Thomas Partey (29) opened proceedings at the Emirates Stadium with a superb long-range effort as Mikel Arteta's (40) side pinned the visitors back in the first 20 minutes.
Spurs found a way back into the game through Harry Kane's (29) penalty which was awarded after Gabriel (24) was deemed to have fouled Richarlison (25).
Arsenal took back control in the second half and regained the lead when Gabriel Jesus (25) capitalised on a mix-up between Hugo Lloris (35) and Cristian Romero (24) from close range.
The points were sealed by a clinical Granit Xhaka (30) finish, shortly after Spurs defender Emerson Royal (23) had been sent off for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli (21).
Here are five key talking points from Saturday's lunchtime encounter.
Arsenal lay down title marker
Arsenal's fast start to the season was widely praised, but their defeat at Manchester United last month led to early questions about their credentials.
Their match against Spurs would either lead to more questioning or place them firmly in the conversation, and the result appears to have put them well on track.
The Gunners were confident throughout - even before their opponents went down to ten men - and the performance will go a long way towards keeping their momentum up. The result moves them four points ahead of City prior to Sunday's Manchester derby.
Arsenal's settled front line
It was another game where Arsenal's attacking players shone, with Arteta finding continuity with his preferred quartet.
Jesus provided his usual bite from up front, causing problems amongst Tottenham's back three all afternoon, while wide men Martinelli (21) and Bukayo Saka (21) threatened and Martin Odegaard (23) looked to keep things ticking over centrally.
The four have been prevalent for Arsenal so far this term and are keeping other noteworthy names out the side, but it will serve as positive news for Arteta in that he is able to put regular faith in his talented forward options.
Spurs system questioned
Although defeat in the derby has served as Tottenham's first in the league, there will now be some questions about the way Antonio Conte (53) has his team playing.
The Italian is happy to let the opposition have the ball and for the most part it has worked in Spurs' favour this term, but the method came unstuck against a well-drilled Arsenal.
Spurs were played off the Emirates turf and while they showed some glimpses going forward, they were never really seemed to get going.
Conte has shown that while playing a counter-attacking style can work, it doesn't necessarily always come off against a quality pressing team and that could begin to play on his mind.
Jesus tops Brazilian battle
The latest edition of the derby came with the added subplot of a battle between pricey Brazilian forwards Jesus and Richarlison.
Both have been in good recent form for their respective clubs, with the latter scoring on international duty last week while the former was not selected.
While Richarlison worked and caused havoc to win Tottenham's penalty in the first half, it was Jesus who ultimately edged the fight with his own strong display.
The former Manchester City man continued to demonstrate his strong link-up play throughout against Spurs and managed to cap his performance off with a goal, which he cleverly sniffed around for.
Spurs blunted by Kulusevski's absence
Tottenham found themselves missing the right-sided influence of Dejan Kulusevski (22), who was ruled out of action with a thigh injury picked up over the international break.
The Swede was forced to watch from the touchline as Spurs struggled to see many of their attacks amount to anything, with end product a real problem for them.
With Spurs lacking much creativity in the squad as it is and with games in the Champions League coming up thick and fast, they will need to hope that his setback is not too severe.
