Paul Smith, Sunday Mirror:
Arsenal lit the touch paper beginning like a team possessed.Tottenham looked better for the tactical substitutions early on.
At least they were making a game of it - and biting into tackles - instead of being swept aside by Wenger's young side.
Unfortunately it was merely wishful thinking though.
Frankly, Spurs deserved a 3-0 defeat.
Andy Dunn, The People: This was about the response of Arsene Wenger and his players to the biggest crisis of the French manager's reign.
And they stood up and stepped out of Thierry's shadow.
They had lashings of help from Graham Poll, who helped himself to a forgettable hat-trick, but Arsenal were as vibrant, determined and as passionate as they have been all season.
This was a performance about character.
Only once in the first half was there a suggestion that Spurs might represent an attacking force.
Still, they didn't deserve to go in a couple down.
For all their ill luck, Spurs were distinctly average. At least the introduction of Jermaine Jenas changed that.
Aaron Lennon had an anonymous afternoon.
Joe Lovejoy, The Sunday Times: There was an element of good fortune about all three goals, two of which were contentious penalties, but Spurs were second-best throughout, and can have no complaints about the result.
Spurs were as ordinary here as they were in losing to Reading three weeks ago.
Graham Poll awarded two penalties, which were dubious in the extreme.
Nevertheless, Arsenal were clearly the more combative and cohesive team, and therefore deserved winners.
With Freddie Ljungberg an inventive influence, they quickly took charge.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto had the sort of afternoon of which nightmares are made.
The improvement (brought by a double substitution at half time) was barely perceptible.
Aaron Lennon was starved of possession.
Roy Collins, Sunday Telegraph: Spurs were unbelievably bad.
Arsenal fought for loose balls, tackled back and all supported one another.
Toure marshalled his defence.
Cesc Fabregas competed with Gilberto Silva for midfield dominance. But even they were outdone by Adebayor, who covered so much ground.
The only relief Spurs fans got was that Walcott did not crown his cameo role with a goal.
Arsenal dominated the game but their two penalties should never have been awarded.
Spurs underperformed.
Paul Wilson, The Observer: Tottenham Hotspur gave a pathetic impersonation of a team involved in a derby.
Arsenal showed character and exposed their opponents' lack of it. Jol's side were a big disappointment. Spurs failed to force a corner until the second half, when it was too late.
So nervous were the crowd that proper celebrations did not commence until the second goal went in. With a two-goal cushion against a feeble Spurs side you could almost hear relief breaking out all around the ground, although Arsenal's first break of the day came when their opponents lined up in a 4-4-2 formation instead of the five-man favoured by most opponents here.
Spurs briefly looked as though they meant business when they had their share of half-chances and openings in a typically frantic first 10 minutes. Steed Malbranque could have done better with a decent sight of goal, but once the game settled down and Arsenal began to pull away, there was nothing in reply from the visitors.
With Freddie Ljungberg and Cesc Fabregas launching their most effective attacks, Arsenal enjoyed the rest of the first half, though Spurs had a genuine grievance about the second goal.
Lee Young-Pyo and Jermaine Jenas appeared for the second half for Spurs, the former to prevent Benoit Assou-Ekotto getting sent off for any further fouls on Ljungberg, the latter to have a 45 minutes he will want to quickly forget.
Jenas's afternoon began promisingly yet 10 minutes later he was settling the game at the other end of the pitch when he conceded a second penalty. There was a suggestion of a handball outside the area by Robin van Persie but it was nowhere near as clear-cut as the trip with which Jenas floored the Arsenal player in the area a second later, and that was the offence Poll spotted.
There was no doubt which side rose best to the challenge of an English derby.
Steve Tongue, Independent on Sunday: Tottenham performed feebly. Although Spurs lost the 152nd north London derby to two dubious penalties and a marginal offside verdict, their display was so wretched as to render any complaint irrelevant.
Arsenal displayed all the aggression their local rivals lacked.
Spurs desperately needed to score first, which Steed Malbranque ought to have done with 10 minutes played.
Arsenal had a captain in Gilberto Silva ready to step up to the plate - or the penalty spot – twice.
Adebayor, enjoying probably his best game for the club, was only playing because of Thierry Henry's neck injury.
This was never going to be Tottenham's day.
Spurs had dropped Robbie Keane back almost into midfield but were so weak down their left flank, where Fredrik Ljungberg did as he liked, that the full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto and midfielder Malbranque both had to be replaced at the interval. Didier Zokora, casual in possession throughout, could just as easily have been sacrificed. What would they not have given for a more youthful Clive Allen, who contented himself with warming up the half-time substitutes, Jermaine Jenas and Lee Young-Pyo. Lee briefly offered some adventure down the left.
But with the game becoming increasingly fractious, a second debatable penalty put matters beyond doubt and there might have been further humiliation with a red card for Jenas.