On Monday, Martin Odegaard's game-winning goal against Crystal Palace allowed Arsenal to overcome Takehiro Tomiyasu's dismissal and maintain their unblemished record in the Premier League.
At Selhurst Park, Odegaard's second-half penalty put Arsenal on track for their second straight victory.
Midway through the second half, Japan defender Tomiyasu was controversially dismissed for receiving a second yellow card. Mikel Arteta's team had to fight hard to keep the points.
Before being dismissed for making insignificant touch with Jordan Ayew, Tomiyasu had received a booking for taking too long to complete a throw-in.
Arteta was pleased with how Arsenal maintained their advantage as they rose to third position, trailing Manchester City and Brighton on goal differential.
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Great victory. I'm overjoyed. It's incredibly challenging to play 30 minutes away from home with ten guys, Arteta stated.
"Some of the athletes were in pain. The subs were excellent since they understood what needed to be done.
"Today we had a difficult one, but we overcame it and it will make us better."
Tomiyasu's first booking for squandering time infuriated Arteta, who continued, "This is the standard. It may have taken eight seconds. We may need to experiment with a stopwatch.
The north Londoners predicted to launch a sustained title campaign after last season's late collapse that handed City the trophy. They are ready for the fight after building on their opening weekend victory over Nottingham Forest.
They haven't played their most fluid football yet, but this could be a crucial step in their quest for their first championship since 2004.
Last season, Arsenal had the best away record in the Premier League and recorded a division-high ten clean sheets away from home.
As they rejected Palace's final burst of pressure, Arteta's men appeared to be road warriors again.
The attention was on Aaron Ramsdale as the England international battles to keep his spot since new goalkeeper David Raya was among the Arsenal substitutes following his loan move from Brentford.
When he blocked a long shot from Eberechi Eze in the first minutes, Ramsdale showed up to the task.
Arteta placed Thomas Partey at right-back with the freedom to link up play from his usual midfield position, imitating City manager Pep Guardiola's strategy of telling a defender to go forward anytime they have possession.
Arsenal could control the ball due to this, but Eddie Nketiah, filling in for the injured Gabriel Jesus, could not capitalize on their first-half pressure.
When the 24-year-old deftly avoided Joachim Andersen, he missed an excellent opportunity when he scuffed his effort against the far post with only Sam Johnstone to beat.
William Saliba's slipping tackle on Ayew was disregarded by VAR, denying Palace a penalty.
