'It's never easy' — Mikel Arteta's warning to title rivals after Arsenal savage Spurs

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is not giving room for complacency even after his side dismantled Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at their own stadium, re-established a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. 

The Gunners delivered one of the most commanding North London derby performances in recent memory, but the Arsenal manager’s message was the same one he has been delivering all season.

This is a marathon. And it is far from over.

Arteta's words after the final whistle carried the quiet intensity of a man who refuses to let his squad breathe too easily. 

Speaking to the Premier League, he was direct and honest with his words and assessment. 

"We know this is the Premier League, we know that it is going to go all the way to the end. Ten matches in the Premier League is a long marathon."

He paused only to acknowledge what his players had just achieved. "I am really happy and really proud about the way we approached the game. The initiative, the composure, the quality we showed. It is never easy to come here and win. In the manner we have done it, I think the boys deserve a lot of credit."

Credit given. Message delivered. Eyes already on the next one.

Arsenal arrived at N17 with a point to prove. A midweek draw to Wolves had briefly handed the initiative to their title rivals, and Arteta had called publicly for a response. His squad delivered one of the season's most emphatic.

From the opening whistle, this was a one-sided contest. Tottenham, under Igor Tudor, sat deep and invited pressure, a defensive posture that Arsenal were happy to exploit. 

Viktor Gyokeres sent a header just wide early on. Leandro Trossard fired narrowly past the post. The Gunners were patient, precise, and dangerous.

The breakthrough arrived just after the half-hour mark. Bukayo Saka, showing the determination that has defined his season, beat Pape Matar Sarr before finding Eberechi Eze, who applied a composed finish to give the visitors the lead.

Tottenham hit back with startling speed. Just 24 seconds after the restart, Randal Kolo Muani capitalised on a Declan Rice error, driving a powerful shot past David Raya to level immediately. For a brief moment, the home crowd dared to believe.

The belief lasted two minutes into the second half. Gyokeres, who has been one of the Premier League's most irresistible forces this season, unleashed an emphatic strike past Guglielmo Vicario to restore Arsenal's lead. 

Kolo Muani thought he had equalised again shortly after, but his finish was correctly disallowed for a foul on Gabriel Magalhães in the build-up. The momentum had shifted permanently.

Arsenal finished the job with a ruthlessness that title-winning sides require. Eze scored his second of the afternoon, taking his remarkable tally to five goals in his last two North London derbies before Gyokeres added a fourth to seal a victory that silenced the home support completely.

Five points clear. Ten games remaining. A squad that can respond to adversity with a 4-1 derby demolition.

Arteta's marathon analogy is deliberate and important. Title races are won and lost in the mind as much as on the pitch, and the Arsenal manager has spent years building a group capable of handling the psychological weight of a sustained challenge.

Saturday's performance, composed, clinical, and utterly dominant, was evidence that the lessons have been learned.

Manchester City are watching. The gap is five points. The race, as Arteta keeps reminding everyone, goes all the way to the end.