Arsenal have much to be optimistic about after their north London derby disappointment finally subsides

Arsenal were tactically disciplined and defensively robust in Saturday's north London derby, with their squad increasingly confident that they have turned a corner in their season

As the sound of the final whistle reverberated around a thoroughly relieved Wembley on Saturday, Tottenham celebrated a point hard-won while Arsenal were left to lament two lost. In truth it had been an entirely forgettable derby until all that chaotic late drama, Arsenal coasting their way to victory until two spot kicks, one goal and an unnecessary late red saw the spoils shared.

Having spent the entire afternoon strolling their way through one of the biggest games of their season, Arsenal’s players were left to dejectedly slink their way down the tunnel. But, after 80,000 supporters had squeezed themselves down a horse shit-strewn Wembley Way and the dust had finally started to settle, the immediate disappointment did not take very long to subside.

“I think we played very well,” was the reaction of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, fresh from being presented with the lurid yellow man of the match award. “The spirit of the team was perfect. We played well and we had a game plan. And in the end we are obviously a little bit unhappy because we did not take all three points, but football is like this.”

Yes, Arsenal deserved to win the game. Yes, they were let down late on by individual errors from Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Anthony Taylor. And, yes, Manchester United’s streaky win over Southampton later saw them dip back out of the top four. And yet what a performance this was: pragmatic, tactically disciplined and defensively robust — qualities not often associated with this Arsenal team.

Swarming forward and scoring goals has hardly been a problem. Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are both enjoying bountiful campaigns, while only league leaders Manchester City and Liverpool have scored more than Arsenal this season. It is at the back then where they have struggled, lacking consistency and suffering from limited defensive organisation as a consequence.

Not at Wembley, where the defence held firm for so long with Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis arguably Arsenal’s two best players. “I hope we keep improving defensively and it is not the last game we will fight like this,” Granit Xhaka — another standout performer — later commented. “We have a good spirit and a good mentality and we are all fighting for one another. In the end, with a little bit of luck, we could have won this game.”

Key to Arsenal’s defensive success here was their flexibility and pragmatism. Emery has been criticised for seemingly failing to implant a clearly defined identity in his first season at the club, but on some of the biggest occasions this season, the slightly nebulous quality of their team has been a strength. Against Spurs, Emery reverted to a 4-2-3-1, selecting Nacho Monreal at left-back and dropping Aubameyang, his top scorer. By the end, all of his big decision had been vindicated.

“Every match is different and so [against Spurs] we played with a big four, while other times we play with a back three,” he explained afterwards. “I think the team is improving and learning to play these different systems. And the reason we are changing the system is to do with the nature of the opposition and then finding our best combination of players.”

Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal supporters had been so long crying out for change. They've got it now. Wenger was so staunchly committed to his preferred players and tactical system: refusing to change or amend his approach for an opponent. Not Emery, who clearly prefers to custom-make his game plans. And it appears to be working: they have already taken nine points from just top six opposition this season, compared to just six the season before.

After bruising defeats to both Liverpool and Manchester City, plus something of a wake-up call in Belarus against BATE Borisov, there is a sense that Arsenal are beginning to hit a purple patch of form at just the right moment in their season. Rennes are next up, before what already feels like something of a top four play-off against Manchester United next weekend.

Arsenal deserve praise for their performance (Getty)

“It is not just about how we play, it is also that we have all started to believe that we can [finish in the top four],” Sokratis added after the draw with Tottenham. “This is very important for the team, for the spirit. Everyday in training we know that we are there, and it’s very important for us. It’s very important for us and our manager that we take one of the four positions so that next year we are in the Champions League.”

Xhaka also acknowledged that something has started to change in the Arsenal dressing room in recent weeks. “Two weeks before Tottenham were ten points in front of us. Now they are four,” he said. “We are up there and third and fourth place are not so far away, so we have to start thinking from game to game.

“We are working a lot. And the training sessions are very intense which you can see from weekend to weekend. It is important that we are high in the table not so far from the Champions League and we all want to take the points and finish in the top four.”