoint, given he was up on his feet again for the first-half free kick that so very nearly ended up with a Spurs opener had it not been for a fine Aaron Ramsdale save.
Xhaka's leadership qualities on show again
While the midfielder was infamously stripped of the captaincy three years ago, Xhaka is quite clearly still the most vocal figure in the Arsenal dressing room.
Martin Odegaard wears the armband nowadays, but it was Xhaka's voice that could be heard issuing instructions to his teammates each time there was a break in play.
The Switzerland international was often spotted raising his fingers to his head, gesturing to his teammates to remind them the need to stay focused. It's this kind of conduct that surely earned Xhaka a new leadership role within the squad, as he is now one of Arteta's 'deputy leaders' alongside Gabriel Jesus.
Xhaka capped of a stellar afternoon with a goal for himself, firing a fantastic left-footed finish beyond the despairing dive of Hugo Lloris.
