Arsenal fight back to win north London derby after Lamela's wonder goal
Erik Lamela's audacious rabona will be played over and over again on social media, a piece of individual skill made for YouTube.
But in the context of Sunday's north London derby, it matters not.
Arsenal stormed back after conceding Lamela's devastating goal, holding off Tottenham Hotspur's late push for an equalizer to win 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
It's Arsenal's first victory over Spurs since a 4-2 result in December 2018.
Martin Odegaard canceled out Lamela's heroics with a goal just before halftime, and Alexandre Lacazette converted a penalty after being fouled in the area by Davinson Sanchez.
Spurs responded after Lamela - an early substitute for the injured Heung-Min Son - was sent off for a second yellow card in the 76th minute. Harry Kane smacked the post and Arsenal defender Gabriel made a crucial clearance on the follow-up effort to preserve the victory.
The Gunners remain in 10th place, while Spurs fall six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the race for a Champions League spot.
Arsenal topped their rivals without the help of club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was held out of the team for disciplinary reasons. Aubameyang reportedly arrived late to the stadium, leading manager Mikel Arteta to bench the striker and start Lacazette instead.
Tottenham were dealt bad news of their own when Son appeared to injure his hamstring early in the first half.
Lamela replaced the South Korean and made an instant impact, scoring what will stand as one of the goals of the season. The 29-year-old tucked his left foot behind his right foot to pull off an extraordinary rabona that arrowed into the far corner.
For the bulk of the match, that was the only shot Tottenham could muster.
Arsenal slowly took over. Kieran Tierney found Odegaard in open space for the leveler in the 44th minute and Lacazette sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way from 12 yards after drawing a contentious penalty. Referee Michael Oliver determined Sanchez had impeded with Lacazette even though the Frenchman had already fired a shot wide.
Lamela then became the fifth substitute to score and be sent off in the same Premier League match after throwing an arm in Tierney's face. It was the Argentine's second yellow card in seven minutes.