The club's victory over their North London rivals having gone 2-0 down in the first 34 minutes is likely to be considered the pinnacle of their season and will have done much to bring supporters back onside following criticism of manager Arsene Wenger and his players.
Under fire from all quarters in the wake of some heavy defeats and abject performances, Wenger summoned the spirit of Mark Twain's "this report of my death was an exaggeration" when facing a media who had been savaging him in recent weeks.
"Arsenal are alive more than anybody thought before the game," Wenger said. "We had a great spirit."
Leading the on-pitch resuscitation was Theo Walcott, who having under-performed for much of the season looked out of touch again in the early stages on Sunday and was heckled by own fans before scoring two goals in three minutes.
"The crowd was starting to get on his back and you wonder if [it would not] do him a favour by leaving him on. But I felt that he has the qualities that, considering the rest of the team, are highly needed," said Wenger.
"He is a very direct player, he can sometimes miss a first touch but considering the balance of the team, I thought it was important to keep him in the side."
Arsenal went into the match lacking form and confidence after a 4-0 first-leg defeat at AC Milan in the Champions League and a 2-0 loss at Sunderland in the FA Cup left them facing a seventh successive season without a trophy.
It was a far cry from Wenger's glory years when he won seven trophies in his first nine years, including the league and cup double in 1998 and 2002.
Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, working as a television pundit, said during the Sunderland game that it was the worst Arsenal team he had ever watched.
VAN PERSIE WORRY
Criticism of the side also came from closer to home, with ex-players Lee Dixon, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit wading in and the Arsenal supporters' trust asking questions about the club's transfer policy, or lack of one.
"I feel they [the players] lost their motivation. I even fear that some have lost faith in Arsene," former midfielder Petit, part of the vintage 1997/98 double-winning side, told France Football magazine last week.
"Ninety five percent of the players can do better."
Victory over Tottenham may have given Wenger and his players some breathing space but they still have plenty to contend with.
Arsenal are fourth, in the final Champions League spot, but hold it from Chelsea by virtue of goals scored with both clubs on 46 points - 17 adrift of leaders Manchester City.
They will probably finish behind Tottenham, who are third on 53, for the first time since 1995.
Angry shareholders from the Arsenal Supporters' Trust want to know if money is available for Wenger to strengthen the squad or whether the club is holding back money as a contingency for failing to qualify f
‘Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did? It’s insane and made me very proud’: Brazil legend explains how much 2002 goal meant to him
'He already had the ability but didn’t use it because he was afraid to shoot – I said, "You’re a player who has to decide games – you have to take risks, mate"': Liverpool star was forced to become confident by team-mates
