Tottenham Hotspur kept their Premier League title ambitions alive on Sunday with a 2-0 win over North London rivals Arsenal, but the game and the victory were important for a number of other, more-prominent reasons.
Firstly, the performance and outcome against the worst Arsenal team that I can remember in my lifetime proves that the balance of power has well and truly shifted.
Days where the North London derby would evoke a feeling of dread before a ball had even been kicked have gone and it was the Gunners players that legitimately looked scared of Spurs on the pitch.
This shift in the North London dynamic has been driven by Tottenham’s players simply being better than Arsenal’s – something orchestrated by Mauricio Pochettino.
Secondly, the fact that this was the last-ever clash with Arsenal at White Hart Lane as we know means that the result will go down in history – it was a fitting goodbye.
Thirdly, St Totteringham’s Day has been cancelled this day and a 22-year wait for dominance is over.
Arsene Wenger downplayed the significance of this, but with four games left we are 17 points above Arsenal – the important thing is to repeat the act for seasons to come.
The only regret of the game, and this can be chalked down to inexperience, is that Tottenham did not go for the jugular at 2-0 up and really drive home the advantage.
For the last ten minutes Spurs were in no rush, happy in the knowledge that victory was ours.
However, with Arsenal rocking and looking deflated and defeated, had Tottenham got on the front foot the score legitimately been 3, 4 or 5-0.
Arsenal will be back next season – we won’t see as poor an opponent as that again for a long time.
But the plaudits, glory and recognition goes to a Tottenham side that looks capable of being North London’s dominant force for years to come.