Arsenal answered questions posed about their nerve under pressure in the most emphatic fashion in the north London derby to suggest this is a Premier League race that will go down to the wire.
The manner in which Mikel Arteta's side collapsed in losing a two-goal lead at doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers saw old uncertainties and past pain resurface as hunters Manchester City scented blood.
It made the meeting with arch-rivals Spurs even more hazardous, especially with the toxic air around this dysfunctional club partly cleared by the sacking of unpopular head coach Thomas Frank and his replacement by Igor Tudor.
Arsenal need not have worried as, even with the imposing figure of the giant Croatian prowling his technical area clad in black, they were the beneficiaries of the latest cure prescribed by "Dr. Tottenham", always on hand to provide help to any opponent in times of strife.
The Spurs stadium announcer attempted to rally the crowd with a growled pre-match message delivered at ear-splitting volume, bellowing: "They are worried. They are nervous as hell. We are calm. We are ready. The fire is ready to be lit."
Sadly for Spurs, the final score on that one was zero out of five.
Arsenal were the furthest thing from "nervous as hell." Spurs were the furthest thing from calm and ready. No fires lit here.
Spurs were almost cruelly outclassed as Arsenal's advantage at the top of the table returned to five points, although Pep Guardiola's City have a game in hand.
To sum up this latest Premier League weekend, Manchester City threw down the gauntlet by closing the gap to two points with a tension-filled win against Newcastle United. Arsenal picked it up with relish in this thumping 4-1 win.
It means that even before the end of February, sights are starting to turn to what might just be a title decider between City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on 18 April.
In the interim, Arsenal have home games against Chelsea, Everton and Bournemouth, along with a visit to Brighton. City travel to Leeds United, West Ham and Chelsea, with relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest to come to the Etihad.
And, of course, there might just be a psychological blow to be struck when Arsenal and City meet in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 22 March.
Arsenal are now 10 games from the glory that has eluded them since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" in 2003-04. Destiny is their hands. The twist in the tale is that the same applies to Manchester City.
For all Arsenal might have wished to play down the significance of this single game in the title context, it was a win and performance they needed desperately to calm concerns on and off the pitch.
And this was a consummate display, cool and measured with a ruthless edge, even if it came against this dreadfully poor Spurs side.
Eberechi Eze picked the perfect time to return to his best, playing his part as derby tormentor again with two goals to add to the three he got in the 4-1 win at Emirates Stadium in December.
Since that hat-trick, Eze had featured in all 15 of Arsenal's subsequent league games, but had made only four starts and played just 360 minutes before this derby.
In his last start he was substituted at half-time against Brentford, so credit to Arteta for having the instinct to feel that this was the sort of occasion to suit him, deploying him in the "number 10" role against the club who thought they had signed him until Arsenal stepped in to clinch a £60m deal with Crystal Palace.
And there was more good news with much-criticised striker Viktor Gyokeres also scoring two fine goals on a perfect day for the Gunners and their ecstatic fanbase.
Arsenal were not knocked out of their stride, even after Randal Kolo Muani's bustling equaliser for Spurs two minutes after Eze struck the first blow. This was a confident, reassuring performance.
Arteta told BBC Radio 5 Live: "This was outstanding. I think you have to bring context to the situation and this is the beauty of football.
"You go to Wolves and you drop two points in the last kick of the match. Watching it back, there is no understanding from my perception how the hell that happened.
"It feels like the end of the world, but then you have another opportunity and that is the beauty of it. In a difficult stadium, against our rivals, and seeing how much it means to us in the league and all our supporters."
He added: "This chapter we wanted to write. We have managed it."
BBC Sport pundit Danny Murphy expects the race between the two to go right to the finishing line.
He said: "The title race is still on massively for both. It's in both their hands, that's unusual. Normally it's in one team's hands and you are just waiting for them to slip up.
"I have been very much in the Arsenal camp in terms of my eyes telling me they are the best team. The last couple of results have given Man City that little bit of hope. They have a lot of players in the squad who have been there and done it.
"Speaking from experience, when you have got over the line, the next couple feel easier. Every time Arsenal go on the pitch the pressure is on at the minute. It's great for us and I hope it goes to the wire. I don't see any winning all games from now until the end of the season."
Arsenal's nerve was put the test. They passed - and more tests will come for the Gunners and Manchester City as the Premier League pursuit reaches its climax.
