Mauricio Pochettino admitted he substituted Davinson Sanchez for fear of the Colombian being sent off in Tottenham's 2-0 win at Swansea.
Fernando Llorente - with his first Premier League goal for Tottenham - and Dele Alli were on target as Spurs hurdled Arsenal into fifth place in the table.
But Tottenham's fifth win in six league games was mired in controversy as Llorente was clearly standing in an offside position when he nodded home Christian Eriksen's free-kick.
Sanchez also was fortunate not to be sent off 10 minutes after half-time for scything down Martin Olsson after being booked in the first half.