Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lauded his players' ability to bounce back after they crushed Tottenham 4-1, saying it felt like "the end of the world" when they dropped points against Wolves in midweek.

Having conceded a 94th-minute equaliser at Molineux on Wednesday, Arsenal saw Manchester City cut their lead at the top of the Premier League to two points when they defeated Newcastle United on Saturday.

But the Gunners restored their five-point lead – albeit having played one more game – by routing their arch-rivals, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scoring twice.

Having won November's reverse fixture by the same scoreline, this is just the second season in which Arsenal have won both meetings with Spurs by at least three goals, having previously done so in 1934-35 (5-1 at home, 6-0 away). 

Many onlookers suggested the pressure of the title race was getting to Arsenal after the Wolves game, but Arteta feels they answered plenty of questions in Sunday's derby.

"That's football. When you watch the game against Wolves, how we dropped two points, nobody could explain it," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"Then it was like it was the end of the world, but the attitude we showed... the determination, the dominance, it was really impressive.

"Immediately after [the Wolves game], I saw the reaction and saw what it means. When this is only a job, you don't react like that. But I know how much it means to them and how much they want this."

Asked if he expected more twists and turns before the end of the campaign, Arteta said: "One at a time. It's going to be a long, long marathon for all of us. But let's enjoy it. 

"Today, we did it. But now we have to do it against Chelsea. When you're playing for what we're playing for, you have to take [the criticism]. If you don't like it, do something else."

Eze's brace, which followed on from a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, made him only the second player to score four or more league goals in north London derbies in a single season, after Ted Drake in 1934-35 (also five for Arsenal).

Asked if a need to respond to recent results was on Arsenal's mind, Eze told Sky Sports: "Yeah, for sure, that's the main thing. 

"We know what we're capable of. We have to play games to dominate and to win, and we've got the players in our team to do it. It's an important win for us, and we keep going."

Arsenal host Chelsea in their next Premier League game in a week's time, before travelling to Brighton on March 4.